Tell me about your favorite songs sung by womxn/women, please
March 7, 2018 8:49 AM   Subscribe

For an International Womens Day radio program - bonus points if it's not sung in English.

I'm doing a music program on the local community radio station for International Women's Day. All day long, only femme-identified voices. I really want to get out of my rut - I'd be happy to just play recent Natalia LaFourcade or 60s am radio fodder, but I expect listeners might not be into that as much as I am.

Because it's prime time, it needs to contain no swears & not be prurient - ie, not prohibited by FCC obscene, indecent and profane guidelines.

Right now I have a few things, totally in the latin-american & world music genres. Please tell me about your favorite lesser-known alt-rawk, pop and world-ish songs. TIA.
posted by vjpdx to Media & Arts (29 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
I like Seneca Falls by The Distillers, a punk outfit from Australia.
As you might guess, it's about women's rights. It name drops Susan B and Elizabeth Cady, and has a catchy refrain:
They cried"Freedom, rise up for me!"
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:04 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


How about Youm Wara Youm by Samira Said, Ich weiß warum, by 2raumwohnung, or Salvador Não Inerte by Virginia Rodrigues.
posted by delphic at 9:16 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid or Supervixen
Marmozets - Move, Shake, Hide
Caro Emerald - Stuck or Tangled Up
Grimes - Kill V Maim or Oblivion
Röyksopp - Never Ever ft. Susanne Sundfør
BC Unidos - Bicycle ft. Shungudzo
M83 - Oblivion ft. Susanne Sundfør
The Go! Team - All The Way Live
posted by EndsOfInvention at 9:18 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Madder Mortem are a Norweigan progressive metal band: Necropol Lit

Years ago I visited North Africa, and Oom Kalthoum was still all the rage. I present to you Oom Kalthoum.

I have a soft spot for so many things PJ Harvey; The Devil is especially haunting, Meet ze Monster especially rawkin.

Hope your show goes well! Let us know if we can listen on the internets!
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 9:43 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


How do you feel about hip-hop/rap in Spanish? Here's some suggestions by way of an old post I made on the blue.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:30 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Lhasa de Sela - that track is in English but much of her work was not
posted by Kafkaesque at 10:31 AM on March 7, 2018 [3 favorites]


I love Oumou Sangaré. For example Fadjamou.
posted by advicepig at 10:33 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Les Voix Mystere Bulgare, the Bulgarian State Television Female Choir. A lovely choice is Dragana I Slavei (The Chant Of Dragan)
Девойко, мари, хубава/Devoiko Mari Hubava (Bulgarian) is a beautiful, sad song. This version is by Kitka
One of my favorite versions of Shto Mi E Milo (Macedonian) is by the Pennywhistlers.
posted by theora55 at 10:50 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Fever Ray
Zola Jesus
Jain
posted by erst at 11:04 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Lately I have "Oulala" by French-Chilean Ana Tijoux on repeat. Not sure if there are obscene lyrics as they are all in French.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:11 AM on March 7, 2018 [2 favorites]


Second Wave Goodbye - War on Women
posted by josher71 at 11:24 AM on March 7, 2018 [2 favorites]


OH! and Yelle by Ce Jeu
posted by josher71 at 11:25 AM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


All of Sinead O'connor's Lion and Cobra
posted by effluvia at 11:41 AM on March 7, 2018 [3 favorites]


I am assuming that Miriam Makeba is already covered (and I actually have a different song in mind aside from "Pata Pata"). A translation of that song's lyrics is offered here; it's crowdsourced, so fair warning.

Karen Matheson's Rithill Aill is in Scottish Gaelic and is enchanting. (I got so into it that I used an AskMe to ask if there was a translation, and the group consensus is that basically it's Scottish scat singing.)

The Irish folk group Altan has a similarly-catchy song, Dulaman, which - as they once translated during a concert - is about a couple pieces of seaweed watching a woman swim. ....Yeah, I dunno. But I like the song.

Another Irish folk group - Solas has a song, Aililiu Na Gamhna, which is basically a woman who keeps cows talking about how awesome her simple life is. She has her little cabin by a river, she has her herd she keeps on a nearby field, the calves are cute, she has fresh milk whenever she wants, life is good. Solas has another song - in English - called The Maid On The Shore, in which a girl cons some pirates into taking her on board because "she's so lonely" - and then she gets them all drunk, steals all their gold, and rows back home.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:15 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Oh - and throw in some Tori Amos or Kate Bush. But go with stuff off The Red Shoes for Kate Bush.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:20 PM on March 7, 2018 [2 favorites]


Maria Mordasova, the pride of Voronezh.
posted by languagehat at 1:01 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


All in English, but here's a couple covers, if those qualify:

Holly Golightly - Box Elder
Downbeat 5 - Dum Dum Ditty

And some originals:
Visqueen - Mrs. Elder
Fastbacks - In The Summer
Best Coast - Let's Go Home
(not exactly lesser known, but still a stellar song) Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl
The Raincoats - Fairytale In The Supermarket
posted by pdb at 1:01 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Awesome project! Not to nitpick, but "femme-identified" is not a synonym for "women/womxn." Not all femmes are women, and not all women are femmes. Please include music from butch / androgynous women like k.d. lang, Joan Jett, Toshi Reagon, Meshell Ndegeocello, etc.
posted by ottereroticist at 1:15 PM on March 7, 2018 [6 favorites]


There’s a new Breeders album.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:24 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Anything sung by Elis Regina (lots on Youtube), especially "Aguas de Marco," "Amor ate o Fim," "Madalena"... pretty much anything really. Elis vive.
posted by huimangm at 1:36 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Angel Olsen - Stars
posted by morning_television at 3:02 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Warehouse - Modifier Analog
Ibeyi - Deathless
US Girls - Mad as Hell
Priests - Pink White House
posted by batbat at 3:29 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Hey you all -
I'm totally enthralled with your suggestions and have been having to pull myself repeatedly out of rabbit holes. And I'm really only a little way through your suggestions! There is so much gold here - so much to love - THANK YOU! It's gonna be super hard to come up with a set-list.

@Rube R. Nekker - thank you so much! The show is on 8-10pm Pacific time, and you can listen live (or after the fact) - and the song list will be posted as well.

@ottereroticist - I was trying to be inclusive of all female identified people, and not so much about queer butch/femme dichotomy. Please forgive my clumsiness.
posted by vjpdx at 6:19 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Seconding Lhasa de Sela (RIP) -- she is such a wonderful, magical singer. And also everything by Martha Wainwright. Although I think my favorite song by her is the one must full of expletives ("Bloody Motherfucking Asshole").
posted by zebrabananafish at 9:39 PM on March 7, 2018 [1 favorite]


Are you looking for recent music only? If not:

99 Luftballons by Nena
Cumbia de la Mole by Lila Downs

Anything by Edith Piaf or Björk or tUnE-yArDs or Warpaint

And obviously Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 1:38 AM on March 8, 2018 [1 favorite]






Mazzy Star - Wasted
What a voice.
posted by flabdablet at 7:39 AM on March 8, 2018 [1 favorite]




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