The Other Women In My Life - The Singer/Songwriters
(Written while listening to Natalie Merchant)
I have a very odd tendency in my musical taste. For some reason, I tend to listen to a lot of female performers. Okay, you say, not a big deal. I guess, for me, it is; I should be a stereotypical hillbilly redneck, considering my upbringing (though you'd never guess that from my accent, which sounds decidedly northern in tone. Most people guess New England to Wisconsin). I should like Lynard Skynard, 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, country rock and hair bands, long, rock ballads sung by men who are pouring their hearts out as sincerely as they can. In fact, I don't like those sort of songs at all. Don't get me wrong, there are a few songs by those bands that I do like, but not as a rule.
I guess the reason I like female singer/songwriters is that they are sincere and honest. For some reason, most male singer/songwriters aren't. They mask their feelings beneath layers of machismo, singing about the power of their love but not the depth of it. They sing about the surface but not what lies beneath. Men, as a rule, prefer to hide.
It was my upbringing that no doubt made me what I am. Up to the time I was 13, I was pretty much following the same path as the other males I knew. Then, unbeknownst to even me, I started to grow sensitive. There was a period, between the ages of 16 and 18 that I used that gift to my advantage, since I could relate to girls very well. I never wanted for dates for a long stretch. Eventually, I realized that was wrong. As a teenager, my favorite female performers were Heart (I love you, Ann...), Carol King and Carly Simon. Too many of the other female performers of the period simply seemed to be following in the stereotypical path laid out before them by the record company executives. This was the disco era. Of course, Deborah Harry saved the day for me, as well as Pat Benatar (though at times I felt that the songs, again, were being aimed at my demographic specifically).
Over the years, the artist in me kicked in. The sensitivity grew, and the voices of these women seemed to make more sense to me than the songs of their male counterparts. I wanted and really desired sincerity, not just in my music but in my life. I still do, in fact. There are male performers out there who write sincere music as well, but too often they get muffled by the high powered, high profile sounds that the recording industry thinks we really want to listen to. Perhaps they are just catering to what the public really wants to hear. I think, though, that if you play some more of this music, that perhaps it might sell. Of course, it seems that these days the typical American male is too busy trying to prove how much testosterone he has coursing through his blood. Witness the proliferation of tough guys out there, dew rags in place and riding rough on the backs of their hogs...
No. That's not me. It never could be. I went through that stage but very briefly. It seems insincere, much as the high-decibel noise that they call music. No, I listen to music to be inspired. I listen often to just relax. These profound, siren songs from the likes of Cheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette and Natalie Merchant are far more suited to my tastes these days. You can never have enough beauty in your life. Or honesty and sincerity.
I have a very odd tendency in my musical taste. For some reason, I tend to listen to a lot of female performers. Okay, you say, not a big deal. I guess, for me, it is; I should be a stereotypical hillbilly redneck, considering my upbringing (though you'd never guess that from my accent, which sounds decidedly northern in tone. Most people guess New England to Wisconsin). I should like Lynard Skynard, 38 Special, Molly Hatchet, country rock and hair bands, long, rock ballads sung by men who are pouring their hearts out as sincerely as they can. In fact, I don't like those sort of songs at all. Don't get me wrong, there are a few songs by those bands that I do like, but not as a rule.
I guess the reason I like female singer/songwriters is that they are sincere and honest. For some reason, most male singer/songwriters aren't. They mask their feelings beneath layers of machismo, singing about the power of their love but not the depth of it. They sing about the surface but not what lies beneath. Men, as a rule, prefer to hide.
It was my upbringing that no doubt made me what I am. Up to the time I was 13, I was pretty much following the same path as the other males I knew. Then, unbeknownst to even me, I started to grow sensitive. There was a period, between the ages of 16 and 18 that I used that gift to my advantage, since I could relate to girls very well. I never wanted for dates for a long stretch. Eventually, I realized that was wrong. As a teenager, my favorite female performers were Heart (I love you, Ann...), Carol King and Carly Simon. Too many of the other female performers of the period simply seemed to be following in the stereotypical path laid out before them by the record company executives. This was the disco era. Of course, Deborah Harry saved the day for me, as well as Pat Benatar (though at times I felt that the songs, again, were being aimed at my demographic specifically).
Over the years, the artist in me kicked in. The sensitivity grew, and the voices of these women seemed to make more sense to me than the songs of their male counterparts. I wanted and really desired sincerity, not just in my music but in my life. I still do, in fact. There are male performers out there who write sincere music as well, but too often they get muffled by the high powered, high profile sounds that the recording industry thinks we really want to listen to. Perhaps they are just catering to what the public really wants to hear. I think, though, that if you play some more of this music, that perhaps it might sell. Of course, it seems that these days the typical American male is too busy trying to prove how much testosterone he has coursing through his blood. Witness the proliferation of tough guys out there, dew rags in place and riding rough on the backs of their hogs...
No. That's not me. It never could be. I went through that stage but very briefly. It seems insincere, much as the high-decibel noise that they call music. No, I listen to music to be inspired. I listen often to just relax. These profound, siren songs from the likes of Cheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette and Natalie Merchant are far more suited to my tastes these days. You can never have enough beauty in your life. Or honesty and sincerity.
posted by Robert at 10:49 AM
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