Music about bitches and killing by white people

[serene]

From black_pearl_10:

So I think black artists especially in hip-hop and rap, get unfairly targeted with the need for "social responsibility" tag. So I'd like y'all to put down your favorite (non hip-hop and non-rap) song(s) about killing and/or objectification of women written and performed by a white person or group.

Copy this post, add your own entry (or entries) to this list, and post in your own journal. My guess is we'll have a huge list by the end of the day.

Murder by Numbers - The Police

added from gordonzola

Diane - Husker Du
Folsom Prison Blues -- Johnny Cash
Everybody's trying to be my baby - Carl Perkins (not exactly objectification but definitely an everyone-wants-to-fuck-me song)
One Last Caress - Misfits
TV Set - Cramps
Johnny Hit and Run Pauline - X
Kill From the Heart - The Dicks

added from alanbostick

"Down by the River" by Neil Young
"Killing Jar" by French Frith Kaiser & Thompson
"Run for Your Life" by the Beatles

added by imnotandrei

Tom Dooley, The Kingston Trio



[Note: I am not researching who wrote each song, but they were performed by white people -- if you know that the songwriter is not a white person, please let me know and I'll take it off.]

"The Thunder Rolls", Garth Brooks
"Ass Like That" and lots of others, Eminem
Lots of Lyle Lovett's songs -- I think he's being ironic, but still

[Edit: Papa Loved Mama, Garth Brooks]

Comments

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

For killing, pretty much every murder ballad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_ballad) ever sung, including but not limited to:

Tom Dooley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Dooley_%28song%29) based on a true story, written by Thomas Land and sung by a bunch of people. (Noted above)

Pretty Polly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Polly_%28ballad%29), a traditional British and Appalachian folk song, sung by a bunch of people including Judy Collins, The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, Bert Jansch, Dave Sless, Dock Boggs, and Davey Graham. That one offers some objectification, with lyrics including

She knealt down before him and begged for her life
She knealt down before him and begged for her life
Sayin' "Let me be a single girl if I can't be your wife"

"Polly, pretty polly that never could be.
Polly, pretty polly that never could be,
Your pink reputation's been trouble to me"

One could make an argument for "Long Black Veil (http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/cash-johnny/the-long-black-veil-853.html)", as sung by a vast array of people including Johnny Cash, The Kingston Trio, and Marianne Faithful.

For objectification, how about "Cherish (http://www.theromantic.com/lovesongs/cherish.htm)", by The Association? Or "Every Breath You Take (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/police/every+breath+you+take_20110051.html)", by the Police? Flat out says, "You belong to me".

There are others running around in my head, but I can't catch them long enough for identification.

[schillerium.livejournal.com]

Sugar, "A Good Idea"
Eminem, "Bonnie and Clyde 97"
Jet, "Cold Hard Bitch"
Flashlight Brown, "Sicker" ("Every time I lick her/all it does is make me sicker...")
Guns n' Roses, "Used to Love Her"

[windsea.livejournal.com]

"Under My Thumb"
"Brown Sugar"
"Midnight Rambler"

-- Rolling Stones

[apis-mellifera.livejournal.com]

I have albums full of white women being killed--it's called British folk music. Lots of babies killed, too.

[inflectionpoint.livejournal.com]

The Police, "Every Breath you Take."

Creepy Stalker Song, and it's from the point of a man chasing after a woman. As someone who has had unwanted attention, and who has had a sister stalked by someone who tried to murder her with his car, it just doesn't work for me anymore.

And Sting is a white guy. Sometimes the silence around this stuff is deafening. Or is that deathening?

[skywhisperer.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll bite. What's objectifying about "The Thunder Rolls"? Yes, she dies in the end, but it's her decision - she's not murdered.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I absolutely could be misremembering (I have a sucky memory for details), but I remember a live version he does where the husband kills her.

[skywhisperer.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I've only ever heard the CD/radio version.

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

"Killing an Arab" -- The Cure. I understand the Ontario government barred them from playing the song in concert (this was years before 9/11/01, natch, and the song is actually a reference to The Stranger by Albert Camus).

Easily one of the most violent and misogynistic modern songs I know is "Another Love Song" (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/icpinsaneclownposse/anotherlovesong.html) by Insane Clown Posse.

Now I'm going to have to think of songs about killing or objectification of men by female artists.

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

As I thought, it wasn't that difficult to find one: Packin' a Rod (http://www.lyricsdemon.com/136254/l7/packin-a-rod/) by L7 (link goes to a lyrics site, click at your own worm/virus risk).

Now that I've got that out of my system, I'm not sure what the point is. The issue isn't whether such songs exist -- of course they do -- but whether black male rappers are more likely to sing about violence and sexism, and how the fan community responds to the messages. L7's song, for instance, can at least be defended from the standpoint that the violence is against a child molester.

But, yeah, there's plenty of music by whites that's hardly "socially responsible."

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

Also, Depeche Mode's "It's No Good." It doesn't get much more stalkerish than that.

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

I'm not familiar with the song as it's sung, but the lyrics (http://www.planetgarth.com/lyrics/the_thunder_rolls.php) end with her having a gun and talking to herself in the mirror, after smelling another woman's perfume on her husband. It reads to me much more like she kills him, not herself.

[skywhisperer.livejournal.com]

That never even occurred to me as a possible interpretation. That probably says something about me. However, because I'm curious, I posted a poll in my journal here (http://tripacerdriver.livejournal.com/198835.html).

woman-written smut

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

As for objectification, there's nothing much more blatant than Liz Phair's "Johnny Sunshine" (earlier female-sung tracks, like Samantha Fox's "Touch Me" and Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," were mostly written by men, while Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" was a cover). Also, Pixies' "Gigantic" was co-written by Kim Deal.

As for men writing sex songs about women, there's AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," Aerosmith's "Pink," Poi Dog Pondering's "Diamonds and Buttermilk," Prince's "Darling Nikki," and many many more.

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

Another Cash song: Understand your Man, which if you listen to the lyrics is really horrible.

Roy Clark: Thank God and Greyhound You're Gone, I Never Picked Cotton

Bruce Springsteen: I'm on Fire (Hey little girl is your daddy home/did he go and leave you all alone?/I got a bad desire/oh I'm on fire)

I'm sure there must be something on "The Wall" but nothing is immediately coming to mind.

Queensryche: All of the album "Operation Mindcrime"

House of the Rising Sun as sung by a man I suspect would qualify

AC/DC: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

I'm not sure if I want to count "Janie's Got A Gun" or not.

Smooth Criminal (Alien Ant Farm or MJ, take your pick)

I don't know the artist and I'm spacing on the song's name (Tear you Apart, I think)

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

The group is She Wants Revenge, and Tear You Apart is the song.

Also, there are the Oingo Boingo classics "Little Girls", "Nasty Habits", and "Only a Lad," although, much like Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap they seem a little...ironic? Sarcastic?...to really belong on the list.

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

A lot of other Johnny Cash songs have been mentioned but seriously, every other Johnny Cash song is about murder. Murder or Jesus those were his two main speeds.

Deliah's Gone
Cocaine Blues
Sam Hall
Don't Take Your Guns To Town

Also every other Nick Cave song.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Even before I finished reading your post I thought "Papa Loved Mama". That song gives the creeps. It always annoyed me that the country stations that had a fit over "Goodbye, Earl" by the Dixie Chicks had no problem with "Papa Loved Mama."

And there is always "Run for Your Life" by the Beatles, which is scary -- even more so than "Every Breath You Take."


Oh, and speaking of stalker songs, there is "What'll You Do About Me?" [,lyric (http://www.bestlyrics.org/S/0/Steve-Earle/What_0_ll-You-Do-About-Me/)] by Randy Travis.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Sorry, you already mentioned "Run For Your Life." My brain, it is not working.

How about "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town?" by Kenny Rogers and the 1st Edition?

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I don't have very many favourite songs that even have lyrics (or have lyrics in a language that I understand), so I'd have to mull for a while. Possibly all of the Recoil albums, but I'd have to sit down and comb the lyrics, as most of the examples I can think of are actually about women killing the men who tried to kill or objectify them.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Off the top of my head...

For killing/violence towards women:
"Used to Love Her"--Guns N' Roses
"Nightprowler"--AC/DC
"TNT"--AC/DC

For blatant objectification:
"Pretty Tied Up"--Guns N' Roses
"Walk All Over You"--AC/DC
"What Do You For Money Honey"--AC/DC
(arguably many of AC/DC's and Guns N' Roses songs qualify but I picked a few of the most extreme)

I will think more about this and post again.

[lysana.livejournal.com]

Where is a woman objectified or killed in "Folsom Prison Blues"? He shot a man in Reno, not a woman.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I think many people answering this are parsing "killing and/or objectification of women" as

(killing) and/or (objectification of women), as opposed to

(killing and/or objectification of) women.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Ah, now some of the responses make sense. I was assuming it was the latter interpretation.

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

Some people have already mentioned old folk songs/ballads -- Peggy Seeger has an interesting online description (http://www.pegseeger.com/html/feminist.html) of an "A Feminist View of Anglo-American Traditional Songs" workshop she does, though I would love to see more details.

[phantom_wolfboy]

He did a whole album called "Murder".

[saluqi.livejournal.com]

"Smack my bitch up" is performed by a mixed race band I guess, although the singer is white - The Prodigy.

I'm a fan, but a lot of heavy metal, country and hard rock qualifies - there is too much to name.

Gunners particularly, but also Iron Maiden (Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter) and Judas Priest (Eat me Alive). Although I guess with Priest it's arguable that that song is about forcing a man to give head at gunpoint.

George Thorogood's "You Talk Too Much" is incredibly misogynist, but not really about objectification or killing. Likewise "She's got the Jack" by AC/DC.

The creepiest stuff I find is actually the passive aggressive whining misogynist white boy radio rock - Matchbox 20 and Nickelback for example, because it gets constant airplay.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

"The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" by either the Smiths or Morrissey.

Re: woman-written smut

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Liz Phair's entire album "Exile In Guyville" is pretty much designed to be a table-turning, in a way. I love me some Liz Phair.

[jeliza]

Now I'm going to have to think of songs about killing or objectification of men by female artists.
Link |

My personal favorites along those lines are "Buckaroo" by Ranch Romance (philandering husband offed by female serial killer, and danceable too!) and of course, "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

The Smiths are all about obsessiveness and violence: "You've Got Everything Now," "Bigmouth Strikes Again" ("Sweetness, I was only joking when I said, by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed"), "There is a Light that Never Goes Out," "Death of a Disco Dancer," the lyric "I got confused, I killed a nun, I can't help the way I feel."

The Lords of the New Church has a lyric: "I tore my eyes out rather than see you in someone else's dreams." I don't remember the song.

Also stalkerish: "Me vs. You" from Therapy?'s Infernal Love, which also contains a cover of Husker Du's "Diane."

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

In the same vein as "Janie's Got a Gun" is Dio's "Give Her the Gun."

"Tear You Apart" is She Wants Revenge; the CD cover is very appropriate to the topic: a woman in underclothes, only her torso visible, holding a knife... objectification and violence at once.

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

And covered a song about cutting (Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt").

[blackfyr.livejournal.com]

That's because it was missing a comma, thus, by standard rules of English, making the second interpretation the correct one. It was surely an unintended interpretation, but the correct one as written.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Nick Cave has an entire album called Murder Ballads. Probably the best example on the album is Where the Wild Roses Grow (http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Nick-Cave/Where-The-Wild-Roses-Grow.html). (A prostitute is murdered by her customer.)