We’ve come a long way, ladies.
This year will be 100 years since the 19th Amendment passed, granting us the right to vote and make a difference in our country’s leadership.
March is Women’s History Month, the month in which we honor the history and take into account the struggles that women have been through in this country. With this comes feelings of empowerment as we think about what we have accomplished.
This playlist was a bit hard to put together since I don’t really listen to a lot of female empowerment songs. Nothing against them, they just aren’t my usual go-to. Despite this, I managed to come up with some pretty good picks.
The first song on this playlist is “The Man” by Taylor Swift.
This synth-focused song calls out the double standards placed on her and consists of Swift wondering about what her public perception would be if she was a man. Would she be celebrated for her art and ideas or scorned for her personality and sex appeal?
I think this song is best described by a line from the chorus, that being “If I was a man, I’d be the man.” It’s a catchy play on word that sticks in your head, and really captures Swift’s frustration with the cultural climate she lives in.
Next is “Alterlife” by Rina Sawayama. This polished and energetic pop track encourages the listener to improve themselves and become someone that they are proud of. It also sounds like a letter to her former self, which I think is pretty cool. The song is carried by dynamic guitar solos, which add some edge to the song. The one at the end of the song almost feels like the end of a movie when the hero rides off into the sunset on a motorcycle.
Overall, this song never fails to encourage me.
My next choice is another song from Sawayama: “Take Me As I Am.” This Britney-esque pop banger confronts the western pop scene’s lack of Asian representation. With lines like “so the world will take me as I am,” Sawayama shows her unwillingness to compromise on her artistry or identity in order to fit the mold.
Although this is an example fairly specific to Sawayama, the message can be altered to fit anyone’s life. I’m sure we’ve all been faced with the dilemma of standing out from the crowd by being ourselves versus stuffing our personalities down deep inside to conform. This is a message that definitely speaks to me, and I’m sure that this can empower someone else to be authentic with themselves, regardless of the opinions of others.
Tiffany Young’s “Run For Your Life” is my next pick. This bassy banger of a song is about what Young describes in an Instagram post about “the fight and the hunger to live for what you love and who you are, to shine and be unbothered.”
The song definitely could play on a catwalk at fashion week. It’s polished and modern. However, I think it could have done without all of the effects on Young’s voice.
After this would be “Boyish” by Japanese Breakfast. This isn’t the most outwardly empowering song, as it tells the story of an unrequited love in which the singer cannot decide whether to give up or beg for the love of her beloved.
However, I think this can speak to a different kind of empowerment. Being empowered isn’t always proud shouting in the streets; at times, it is the rock in your stomach when you know you deserve better and need to make moves to get it.
With lines like “If you go to her, don’t expect to come home to me
tonight” and “What do you want from me? / If you don’t like how I look then leave,” that fire inside is definitely there, even if it’s deep inside.
The slow beat and atmospheric guitar adds to the melancholy feel of the song. The music video is set at a school dance, which I definitely think suits the feel of the song.
The next song is “Follow Your Arrow” by Kacey Musgraves. This is another song that calls out double standards, but in a bit of a different way. While Swift accepts them and asks what would change if she was a man, Musgraves makes the argument that people will say what they want and judge you no matter what, so just do whatever makes you happy.
This is another message that really resounds with me. You can say or do anything, but people will believe what they believe because our perception is our reality. It’s better in the end to just live authentically because it will bring you the most joy and peace.
Next is “What Baking Can Do” from the musical Waitress. In the context of the show, the main character is dealing with the news of her unwanted pregnancy by making pies. Throughout the song, she expresses her will to make everything work and make the best of the situation.
This show is my absolute favorite, and the show overall has great examples of female empowerment in multiple ways. It tells the story of a woman gaining the courage to leave her abusive husband through the support given to her by her work friends (and an affair which we don’t have to go into).
The whole show is a heartbreaking yet inspiring story that I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves musicals. The country influences and simplicity of the music also makes it easy to listen to for those who are less interested in musicals.
The final song for this playlist is “Be Brave” by Owl City. I know this one isn’t specifically a song empowering women, but I think it’s an incredibly empowering song nonetheless and I think it would be a loss to not add it.
The song tells the story of how Adam Young, the man behind Owl City, met his girlfriend in the style of a movie. I think Young did a lovely job of illustrating this concept through his use of language, such as his metaphor of a paper bird to mean his girlfriend’s business card. Just reading through the lyrics of the song for this playlist gave me chills and made me remember just how much I love this song.
The song’s composition is another place where it really shines. The song starts with just piano, which adds an introspective mood to the song. As the song picks up, there’s a bit of strings and a flute added to the mix, almost like a symphony performance. In the middle of the second verse, at the line “And there, I was understood for the first time in my life,” the guitarist and drummer go absolutely ham and cheese, which brings so much energy to the song that it could probably power a small village. This is definitely my favorite part of the song, as it feels like a really strong and potentially cathartic moment. The song slows down from there again until the end of the bridge.
If you had to pick one song to listen to off of this playlist, I hope it’s this one. I seriously recommend it so much.
I hope that this playlist can serve as an inspiration to chase our dreams and do what will bring us fulfillment.
Here’s to us, girls.
