Jolene, and other anti-feminist anthems

There's one that goes something like 'push it, push it baby some more'.

Now THAT I hate.

I would have thought that 'Hit me baby one more time' was in reference to American use of 'hit me' such as when you want another drink 'hit me', like 'give me another'.

You can watch Harper Valley PTA movie here for free. It's a lovely easy to watch film.

Jolene is neither here nor there. It's a woman musing to herself and not her speaking directly to Jolene. Her man has had his head turned and she is hoping that Jolene will turn him down. I love it.

9 to 5 has to be one of the most feminist acknowledgements of its time. Dolly is wholly a Barbie doll while still being a strong woman. Feminists seem to believe that you give up your femininity to be a feminist. Bizarre contradiction, but true.

'I drove all night'? Have none of you ever been in love? Your boyfriend driving all night to be with you was one of my dreams. Surely you remember that feeling? What a surprise!

There are other contradictions, but I've forgotten them, but one was a song by Beyonce.

Baby it's cold outside - my interpretation is that she's pretending she must go but actually desperately wants to be given an excuse to stay such as it being too cold outside.

Never been to me? I never knew that was written by a man as I feel like I could have written it myself.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/genius.com/amp/Meghan-trainor-dear-future-husband-lyrics

Every Breath You Take - yes, so stalkerish!

My favourite has got to be "Drop that pussy down low" by the Splack Pack.

That whole album is disgustingly offensive but I still blast it when I'm alone in the car. It makes me want to dance like I'm 18 again.

Talking of Andy Williams (someone did upthread) there's Wives and Lovers by Bacharach and David. The lyric is like a parody of 60s thinking and the tune is almost the epitome of 60s sound!

Hey, little girl
Comb your hair, fix your make-up
Soon he will open the door
Don't think because
There's a ring on your finger
You needn't try any more

For wives should always be lovers, too
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you
I'm warning you

Day after day
There are girls at the office
And men will always be men
Don't send him off
With your hair still in curlers
You may not see him again

For wives should always be lovers, too
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you
He's almost here

Hey, little girl
Better wear something pretty
Something you'd wear to go to the city
And dim all the lights
Pour the wine, start the music
Time to get ready for love

When Julia Roberts got together with her married cameraman I thought about Jolene and what his wife was thinking. He had kids I think.

I was listening to old school Kylie (😳) recently and it struck me that most of her songs are pretty needy. Better the devil
You know stood out in particular - never noticed the lyrics when I was a teenager.

Basically, treat me like crap and I’ll forgive you because a relationship with an awful man I know is better than a future relationship with an as-yet-unknown awful man.

My shameful singalongs that are highly misogynistic are from Bruno Mars's Gorilla album. Natalie being a great fast-paced song about how he will be laughing in his cell after hunting down and killing his girlfriend.

It's that problem of enjoying the overall sound before you hear the lyrics.

One from my son when he was a teenager was him hearing David Bowie's China girl for the first time, he actually left his bedroom to ask wtf?!

I love say hello, wave goodbye, but yes, he is so disrespectful of her.

I heard soft cell talking about that album and it dates from when they were hanging out in seedy clubs in soho, I seem to remember being surprised that the woman in that song is male. I may have mis-remembered though.

Chris Martin wrote Fix You for Gwyneth Paltrow after her much loved father died. I think it's a beautiful song in the context of her grief. Really not creepy at all.

As a teenager I remember being pretty shocked when Courtney Love covered “He hit me (and it felt like a kiss)” by the Crystals:

Same here. I was 15 when they performed Hole Unplugged and I worshipped the ground CL walked on. But even at 15 I thought, really guys?

Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne has sort-of bad lyrics and a truly abysmal music video, consisting of Avril systematically bullying some shallow two-timer's girlfriend to steal him away from her. Real girl power song, that.

(I actually love DP and Jolene; it's hardly a feminist anthem but I read it as her meditating on her own insecurities/anxieties and ultimately resolving to be proactive about a potential threat to her marriage—which I understand she did in real life, though I don't know the full story.)

I love say hello, wave goodbye, but yes, he is so disrespectful of her.

'Say hello wave goodbye' by Soft Cell.

Standing in the door
Of the Pink Flamingo
Crying in the rain
It was a kind of so-so love
And I'm gonna make sure
It never happens again
You and I, it had to be
The standing joke of the year
You were a sleep around
A lost and found
And not for me I fear
Whoa oh, oh
I tried to make it work
You in a cocktail skirt
And me in a suit
Well, it just wasn't me
You're used to wearing less
And now your life's a mess
So insecure you seem
I put up with all the scenes
And this is one scene
That's going to be played my way
Take your hands off me
I don't belong to you, you see
Take a look at my face
For the last time
I never knew you
You never knew me
Say hello, goodbye
Say hello, wave goodbye
Under the deep red light
I can see the makeup sliding down
Hey little girl
You will always make up
So take off that
Unbecoming frown
What about me, well
I'll find someone
That's not going cheap
In the sales
A nice little housewife
Who'll give me a steady life
And won't keep going off the rails
Take your hands off me
I don't belong to you, you see
Take a look at my face
For the last time
I never knew you
You never knew me
Say hello, goodbye
Say hello, wave goodbye
We've been involved for
Quite a while now
And to keep you secret
Has been hell
We're strangers meeting
For the first time, okay?
Just smile and say hello
Say hello, then wave goodbye
Say hello, then wave goodbye
Say hello, then wave goodbye
Say hello, then wave goodbye
Say hello, wave goodbye
Say hello, then wave goodbye
Say hello, say goodbye
Goodbye
Say goodbye
Say goodbye
Goodbye

I love this thread!
So many varied answers and interesting to hear everyone's views.

...her happiness depends on having her man, and whether the other woman chooses to steal him

Essentially the singer is telling Jolene to stay in her own lane and leave her man alone because he's the best she can ever hope for, whereas Jolene has options.

Yay = YY . Bloody autocorrect!

And also the line ‘share a toothbrush’

Yay to Beyonce and JayZ 'Drunk in Love'. The music is so catchy and her voice is amazing, but the JayZ bits are just gross.
I'd be really embarrassed if I was either of them, knowing my parents and one day my kids would be listening to that.

Bathwater No Doubt:

But I still love to wash in your old bathwater
Love to think that you couldn't love another
I can't help it, you're my kind of man

Maybe it’s ironic 🤷‍♀️. I love it though.

The Specials - Too Much Too Young, used to irritate me.
"Ain't he cute? No he ain't. He's just another burden on the welfare state....Now you're chained to the cooker making current buns for tea!"

Then there's all the pimp songs. For example, the charmingly titled, NWA- One Less Bitch.

A pimp song that is ok though is ...Skull Snaps - I'm Your Pimp... because the audience is left in no doubt that the singer is playing a role and that pimps are not nice people. Shame so many hip hop songs later changed that sentiment from the 1970s, without making it clear that being a pimp is so wrong. Not progress

Well they lyrics to Don't Stand So Close to Me must be the worst for me, though I remember the song in my teens and still love the music...

I wondered about adding Love Has No Pride given the lines

If I could buy your love, I'd truly try, my friend
And if I could pray, my prayer would never end
But if you want me to beg, I'll fall down on my knees
Asking for you to come back
I'd be pleading for you to come back
Begging for you to come back to me

and given the definitive version is Bonnie Raitt's closely followed by Linda Ronstadt's but it's not antifeminist or anti- woman- it's just a reaction to an awful situation. People do get their hearts broken.

I looked up covers of it and was surprised how many are by men, including Billy Bragg, Hank Wangford, Paul Young and Rod Stewart.

Also Rude by Magic.

Like this poor woman has no say in whether she marries this man or not. Its all between the dad and the singer. Fucks me right off