ACADEMIC TALK
Watch the lecture by Flora Dyson below and don’t forget to take a look at the extra resources and have a go at the activity at the end.
Studying music at university doesn’t only involve analysing classical songs! An exploration of popular music by women, from the 1920s to the present day, shows the complexity of feminist voices and how they have developed over the past 100 years.
Track list:
Bessie Smith. ‘Washwoman’s Blues’
The Slits, ‘Typical Girls’
Bikini Kill, ‘Rebel Girl’
Madonna, ‘Like a Prayer’
Little Simz, ‘Broken’ Beyoncé, ‘Formation’
Further Reading
If you want to find out more about the Blues, read this article about Bessie Smith.
This podcast discusses Madonna’s long career.
Watch Little Simz perform at Glastonbury 2024 here.
Feminist philosopher and writer bell hooks wrote a critique of Beyoncé’s album Lemonade.
Read it here.
Conduct an analysis of a song either from the lecture materials or your own choice. Discuss how the music and para-musical features (eg. lyrics, videos, singer’s presentation, album artwork, live performances) voice a feminist politics. 300 words approx.
