Day 13 - A Song You Like From the 70s
Aug. 16th, 2020 01:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatDay 13 of the 30 Day Music Challenge - a song you like from the 70s. (Clearly whomever designed this meme has a thing for 70s music?)
I'm going with the song that I listened to constantly back then, and heard again today at my Unitarian Church's Zoom Service. It's from a singer who I adored back then, but haven't listened to much since, not sure why exactly.
Music moods come and go.
It was written and released in 1971, at the very beginning of the 1970s and at the top of the women's empowerment and counter-culture movement. My mother was working in Women's League of Voters, and owned the album upon which it premiered.
"I Am Woman" is a song written by Australian musicians Helen Reddy and Ray Burton. Performed by Reddy, the first recording of "I Am Woman" appeared on her debut album I Don't Know How to Love Him, released in May 1971, and was heard during the closing credits for the 1972 film Stand Up and Be Counted. A new recording of the song was released as a single in May 1972 and became a number-one hit later that year, eventually selling over one million copies. The song came near the apex of the counterculture era[1] and, by celebrating female empowerment, became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Woman
I heard it in 1975, at the top of its popularity. And often danced around my room and with my friends singing it. We were all 6-10 years of age at the time. To this day, this song makes me smile. There's too many songs that are written by men, or about women being subordinate to them that are honored.
Today, I feel the need to honor the women.
So for anyone who decides to post their song pick to my post? I think this is an easy category. So, I'm adding a challenge - pick a 1970s song, written and performed by a female artist that is NOT a love song and not about men. And not an instrumental number. And not sung by a guy at all. Also it can't be a song or an artist chosen by someone else in my journal. (In other words you can't use my selection or my artist.) Note, it can be written by a male/female songwriting team, but if you should find one that is just written by a female artist and performed by one and that was first released in the 1970s - from 70-79, then kudos.
[I bet I get no responses to this, because I've stumped folks. ETC: It can be by a group of female artists. And song by a group of female artists. Just not a group of male/female artists. Ie: No Sonny & Cher, or The Carpenters.]
I'm going with the song that I listened to constantly back then, and heard again today at my Unitarian Church's Zoom Service. It's from a singer who I adored back then, but haven't listened to much since, not sure why exactly.
Music moods come and go.
It was written and released in 1971, at the very beginning of the 1970s and at the top of the women's empowerment and counter-culture movement. My mother was working in Women's League of Voters, and owned the album upon which it premiered.
"I Am Woman" is a song written by Australian musicians Helen Reddy and Ray Burton. Performed by Reddy, the first recording of "I Am Woman" appeared on her debut album I Don't Know How to Love Him, released in May 1971, and was heard during the closing credits for the 1972 film Stand Up and Be Counted. A new recording of the song was released as a single in May 1972 and became a number-one hit later that year, eventually selling over one million copies. The song came near the apex of the counterculture era[1] and, by celebrating female empowerment, became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Woman
I heard it in 1975, at the top of its popularity. And often danced around my room and with my friends singing it. We were all 6-10 years of age at the time. To this day, this song makes me smile. There's too many songs that are written by men, or about women being subordinate to them that are honored.
Today, I feel the need to honor the women.
So for anyone who decides to post their song pick to my post? I think this is an easy category. So, I'm adding a challenge - pick a 1970s song, written and performed by a female artist that is NOT a love song and not about men. And not an instrumental number. And not sung by a guy at all. Also it can't be a song or an artist chosen by someone else in my journal. (In other words you can't use my selection or my artist.) Note, it can be written by a male/female songwriting team, but if you should find one that is just written by a female artist and performed by one and that was first released in the 1970s - from 70-79, then kudos.
[
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 01:07 am (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAR_Ff5A8Rk
Listen closely. The person being sung to is not necessarily male.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 01:28 am (UTC)I can do this all day
Date: 2020-08-17 02:58 am (UTC)I Was a Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell, from Court and Spark (1974)
The Story of Bangladesh written and performed by Joan Baez
The Kiss by Judee Sill
You've Got a Friend by Carole King
Home by Karla Bonoff
Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn. You aren't going to disqualify this song because it was about her dad? Her mom's in there, too. It's a song about her childhood.
Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
Seventeen by Janis Ian
Cash In by Phoebe Snow
Well, that was fun. I can keep going, if you like.
EDIT
Had to add this
The Cat-Song by Laura Nyro
Re: I can do this all day
Date: 2020-08-17 01:49 pm (UTC)1. It Could Have Been Me by Holly Near. More about her: Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives - Accepted and excellent song, thank you.
2. I Was a Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell, from Court and Spark (1974) - About a guy, so no, disqualified, I think.
3.The Story of Bangladesh written and performed by Joan Baez --I don't know - feels too much about men, so no, disqualified.
4. The Kiss by Judee Sill - a love song, so no, disqualified. Love songs are easy - Linda Rondstandt sang a ton of them. Interesting song though.
5. You've Got a Friend by Carole King - disqualified - because it was already used by cactuswatcher who beat you to the punch. Also this is an example of a song that qualifies while the Kiss doesn't.
6. Home by Karla Bonoff - yes, this one works, but I like the Holly Near selection much much better. It's about a place.
7. Coal Miner's Daughter by Loretta Lynn. You aren't going to disqualify this song because it was about her dad? Her mom's in there, too. It's a song about her childhood. - no it's about her Dad, and everyone is subordinate to her Dad. Disqualified. Her father takes prominence in the song. Also, I want songs not about men at all. No men in the song. Otherwise this would be easy.
8 Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton - released in the 1960s. So disqualified. (But this would qualify if released in the 1970s - also unlike Loretta Lynn's song - it focuses on Dolly's mother and women, men aren't mentioned. Loretta's puts men first, women are subordinate - it's the problem with a lot of country songs.)
9 Seventeen by Janis Ian - I'm not sure about this one. But I'll allow it. It's a favorite song of mine, and I love it. But I may use it in another category, so maybe not allowing.
10. Cash In by Phoebe Snow accepted. Thanks for the rec.
11. The Cat-Song by Laura Nyro - accepted. Thanks for the rec.
So, you got about four/five out of ten I think. But you were only supposed to do one, so doesn't matter.
0 on following instructions. LOL!
Whoops
Date: 2020-08-17 05:12 pm (UTC)Everything I know about Loretta Lynn I learned from Coal Miner's Daughter. I didn't even start listening to country music in earnest until the nineties, to be honest. On first listen, I didn't hear that it put her father over her mother. But she's not a feminist, that's for sure. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that she gave speeches against the ERA back in the day, so you're probably right about that song.
I do get a very different reading from "A Kiss." It's all mystical, spiritual, even maybe, quasi-Christian imagery? She's giving her heart away to God, or a higher power, not a person. Well, that's how I've always interpreted it, and I'm sticking to that. Perhaps I got that in context from the rest of the album? Heart Food is a great record, which happily you can listen to on YouTube if you're interested.
Re: "A Coat of Many Colors." There is an album with that title that came out in the early seventies--it has a picture of a little girl wearing a coat of many colors, which I assumed was her? I didn't realize it had been written earlier in her career. I didn't start listening to Dolly Parton until the nineties.
Story of my life...
♥
Re: Whoops
Date: 2020-08-17 10:57 pm (UTC)Also it's not like it stumped anyone. CJL and Atp-omn were able to come up with stuff.
(Apparently 70s guys as well.)
There's a lot of stuff in the 70s. It's frigging easy to post a song from the 70s.
I'll have to listen to The Kiss again...
I thought Coat of Many Colors was a 70s song too, until cjl said it was released in 1968. (I'd probably have let you get away with it.)
No, Lynn is old school conservative. Trump supporter as well. It makes sense - she's from coal and old school country. That group tends to be very conservative. Dolly Parton is rather liberal and a feminist. And kind of changed country music. Lynn is old school country. But the movie - is a little less...complimentary of her father and husband, which is kind of interesting.
Re: Whoops
Date: 2020-08-18 01:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 03:59 am (UTC)I was set on Dolly's "Coat of Many Colors," but that was 1968! (Disqualified!)
Let's go with two choices from each end of the decade, from two very different artists:
First, from 1977, Patti Smiith and "Piss Factory":
https://youtu.be/gY_jW6Hg5pw
And second, the title track from Carole King's "Tapestry":
https://youtu.be/SAqYzqHdXu8
Tough one! (Up vote for Loretta Lynn and Laura Nyro.)
ETA: Naturally, the moment I posted, an obvious choice popped into my head:
The Roches: "We"
https://youtu.be/PbgQITWRTbQ
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 11:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 12:18 pm (UTC)But I'll let you have Patti Smith and the Piss Factory, also The Roches. But taking more than one - does tend to make it difficult for others, if they want to play.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 01:03 pm (UTC)🙂
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 01:10 pm (UTC)Right now, I'm giving kudos to cactuswatcher and apto-omn (although he picked two too - but his was the last, and managed not to repeat any of the selections, considering he came last, and there was like ten songs posted prior.)
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 05:04 am (UTC)So... this first choice comes because I feel this woman's contributions to the music world are not sufficiently appreciated today, or even back then-- she had what I feel was largely a cult following. I was privileged to hear her perform not once but twice down at The Main Point in Philadelphia, a well known folk music club there in the day. She was as amazing live as on record.
I am only hedging slightly on these two links, in that vocals on the first are not the traditional kind, and on the second tune, because supposedly it was a song dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, whom she met and played with in 1966.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkx6WzlzZNg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U4FpvNFgHc
However, no skirting caveats needed on this artist-- a cult figure in her early days in the U.S., although not in England as I understand, where she was rightly regarded as the genius she is. I did have to pick a tune that did not touch on any romance-related issues, since her first LP did have quite a few of them-- that weren't anything like your typical romance songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7h2hhQCNUk
no subject
Date: 2020-08-17 12:10 pm (UTC)Kate Bush is a long term favorite. I'll always remember her surprise appearance at Wembly Stadium, in London, in 1987, at a Peter Gabriel concert. I was a huge Peter Gabriel fan - and adored Kate Bush. It was by far and away the best concert I'd ever been too. (Granted I've not been to many - mainly because I don't tend to like going to concerts for a mix of reasons. But if they were all like that one - I may have felt differently - none were.)
Ellen M - I think I've heard before, she's very familiar to me. But thank you so much for the Rec, I will definitely look her up and add her to my play list.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-19 03:02 am (UTC)Her 1974 album "They Say I'm Different" is amazing if you like blues/funk/guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQM02CFMMdY
no subject
Date: 2020-08-19 12:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-08-19 01:04 pm (UTC)Okay. So on her title track "They Say I'm Different", Betty talks about how she's different because she loves blues and she mentions her great grandpa loves blues... and shouts out a bunch of blues artists (more of which are men than women)... but I think those are just references and that this one reads to me like Betty is celebrating herself and her love of music.
Granted that probably can't be separated from expected gender roles... but does it qualify? Mostly, it's just that having been made aware of her I just want an excuse to celebrate her.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-19 02:23 pm (UTC)BUT...after listening to it twice, and I listened closely...
No, it doesn't count - because she's referencing men as influencing her music. It's kind of the difference between Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors and Loretta Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter. Be too easy, if I allowed it, and wouldn't be fair to the others. But hey, at least you got the time period, one selection, and female artist/singer right. And great songs.