In honor of today’s ninety-first anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote and the new HERvotes campaign looking to defend and extend the promise of equality, here’s my completely assailable list of the top ten songs about women’s equality. Please use the comments field to let me know what I missed and don’t kill me for including Tupac until you listen to the lyrics!
Top Ten Songs About Women’s Equality
1. Aretha Franklin, “Respect ”
2. Odetta, “Paths of Victory ”
3. Lesley Gore, “You Don’t Own Me”
4. Bikini Kill, “Rebel Girl ”
5. Sarah Jones, “Our Revolution”
6. Nellie McKay, “Mother of Pearl ”
7. Liz Phair, “Girls! Girls! Girls!”
8. Destiny’s Child, “Survivor ”
9. Janis Ian, “At Seventeen ”
10. Tupac Shakur, “Keep Ya Head Up”
BONUS AUDIO: “Songs of the Suffragettes” sung by Elizabeth Knight, released in 1958 by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Listen Here!