Girl In A Country Song Analysis

Throughout the song, the story creates emotional appeal with the use of bystanders. The bystander mentioned in verse two is, “The teacher wonders, but she doesn’t ask/ It’s hard to see the pain behind the mask” (lines 5-6). The teacher’s reaction is a common experience for many adults because most adults assume the child is not abused if he or she appears okay. Another bystander mentioned is, “Somebody cries in the middle of the night/ The neighbors hear, but they turn out the light” (15-16). Since the bystander ignores her plea for help, the audience develops sympathy for her because the girl is helpless. Sympathy is the main objective of these lyrics, and if the audience has compassion for the young girl, they might take action instead of being bystanders. Through emotional appeals, the underlying message of these lyrics attempts to persuade the listeners not to be complacent as bystanders. The artist uses music to evoke people’s emotion because most people listen and relate to music. The article “Martina McBride Finds Additional Voices to Express Herself Ahead of Show in North Myrtle Beach” mentions, “Raising awareness, she [Martina McBride] said, ‘makes you feel something as an individual to make a difference, and we all appreciate that’” (Palisin). When bystanders take action, they can prevent an abusive situation and raise more awareness.

This study works to examine the use of sexual objectification of women in music videos today. The primary purpose was to examine the differences between genres, specifically hip-hop and country. I tested the following; Women are more likely to be sexualized in hip-hop music videos than in country music videos.

Music is one of the most influencing media within our time and generation, especially Rap and hip-hop. Demoralizing women has

Music will never stop evolving into various styles and sub-genres, but over the last 30 years country music has taken snowballed into a clash of old school country and pop styles. After the "third generation" of country music grew past the honky tonk, consisting of a very basic ensemble of guitar, bass, and vocals, a change was needed to revive the country music industry. Artists had to create new styles of country, such as Countrypolitan, which aimed towards the mainstream pop markets. Despite changes in time differences, style, and technological advances, there are parallels between the songs at the top of the billboards between each generation, the love for the United States of America.

Shania Twain comes from Canada, but she is absolute true power in country music artists. This is what a woman wants... Any man of mine better be proud of me. Even when I'm ugly he still better love me. And I can be late for a date that's fine, but he better be on time. (Twain) The melody of the song at the beginning is very appealing; along with guitar better to show an emotion which is self-confidence. From lyrics can be found from women’s points of view that get the information is what kind of men women want to have. Melody and lyrics are also very good combination that people like this

Instead of trying to claim their lives and educations to get better jobs women are shaking their bodies in music videos. These music videos are “playing significant roles in reflecting, reinforcing and sometimes subverting the dominant systems and ideologies that help shape gender” (Shaw and Lee 450). By putting women in music videos both male and female singers (but mostly male singers) are sexualizing and objectifying the female body. They are making women dance in the background with hardly any clothes on. Singers like 50 Cent have women in their music videos simply for “eye candy.” They are just there to be looked at, to be seen as objects, not human beings. By using objectification, which is “seeing the body as an object and separate from its context” (Shaw and Lee 216) music videos portray the female body as a piece of meat, with no feeling or worth. By continuing to promote this objectification music videos are encouraging gender ranking, which is the “valuing of one gender over another” (Shaw and Lee 119) to limit women and “keep them in their

Feminism as an idea has been actively intersected and integrated within the western mainstream pop culture progressively since the beginning of the 21st century. Some of the largest players in the current mainstream music scene not only identify as feminist but also encourage their millions of fans to do the same. While this could potentially be a positive influence on a movement that has struggled to gain larger scale mainstream representation since it’s beginnings in the 19th centaury, this essay aims to explore the damage it is inevitably causing to the movement.

“You say you want a revolution/ Well, you know/ We all want to change the world/ You tell me that it's evolution/ Well, you know/ We all want to change the world,” The Beatles’ Revolution, 1968. In their call-to-arms lyrics above, Lennon and McCartney are instructing their listeners to revolt and rebel against harmful social norms in a peaceful, yet powerful, manner. Ironically, while telling their listeners to resist the societal norms created by “Minds that hate,” The Beatles were inadvertently caught up in gender stereotypes and social norms upheld by the music industry in order to sell records, tickets, and merchandise. The music industry has long been criticized for their often blatant display of gender inequality and the promotion and exploitation of unhealthy gender stereotypes put into practice in order to profit off audiences. In the rock and roll and pop genres in particular gender inequalities are simultaneously seen and heard manifested in lyrics, music videos, performances, personas, and its audience. Music, as an artistic medium, has traditionally provided an outlet for artists to express their opinions on society which then ultimately has an effect on the society they are commenting on. Music can empower it’s fans to think and act a way they might otherwise have not, posing the question should a social institution be held accountable for the ripple effects they cause?

Music is an essential part of everyday life. Music creates the mood for television shows, movies, video games, workouts, and even restaurants. Rock, Alternative, and Punk music normally have a negative stigma. People tend to think that the bands that play these genres and the people who listen to these genres are violent, misogynistic, and substance abusers. However, those stigmas are far from the truth. Bands in those genres create songs that are against substance abuse, violence, and the unfair treatment of women. Over the years, Rock, Alternative, and Punk music has been inspiring hope in their fans and creating songs to inspire change in society.

In the textbook, United States History: Modern America, several authors acknowledge that musicians such as Bob Dylan created songs that highlighted the civil rights and peace movements. Several genres of music, like rock, became the “weapon of cultural revolution” and encouraged listeners to question authority and the government (571). For example, music has had a powerful significance on my life because it reduces my anxiety and has a relaxing effect that allows me to calm down. Unfortunately, most mainstream music heavily revolves around misogyny by degrading women through lyrics. However, society needs the exposure of women who take control of their sexuality and do not allow others to label themselves. This greatly impacts me because women are often more sexualized than men and the myth of modesty has trapped women to be afraid to sexually expressing themselves without judgement. The meaning of 1965’s “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, a music assignment in Mr. Wilhelm’s class, shares black positivity to women and questions why men continue to mistreat black women. She notices the traditional patriarchal views that impose unfair standards to suggest that women must earn respect. Music in the past and present cease to convey influential messages that sometime lead to

This essay will argue that mainstream music reinforces the idea of women as sexual objects in the male gaze. Kitzinger has stated that “the sexual exploitation of women and children has played a key role in the history of the media” (2004) This essay will look at how this sexual exploitation is still relevant in modern mainstream music. This argument will be illustrated by drawing on the song/music video “Girls” by The 1975. (Powell, 2013). The band are of the alternative rock genre and use the video as a tool to emphasizes and critic how popular music portrays women. This will be highlighted by focusing on three main points. The parody to pop music videos; the use of costume and dance to sexualize and the focus on the youthful desire of sex

“...it should be remembered that the gendered character of the music industry… and music generally both reflects and serves to constitute the gendered character of wider social and cultural realities.” William A. Hamlen Jr. writes in his article, “Superstardom in Popular Music: Empirical Evidence”, about the music industry market. Hamlen’s article expresses how the music industry is male dominated because the “lack of female role models” allows for masculine culture to continue. Thus, male domination in the music industry creates a space that is difficult for women to enter. Female singers navigating through this male dominated space may have to compromise the brand, image, and music they would like to create for their own self.

Gender works as a social institution — it impacts our daily lives so consistently that it becomes the framework for how we make sense of the world and our place in it. There are many ways in which gender is represented across the globe; in Western society specifically, music, art, film, and media become a primary way for how we make sense of where we as individuals fit into a gendered society. Through analyzing the music video and lyrics of the song “Just a Girl” by ska-rock band No Doubt, one can develop an understanding of how both women and men are impacted by gender norms and the ways in which these norms act as the construction for hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity. Further, by looking at Judith Lorber’s study of gender as a socially constructed institution, which she examines in her essay “‘Night to His Day’: The

There is a shift from traditional to more modern country music. Modern artist Carrie Underwood shows a significant shift from traditional to modern country music in her 2005 song, “Before He Cheats.” Although there is not complete feminism inserted into her song, being a liberated woman is feminist. For example, Underwood reaps the benefits of the sexual revolution and the feminist movement without her music being feminist. This change in modern country music causes the lyric content, sound, stage performance, and artist clothing to also change from the traditional artists. The “Before He Cheats” lyrics below will show a change in the lyric content and sound:

“I made that bitch famous” Does the language used to describe females differ from that used to describe men in contemporary popular music?      Word Count-  Contents:  Introduction  Methodology  Analysis  Conclusion  Introduction: 432 words    In my investigation I will be discussing how the language used to describe females differs from that used to describe males in contemporary popular music. I will be selecting several popular songs by current male and female artists.