Great music by women

[IAmAmy]

This may not be the right place or forum for this thread but just in case: I feel music is far too dominated by men. What great songs are there by women? I know most of my favourite songs are by women, I'd love to hear more.

All my faves are mentioned here. I learned to love country music as an adult. When I was younger it seemed really corny. As a married woman, mother and widow I realised that some rites of passage are pretty corny. Love Bonnie Raitt for this reason, as well as other singer songwriters

Some of Joni Mitchell's songs are very moving. Little Green, about giving her baby up for adoption, always makes me howl. Ditto early Carly Simon, though not keen on her recent stuff.

I like Alice Boman. Also Billie Marten, she's still so young - only about 18 I think.

Hit post too soon. Janis Joplin was an idol of mine in my youth. It's the way she sang, driving everything she had into it, not giving a shit what she looked like, ripping the sound out. Splendid.

Her life, however, was very sad. She was well before her time, a gender nonconforming woman in a highly gendered world. I've always thought how much happier she would have been born 10 or 20 years later. These days music is back being highly gendered again, and poor Janis would have faced some, if not all, the same problems.

Working my way through this thread. It's taking some time! YY to the PPs who mentioned country music. My dad loved country music when I was growing up so of course I wasn't interested at all, but it all seeps into you doesn't it, and now I listen to it a lot. Spotify had a "Country Women" playlist recently which was good. Miranda Lambert and Maddie and Tae are good. Loads of good female country artists at the moment I reckon.

I also go back to listen to Beth Orton a lot.

I love The Bangles and Elizabeth Fraser's voice (Cocteau Twins and the singer of Teardrop Massive Attack - it's a very weird video)

Plus many of those mentioned here and I've had a great time looking up and listening to some great music.

I love these female artists / bands fronted by female songwriters:
Martha Wainwright
PJ Harvey
Queen Adreena
Courtney Love / Hole
Tori Amos
Fiona Apple
Maple Bee
Garbage
The Kills
Melissa Auf Der Maur

Love this thread and am zooming all over following the links.

Think Sade the Nigerian-born singer, songwriter and producer (not the Marquis de!) deserves a mention on this thread. She's got a very distinctive late-night, bluesy sort of voice and has always been more of a creative artist than a celebrity.

So much great music to listen to on this thread!

I learned to love country music as an adult. When I was younger it seemed really corny. As a married woman, mother and widow I realised that some rites of passage are pretty corny

Oh me too. I read on a music blog a comment that the invention of the genre of "Americana" has been a godsend for people who were secret country music fans.

And Gram Parsons helped too. He was undoubtedly a spoilt brat but certainly was a big part in making country music credible to its non traditional fans.

For those who enjoyed the Wolf Alice songs I posted in this thread this is well worth a watch! Great to see so many American girls and women loving a brilliant British band with a fantastic woman as singer, songwriter and frontwoman:

A woman creating some great music and physically performing in a completely non-sexualised way. Yay!

On a roll now...here's my playlist:

Pretty - The Raincoats
Something's On Your Mind - Karen Dalton
Not Too Soon - Throwing Muses
Spend, Spend, Spend - The Slits
When You Were Mine - Cyndi Lauper
Crazy - Patsy Cline
Single Ladies - Beyonce
Some Jingle Jangle Morning - Mary Lou Lord
North Star Grassman and The Ravens - Sandy Denny
Union City Blue - Blondie
Tom's Diner - Suzanne Vega
Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Upside Down - Dianna Ross
Get Up - Sleater-Kinney

A brilliant playlist

Millie Jackson

With a voice once described as that of a "bitchy angel" she made some great albums in the 70's and is credited as one of the first artists to use rap.

"Caught Up" and "Still Caught Up" (my favourite) are probably her most famous albums plus what's not to love about a woman with a track called "Phuck U Symphony"?

Leila I love Christine and The Queens. The dance works as proper contemporary dance too, not just a video routine.

Great music by women..... some have already been said.

L7
Hole
Bikini kill
Sonic youth well kim Gordon
Lydia Lunch
Babes in Toyland
PJ Harvey
Huggy bear
Cat Power
The Raincoats
The Slits
Sleater Kinney
I could go on and on. I love music.

Absolutely Lass.

Some female artists I enjoy:
Beyoncé
Demi Lovato
Britney Spears
Christina Aguilera
Tinashé
Halsey

(Sorry if you hate everyone on this list)

Don't know if she's been mentioned but Suzanne Vega. Awesome talent.

Suzanne Vega is wonderful. "Tom's Diner' is one of my favourite songs.

There has been some great music from women this year. This is fabulous, as is the whole album:

I'm sorry IamAmy who started this has left (unless she is lurking or under a different name)

Matraca Berg!

Amy Lee (Evanescence)
Heart

Marie Fredriksson (Roxette) - esp ballads.