Violence Against Women in 60’s Music
I know Hip-Hop has a good bit of violence against women in it today, but in the 60’s there were a lot of violent songs that sort of passed under the radar - most people didn’t recognize “violence against women” and misogyny then as readily as they do now. Some examples:
Hey Joe (Byrds and Jimi Hendrix) - Here, “Joe” threatens to shoot his woman and then actually shoots and kills her. Probably the most blatantly violent song of the time.
Ruby (Kenny Rogers) - The singer expresses his desire to get his gun and “put her in the ground”.
Run For Your Life - Lennon confesses that he would rather see his girl dead than to see her with another man, and if he does catch her “that’s the end”.
Getting Better - Here, in lyrics written by Lennon at this point, he confesses that he used to be cruel to his woman and beat her.
Every Breath You Take - Sting sings the ultimate stalker song here. This is in the 80’s, so he doesn’t threaten to kill her expressly, but impliedly. She belongs to him and he will act if he catches her.
I’m sure there are others, but these come to mind. I don’t remember any songs where the tables are turned and the woman threatens to kill the man, but there may be some. What strikes me is that I don’t remember any social commentary at the time that called these songs out as unacceptable - they were played on the radio all the time. It was simply the way things were.
Oh crap! How could I forget about the Chicks! From my own state! Somehow, that seems acceptable even now.
Now we know what really happened to Elvis.
Now, the song tells the story of a woman who drowns herself over the guilt over having cheated, but that seems much more like the story the boyfriend would be telling after killing her.
Not sure what decade this would be…
Tom Waits - Dead And Lovely
I know it was 1970; but has anyone ever looked properly at the lyrics for ‘In the summertime’ by Mungo Jerry?
It comes over a little bit unsavory. Drunk driving and sexual predatory.
I know it was 1970; but has anyone ever looked properly at the lyrics for ‘In the summertime’ by Mungo Jerry?
It comes over a little bit unsavory. Drunk driving and sexual predatory.
Yeah, there is a lot in music and movies that offend current sensibilities a bit. But sometimes it seems that we are little over the top on what offends us. The pendulum has swung a bit too far, it seems.
Yeah, there is a lot in music and movies that offend current sensibilities a bit. But sometimes it seems that we are little over the top on what offends us. The pendulum has swung a bit too far, it seems.
Yes, our sensibilities have changed, and I think it’s productive to re-examine. And there are some instances where there is actual promotion of violence in the arts (music and film). But at the same time, just because something is depicted in the arts, doesn’t mean it’s being condoned; it can also reflect reality back at us, even when it’s ugly. It’s important to be shown the ways things are, not just how we wish them to be. And we can’t erase or ignore the past; our progress can be measured by what makes us cringe, which is a good thing.
In general, I think the arts have often been way ahead of the times and been instrumental in bringing about positive social change.
But I wonder if any of these were intended to be cautionary tales, not glorification?