Weeks: 1
This is an often-quoted feminist anthem. Women in 1975 must have been desperate to have an anthem, because this song isn't as good as what they deserved.
The music starts with a basic, dull, country base, then piles some of the worst hallmarks of 70s music on top of it. Too much brass, too many soft strings, too much backup singing. On top of that, Helen Reddy's voice isn't nearly strong enough to sing lyrics like "I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman." The whole song is too soft for its message.
This song needs a bolder and better singer, and a better musical arrangement. On that note, check out this version by Dusty Springfield. That version injects some more rock and has a stronger singer. It still has brass and strings, but they don't dominate the sound, and the song works much better overall for it.
The lyrics are successfully pro-feminism and I'm happy to say there are no unfortunate choices that undermine the song's intended meaning. But I can't help noticing one thing: if you subtracted the word "woman," would you really know this song was about feminism? This is the second verse:
- You can bend but never break me, 'Cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal. And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul.
That's an admirable sentiment, but it's not really unique to women, is it? Much of this song could be applied to any oppressed group. That makes the song kind of generic and somewhat undermines its value as a song specifically for women. That point aside, the meaning of the lyrics is unmistakable and the message is quite clear, so at least it succeeds on that front.
My verdict: Don't like it. I'm willing to accept that there was nothing else quite like it in 1972, but I've heard better feminist music than this in the years since then.
Well. Let's not dismiss the importance and impact of a feminist message just because it could be about any oppressed group. That was (and still is, in many cases) one of the big fights of feminism: getting other people, men and women alike, to recognize where women were (are) oppressed. It was especially problematic in the 70s, fresh out of the Civil Rights movement of the 60s, where oppression of African Americans was fought against, but come the 70s, oppression of women wasn't even acknowledged. As she says in the song, "get my brother to understand."
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree that the song is bit light in force. Its twangy, country nature make it seem fairly innocuous. But, welcome to feminism in the 70s: don't be too strong and strident and "unfeminine" or you'll turn people off, but try to get your message out just the same. Not an easy task, and often not successful.