Jolene, and other anti-feminist anthems

[StealthPolarBear]

Just to say this is a light-hearted chat thread.
I love jolene, sing it with a minor adaptation every time I'm cleaning the windows. I have no idea about the background, but it must come near the top of the least feminist songs ever!
Another which I've just heard is sheryl crow, strong enough. "lie to me, I promise I'll believe, lie to me, but please don't leave"
Brilliant song, awful lyrics :)
Any others?

@StealthPolarBear

Human league: but she comes right back and tells him where to stick his smug self-satisfiedness

Yes and does it with panache.

Cher song

Its in his kiss song !

Disco 2000 is pretty unpleasant tbh

“You were the first girl at school to get breasts
And Martyn said that you were the best
Oh, the boys all loved you, but I was a mess
I had to watch them trying to get you undressed
We were friends, that was as far as it went
I used to walk you home sometimes but it meant
Oh, it meant nothing to you
'Cause you were so popular”

Full of Jarvis Cocker’s self pity and no sympathy for the poor girl who all the boys were drooling over and trying to undress... because she was popular so she was obviously fine

Soldier , soldier in primary school, yep. It was a salutary tale.

I’d read somewhere that Every breath you take by Sting was about a stalker but people seem to think it’s a love song!

Fool by Shakira. Beautiful song with very sad lyrics.

I sing it while I'm bleaching my moustache

It's a great pop song because it makes you think a bit.

Was thinking about the Beatles song Run for Your Life by The Beatles the other day. I love The Beatles. But ...It's a worryingly informative song.

Angel of the morning.

Just touch my cheek before you leave me, baby
Just call me angel of the morning, angel
Then slowly turn away from me

Roxanne

You don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne
You don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right

Cheryl crow..my favourite mistake....

There was a brilliant podcast series last year called Dolly Parton’s America. In one of the episodes they interviewed a country singer who had written an extra verse where the singer and Jolene ended up together. They played it to DP and she liked it:

I'm glad I had that talk with you
Glad we met in person too
That place you took me to was quite a scene
It's true that my man found you first
You awakened such a thirst
Now you're the only one for me, Jolene.

Good point about disco 2000. Very creepy.

Tell me lies
Slap me on the face
Just improvise
Do something really clever
That'll make me hate your name forever
You might swear
You'd never touch a lady
Well, let me say
You're not too far from maybe
Every day you find new ways to hurt me
But I can't help it if I'm just a fool
Always having my heart set on you
Till the time you start changing the rules
I'll keep chasing the soles of your shoes
Fool

There used to be a group called Snot when I was a teenager. They had a delightful song called “My Balls, Your Chin”.

I’ll just leave that one there for you all.

Baby Its Cold Outside is still played a lot and gives me the creeps

Stand by your man for sure. My mum claims it is feminist because "after all he's just a man" but, yeah, no.... Not really. He's a dick isn't he.

Watch the video I posted right to the end

Babybirds "you're gorgeous" always seemed distasteful to me

Oh and for Fix You, I know it isn't, but I like to think of it as a song from a parent to a child. Makes it a lot less creepy.

Always found Springsteen's I'm on Fire incredibly creepy:
Hey, little girl, is your daddy home?
Did he go and leave you all alone?
I got a bad desire
Oh-oh-oh, I'm on fire

I guess most people don't listen to music to teach them what it's socially acceptable for women, or anyone else, to think.

Unfortunately, the cumulative effect of the lyrics we listen to is part of what tells them, and society in general, what it's socially acceptable for women, or anyone else, to think. That is exactly what sets the society's culture, and just because someone isn't intending to be socialised doesn't stop it happening.

On the theme of the thread:

Take another little piece of my heart.

Love the song but OMG such a hymn to immolating your self worth to support your man's fragile ego!

“Dub Be Good To Me” by Beats International

People always talk about reputation
I don't care about your other girls
Just be good to me
Friends are always telling me you're a user
I don't care what you do to them
Just be good to me

@LalalalalalaLand123

What's wrong with Jolene??

Seriously???

I can't possibly tell you my favourite sexist songs, I'd have to hand my feminist badge in!!!

Okay, then.

'Use Me' - Raw Stylus, although it was of course Bill Withers originally. Still a bit dodge.

'Aisha' - Death in Vegas. Serial killer narrator. Actually Death in Vegas had a few sketchy songs.

Tom Dooley!

'Shut up, and sleep with me'.

I don't know if these are even the worst ones but that's all I'm giving you. In my defense, I was young, reckless, and hadn't yet been educated to the wholesome joy of unaccompanied female protest folk songs of the gulag.

I'm on fire is awful and yet such a good song

@BlueBlazerBlack

I actually really like DP so I don't mind Jolene, if anything it could be viewed as slightly down on the man who appears to have no agency

I've always viewed it as Jolene being young and a bit shallow and doing it for a bit of laugh and not realising how devastating it will be for the older woman.

The one I hate is the Beyonce put a ring on it. Tbh I'm unsure why Beyonce is touted as any sort of feminist icon

The Beatles song l am the walrus lyrics !

Also the Beatles song

Paperback writer song !