Yi Blog 9
The connection between feminism and the two music entries was how music gave power to women and the feminist movement. Through music, women are able to push and bring attention to inequalities within the world. For example, the song “Run the World” by Beyonce aims to empower women by bringing to attention all the countless contributions they make. In the song, one of the lyrics used is “How we smart enough to make these millions Strong enough to bear the children (children)”. Through the song, Beyonce is pushing the message that women need to e respected and aren’t there to be disrespected. Two songs I would have used are “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna and “Woman” by BoA. The song “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna was released in 2015. It is of the pop genre. The reason why I chose “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna was because it was showing how tough and powerful a woman could e. In the song, Rihanna compares herself to Lebron James who is the richest basketball player. She compares her wealth to Lebron’s by saying “Pay me what you owe me Ballin’ bigger than LeBron” and also “Turn up to Rihanna while the whole club fuckin’ wasted Every time I drop I am the only thing you’re playin’”. Through these lyrics, she demonstrates how well off she is and how her success keeps on growing. The next song “Woman” by BoA was released in 2018. It is of the K-Pop genre. The reason why I chose “Woman” by BoA is that it discusses the topic of how people are perfect the way they are. It mentions how people shouldn’t change themselves to be like others or to make others like them. The lyrics in the song are “You want me to be me? Then show me yourself You have a pearl but you’re looking for a diamond You’re getting deceived, you’re being slanderous”. The lyrics show us how people don’t recognize their true value. This is shown when she states “you have a pearl but you’re looking for a diamond” through this she is howling us how we are already good enough and that there is no need to try to be better. It also mentions how forcing femininity is incorrect and that people should thrive to find what fits them. She states, “When they were forcing femininity (girls on top) When I didn’t even know what it was to be a woman (didn’t know that) Now I know, what I really need (I’ve got it) I have the best inner beauty Feels good to be a woman”. The whole song preaches the message of being yourself and being satisfied with yourself.
Blog #9 Sunny
Music and feminism:
Feminism is about the idea that women should have complete social, economic and political equality. Many female workers in the industry promote this idea and support the idea of it. Making music allows them to spread the word and get more women to band together to fight for equality. The two songs that were used for this presentation was Strip by little mix and NRI by Raja Kumari. Strip by little mix encourages women to love who they are and be comfortable in their own bodies. Which relates to the topic as it creates an idea of women supporting women and that girls shouldn’t be ashamed of anything. The musically interesting moment was the rhythm contrast during as it starts playing halftime and her voice is constantly going up and down until she switches her flow when the beat goes back to full time. The second song mentioned addresses the feelings one gets from being considered as an outcast in society due to their race and gender. Raka Kumari wrote this to partially depict her feelings on being a POC women in the music industry as she worked with a lot of artists but not many people know of her indicating that women should get treated equally in the industry. The musically interesting moment in this scenario would be when the melody takes change of form. The beat cuts out and the rest of the song is being kept minimalistic. If I were to write about this topic I would use The song “The Man” by Taylor Swift and “My Future” by Billie Eillish. The song by Taylor swift is about how no matter what she did as a woman, she was always met with criticism while if a man did the same thing, they would be praised and put on a pedestal. Swift has said in an interview that she had been meaning to write this song for a long time but she couldn’t find the right words to say it. I think an interesting moment in the song is the amount of harmonies you can hear in the song. Especially in the chorus or bridge, I feel as if you could hear it slightly clearer than the verses. The second song I mentioned, by Billie Eillish, is a song about self-reflection and self-growth. Although it may not necessarily be aimed towards a feminist agenda, I think it can be applied to the topic as it can give a person the confidence to be themselves in the future no matter what happens. The second verse in the song says “Know I’m supposed to be unhappy Without someone (someone) But aren’t I someone?” I think this means that you can be happy by yourself and the concept of self love should be important to your own future even if everyone around says otherwise. A musically interesting moment in the song happens when she transitions from the first chorus to the second verse as the tempo changes as well as the timbre of the song. It seems to me like she’s breaking the news that she can be happy by herself and then once the change happens, she begins to be more confident and happy with her decision and talks to her future self during the chorus.