Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott's signature single is a maximalist celebration of sexual confidence and self-invention, built on a literal sonic…
sexual agency self-invention and reinvention female solidarity and hustle
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin's reworking of a song originally about a working man asking for domestic peace turns it into a declaration of…
self-respect reciprocity in relationships female autonomy
Betty Davis
Betty Davis takes the insults an ex has thrown at her -- witch, alley cat, dirty dog -- and turns them into a badge of honor,…
sexual autonomy reclaiming slurs female desire vs. respectability
Pixies
A deliberately dumb, bubblegum-pop pastiche sung by drummer David Lovering, this is Pixies parodying the sincerity of teenage…
parody of pop convention adolescent sexuality irony vs sincerity
The Stooges
This is a song built almost entirely on repetition, groove, and physical grunt rather than narrative or wordplay. It circles a…
voyeurism and being watched sexual desire primal/animal imagery
The Kinks
A wide-eyed young narrator recounts a night at a Soho club where he meets a striking, ambiguous figure named Lola, and the song…
gender ambiguity sexual awakening urban nightlife
Talking Heads
A song about waking up inside a life you don't remember choosing, stitched together from the trappings of suburban success and a…
suburban alienation loss of agency time and repetition