The Song Project, a Rough Tally
Feb. 16th, 2011 07:19 am![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
giandujakissSo a lot of people have taken an interest in my earlier song request. In case you don't want to read through all the comments, here's my rough tally of responses (I did not actually count them up; this is just my sense of the trends):
Several people misread the question and responded with songs that were the opposite of the request, i.e., songs about women seeking men for their money, or that were otherwise off-topic. I can't help but suspect this happened because the request was so violently contrary to stereotypes that casual surfers misread it. Which, you know, goes to show.
At least three different songs were identified where a woman loses her man to another woman after achieving fame/riches; in these songs, there was no indication that the other woman was any richer or more famous. Which, you know, goes to show.
A couple of songs were identified where a woman achieves fame/status/wealth and regrets it, and/or rejects the attentions of men.
Songs were identified where a woman celebrates the fact that her wealth renders her independent from men.
Several songs involved a woman - not one identified as wealthy/successful - losing a man to another lover, usually identified as prettier but not as wealthier.
Were any responses on point? Depends on how strict you're being. The closest ones seemed to be:
Material Girl by Madonna - which is mostly a song about a woman seeking men for their wealth, but finishes with "Experience has made me rich and now they're after me."
40 Boys in 40 Nights by The Donnas - in which a woman sleeps with new men in every city. There is an implication - unstated in the song - is that the woman is a rockstar, which is why she's constantly on the road with access to the men.
Women be Wise by Bonnie Raitt - in which a "best girlfriend" sleeps with her friends' lovers; the best girlfriend is described as "highbrow" but there's no straight line between her wealth and her ability to attract men
Suga Mama by Beyonce - a woman offers to support a man in style to attract him
Then I Woke Up by Clique Girlz - where a woman dreams of becoming rich and famous so that men will want her; but part of the dream explicitly includes rejecting their attentions
Forget* You by Gwyneth Paltrow - Initially I wasn't going to count this one, because it's so obviously intended to be understood by reference to the original, and it's not recorded by a "real" professional singer in such a way as to make it her own; it's like a one-off gag. But considering how few songs on this topic are out there, I can't help but see it as revolutionary. (Although there may be issues of cultural appropriation with respect to race)
Nobody Comes to Marry Me - folk song dating to 1844, which is almost directly on point, where a woman laments the fact that she's not rich enough to attract a man.spiralsheep points out that earlier versions of the song may put less emphasis on the lack of wealth. She says that there are several English folk songs with similar themes.
So there you have it. You may have to go back to the 1800s - when women were expected to have dowries - to truly find songs explicitly along these lines.
ETA:tablesaw points out a new one in the comments to this post - Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid by Millionaires - what it says on the tin. Perfect, actually.
Several people misread the question and responded with songs that were the opposite of the request, i.e., songs about women seeking men for their money, or that were otherwise off-topic. I can't help but suspect this happened because the request was so violently contrary to stereotypes that casual surfers misread it. Which, you know, goes to show.
At least three different songs were identified where a woman loses her man to another woman after achieving fame/riches; in these songs, there was no indication that the other woman was any richer or more famous. Which, you know, goes to show.
A couple of songs were identified where a woman achieves fame/status/wealth and regrets it, and/or rejects the attentions of men.
Songs were identified where a woman celebrates the fact that her wealth renders her independent from men.
Several songs involved a woman - not one identified as wealthy/successful - losing a man to another lover, usually identified as prettier but not as wealthier.
Were any responses on point? Depends on how strict you're being. The closest ones seemed to be:
Material Girl by Madonna - which is mostly a song about a woman seeking men for their wealth, but finishes with "Experience has made me rich and now they're after me."
40 Boys in 40 Nights by The Donnas - in which a woman sleeps with new men in every city. There is an implication - unstated in the song - is that the woman is a rockstar, which is why she's constantly on the road with access to the men.
Women be Wise by Bonnie Raitt - in which a "best girlfriend" sleeps with her friends' lovers; the best girlfriend is described as "highbrow" but there's no straight line between her wealth and her ability to attract men
Suga Mama by Beyonce - a woman offers to support a man in style to attract him
Then I Woke Up by Clique Girlz - where a woman dreams of becoming rich and famous so that men will want her; but part of the dream explicitly includes rejecting their attentions
Forget* You by Gwyneth Paltrow - Initially I wasn't going to count this one, because it's so obviously intended to be understood by reference to the original, and it's not recorded by a "real" professional singer in such a way as to make it her own; it's like a one-off gag. But considering how few songs on this topic are out there, I can't help but see it as revolutionary. (Although there may be issues of cultural appropriation with respect to race)
Nobody Comes to Marry Me - folk song dating to 1844, which is almost directly on point, where a woman laments the fact that she's not rich enough to attract a man.
spiralsheep points out that earlier versions of the song may put less emphasis on the lack of wealth. She says that there are several English folk songs with similar themes.So there you have it. You may have to go back to the 1800s - when women were expected to have dowries - to truly find songs explicitly along these lines.
ETA:
tablesaw points out a new one in the comments to this post - Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid by Millionaires - what it says on the tin. Perfect, actually.
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Date: 2011-02-16 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-16 08:15 pm (UTC)