Blog Post 1

When evaluating the assigned readings for the following week it was especially important to recognize the astounding women that took action to share very amazing music. Gayle Wald worked critically to break down societal norms set out by many popularized musicians. To Dayle, there was an importance to “un-forget” the women, like Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Gayle chased down history in order to bring to light this amazing African American rock enthusiast. Additionally, Wald expressed that although she interviewed countless people she was “saddened that so much was inevitably going to be left out in ‘her’ retelling.” (Journal of Women’s History, 158) However, like Gayle, Michelle Habell-Pallan shined the light on musicians who were also “forgotten”, like Alice Bag, a huge contributor to punk. Alice Bag used punk to focus on retellings of her Mexican, Chicana history. Both these authors argued that often these women fought for feminist ideals and used their cultural background to help in their creation of beautiful music. There is a tremendous lack of inclusion in the music world and unfortunately, many of these amazing women have not been given the recognition they deserve. Music like “Rock Me” by Tharpe and “77” by Alice Bag are so soulful and full of such passion. This is why culture is so often represented in music because our culture is part of our intersectionalities of being human. For the Thursday reading, it shows the importance of the Mexican culture and how much of an influence music has on their celebrations. That is why like Tharpe and Alice Bag musicians must consider history when participating in such an art.   

There are two songs I would enjoy sharing with the class for our archive; “Fall Asleep” by Big Joanie, and a more popularized song “Truth Hurts” sung by Lizzo. I felt that both these songs have share significance with the theme for this week. Both songs have such passion and are fighting against societal norms. Big Joanie, for instance, is a wonderful African American rock band that has significant influence from Nirvana and the Pixies. They are a black feminist punk group that argues there is a lack of intersectionality in the scene of rock. I especially enjoy their music, so I was hoping to share their amazing work. Lizzo is much more popular and does not perform rock necessarily. Her music takes many forms and is very beautiful. Unfortunately, Lizzo also received a lot of push back due to the song “Truth Hurts”. Originally the song was made in 2017, however, it was not popularized until 2019. Lizzo empowers many women to be body confident as well as empowered in relationships. Lizzo supports feminism through and through with each song she creates. These songs and artists bring us one step closer to an equitable musical world.

Links to Songs:

·       Big Joanie “Fall Asleep”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VscB7YNpeKw

·       Lizzo “Truth Hurts”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00HMxdsVZI