Rock ‘n’ roll has yet to see another heyday since the mid-‘90s (though personally, I am still holding out hope), and female rock ‘n’ rollers, who have never been quite as popular as their male counterparts, have even less of a following today. Unfortunately, there are even people who believe that females are somehow biologically predisposed to be inferior at rocking out. However, these are usually the same people who believe women are also naturally “unfunny,” and anyone who has watched Saturday Night Live recently or knows anything about current comedy knows how untrue that is. The same goes for female rockers; they combine the overall coolness of rock music with an inspiring I-don’t-care attitude towards conformity and, of course, feminism. This playlist is a tribute to the women who have shown us that you can be intimidating, talented, just plain awesome, and female, all at the same time.
1. “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways
The Runaways, with guitar-playing and back-up vocals by none other than a very young Joan Jett, were arguably the first all-female rock band to achieve some level of success. Made up of a group of teenaged rebels from Los Angeles, the story of their rise and fall was made into a 2010 film starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, The Runaways. Internal conflicts eventually broke the group apart after a brief moment in the spotlight, but their influence was there to stay. “Cherry Bomb,” an ode to adolescent troublemaking, is still their best-known song.
2. “Magic Man” by Heart
Heart, still together and made up of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, achieved much more success than The Runaways and were one of the defining rock bands of the late ‘70s. This song about (what else?) falling in love was written about Ann’s then-boyfriend and Heart’s manager at the time, Michael Fisher, and was featured in a scene from the film The Virgin Suicides.
3. “Call Me” by Blondie
Blondie’s lead singer, Debbie Harry, has long been considered an icon in the female rock world. When Blondie first became popular after they wrote “Call Me” for the 1980 film American Gigolo, Harry was immediately lauded for her simple yet somehow glamorous personal style, as well as her bombshell-like beauty. This style is still influential today; I personally have not found a single book about fashion that doesn’t mention Debbie Harry at least once (and I’ve read a lot of fashion books).
4. “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill was one of the bands that kick-started the “riot grrrl” subculture, a short-lived phenomenon during the early-to-mid-1990s that saw a bunch of all-female rock bands starting and promoting feminist issues through their music and through zines (handmade, often miniature magazines); the movement was named riot grrrl after a zine started by Bikini Kill members Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail. This song could easily serve as an anthem for the subculture as well, being a love song to a girl who just doesn’t care what you think of her.
5. “Just a Girl” by No Doubt
After riot grrrl declined in popularity, the female-led No Doubt stepped into its place in the spotlight. After their debut album flopped, No Doubt released its sophomore effort, Tragic Kingdom, in 1995, and “Just a Girl” was released as its first and ultimately most popular single. This was one of the first rock songs I ever liked and started a long-lived admiration of Gwen Stefani. I also haven’t met one girl so far who dislikes this song.
6. “Take It Off” by The Donnas
I included a song by The Donnas because they are the last all-female rock band I can remember being somewhat popular. This song, their most successful track to date and included on their 2002 album, Spend the Night, has been featured in a number of video games as well as The Hangover. In my opinion, the lyrics are a little juvenile, but it is still great fun to listen to.
7. “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This is the indie-rock love song to end all indie-rock love songs. I wanted to somehow include it in my future wedding before I listened to it so many times that it lost its meaning. If you are any kind of indie-music fan, you have not gone through life without hearing this song at least once. This will still always be a personal favorite of mine, especially since its sung by the amazing Karen O, who is always crazy in the best possible way.
8. “Ghetto Love” by Spinnerette
OK, the title is kind of off-putting, but I promise it is actually a really cool rock song and not a really bad pop/hip-hop song. The lead singer, Brody Dalle, is still best known for leading the now-defunct Distillers and is married to Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme (before that, she was married to Tim Armstrong of Rancid). Dalle sounds and looks like an older, braver version of Joan Jett while she was still in The Runaways, and although they have yet to achieve much success, their only, self-titled album to date is well worth a listen.