The last few months have been crazy busy for me, and in doing so I feel as though my blog has suffered a little bit. With a couple of big events which have now passed, I’ve decided that this trend ends here – even though I am heading overseas in a couple of weeks (and therefore may not end up blogging at all). One of the great things about having a bit of a lull in the blogging however, is that I’ve been able to think about the direction I want the blog to take. I have to say I have struggled to keep the content up – mostly because getting new, intelligent, political pieces out on a regular basis in a way that I want to present them can be tough.
So, I have decided that, in line with a desire to do more writing in this way in the future, I am going to add in some elements that aren’t quite as political. A personal touch if you wish. It’ll be a way to express my personality, build some writing skills, and talk about some new things. I’ve decided, given that it’s a bit different to what I normally do, to call this Something Different.
With the Triple J Hottest 100 of the past twenty years happening over the weekend, I thought, what better way to start this trend than to talk about this great tradition.
One of the best, and worst, parts of the Hottest 100, is finding out which of the songs you thought deserved to be in the top 100 don’t make the list. I reckon I have at least one each year. This year however, I managed 11. Unfortunately I noticed that most of my 11 were sung by women. In fact, if you look through the list, there are only 6 songs with women singers (The Nosebleed Section, Something that I Used to Know, Zombie, Dog Days are Over, Paper Planes and Video Games), and only four of those where women were the lead (let me know if I’ve missed any). That’s four women out of 100 songs. This isn’t a new trend – in the Hottest 100 of all time only one woman made it in (The Nosebleed Section), whilst a woman has only won the Hottest 100 once (the Cranberries with Zombie).
There are lots of reasons for this – largely around the lack of support for women artists, both in developing as artists, and in promotion of their work. In other words, sexism is still systematic in the music industry. Yet unfortunately, what we often get in today’s world are arguments that we live in a competitive world and men are just creating better music. Instead of going in depth into the sexism of the music industry therefore (there are many more people better qualified to do that), I thought I wanted to share my list of songs sung by women, and that I think deserved to be in the list. The list is in no way comprehensive, but for me, these are some of the best songs of the last 20 years – all of which should have been in the top 100. I hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear your list.
(I am not a music critic, and apart from enjoying listening to it, I know nothing about music. So apologies if my descriptions of songs aren’t technically correct – but you’ll get the gist of what I mean)
Bjork – It’s Oh So Quiet
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htobTBlCvUU&w=560&h=315]
There is no doubt in my mind that Bjork is one of the most influential artists of the past twenty years. Bjork defines how to be strange and cool at the same time, with some of the most creative music of the past decades. It’s Oh So Quiet is a classic example of this. In the song, Bjork alternates between soft, wistful singing, and loud, almost screaming into the mic. The blend of the two creates a classic.
Honourable mention: I also came very close to voting for Bjork’s Earth Intruders.
No Doubt – Just a Girl
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHzOOQfhPFg&w=420&h=315]
If you want to talk about classic pop, it is really hard to look past Just a Girl by No Doubt. Starting with a riff that I think everybody would recognise, Gwen Stefani rips into the song, which matches catchy lyrics with a tune to die for. Not much else I can say!
Sarah Blasko – Flame Trees
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQvjvEWDIoQ&w=420&h=315]
I had real trouble deciding which Sarah Blasko song I would include. I fell in love with Sarah Blasko as an depressive teenager, with her first album The Overture and the Underscore speaking to me in a way no musician could at the time. I think I could have easily voted for her first real hit Don’t U Eva, and for pretty much all of her album As Day Follows Night, which for me was a classic, but I ended up landing on her cover of Flame Trees. Blasko does a good cover (check out her version of Hey Ya), but this one takes the cake. Slowly building into the song, she completely changes its tone, turning it into a brooding ballad that you cannot help but feel moved by. Every word has meaning in her version, giving a classic song a new meaning.
Honourable mention: Don’t U Eva, We Won’t Run and Hey Ya (cover)
Hole – Celebrity Skin
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3dWBLoU–E&w=420&h=315]
The Hottest 100 list was full of classic 90s rock, but Hole was for me, the most notable band missing. Courteney Love and Hole were an essential part of the rock scene in the 90s and Love is really the epitome of how awesome women singing rock can be. Celebrity Skin was an album I grew up with in the late 90s and the title track just hits you straight in the face. The song hits you from the first moment, and apart from one interlude, doesn’t let up at all throughout. It is classic rock, and shouldn’t have been missed.
The Waifs – Lighthouse
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADlAc-NsDng&w=420&h=315]
I really love folk music at times, and the Waifs are probably some of the best folk artists Australia has to offer. With a career spanning what must be decades now, the band has criss-crossed Australia, and importantly, the United States with a mixture of catchy pop/folk tunes, and more soulful music. There is no better Waifs song than Lighthouse. With an extremely catchy tune, the Waifs paint a perfect picture for me of the Australian coastline – turning this into an awesome Australian tune.
Honourable mention: London Still
Lily Allen – Smile
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxDrVUrSvI&w=560&h=315]
I was really disappointed not to see any Lily Allen in the list. Even though she has only released two albums, Allen dominated the charts, and much of Triple J for years in the late noughties. Allen clearly has a mean streak, which can be found throughout her songs, but it is best expressed through Smile. Putting on what can only be described as a happy face, the song is deceptive, as Allen sings about the joy of bringing others pain. But it’s not just the deception that makes this song so great; it is just great pop, leaving yourself singing to it when you don’t even realise it.
Honourable mentions: Fuck You, Not Fair, LDN and The Fear
Ladyhawke – My Delirium
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_bFO1SNRZg&w=560&h=315]
Ladyhawke has, for me, only really had one memorable album so far (although I need to listen to Anxiety more), but it was an instant classic. Released in 2008, LadyHawke presents a great album of soft rock/pop, presenting something that I missed from much of the music scene at the time. My Delirium is the standout track of the album. With an excellent backing (synth I thinking – help me here!) riff, LadyHawke’s voice haunts me throughout as she sings about her delirium.
Honourable mention: Paris is Burning
Pnau – Embrace (feat LawdyHawke)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuVI04mrZqo&w=420&h=315]
This song brings back memories of life in Sweden for me in 2009. Having released it in 2008, I came across Embrace as I was living in Sweden and making my way through Swedish pop. The song is sung by LadyHawke (see above). Embrace takes time to build, but once she gets into it you get an instant dance classic. This is the kind of song I love hearing out in the clubs (the times once every three months I go to a club) and I would have loved to have heard it in the Hottest 100.
Architecture In Helsinki – That Beep
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Xf-IpT4jQ&w=560&h=315]
Last, but certainly not least, is one of my favourite bands from the last 20 years, Architecture in Helsinki (AIH). AIH have a unique pop brand, with a quirky approach that doesn’t quite follow the standard song formula. Nothing could display this better that That Beep. That Beep builds itself up, with the voice of Kellie Sutherland (tell me if I am wrong) slowly entering the stage. The beeping continues as a backing track throughout the song, but it is Kellie’s voice that stands out – creating a great pop song.
Honourable mention: Machine Gun Fellatio – Pussy Town
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EItYM2TOAQA&w=420&h=315]
So, this song is actually sung by a man, but Machine Gun Fellatio had a woman who sung in a number of their key songs, and I absolutely love them (and voted for this song), so I decided to include it at the end. Machine Gun Fellatio were one of those bands that were around just as I started to appreciate music, and I loved what they had to offer. Unfortunately only producing three albums, Paging Mr Strike was clearly the best, producing songs such as The Girl of My Dreams is Giving me Nightmares, RollerCoaster, and Pussytown. As a band that had some rather subtle sexual undertones in their music (not really), Pussytown was one of their best, with the voice of Pinky Beecroft (who I think sung the song) create deep sexual urges that can make us all uncomfortable.