Friday, May 1, 2009

"Under My Thumb"-The Rolling Stones

Some feminists have been pissed about this song for a while.  I can understand where they're coming from.  If you read the lyrics outloud in your best douchebag voice, it sounds, well, douchey.

If you look at it another way, though, it could just be about a power shift in any relationship. Like someone was treating you crappy and now you have the upper hand.  And who doesn't get a kick out of that?

Plus, all politics aside, just listen to that marimba.  No amount of possible misogyny can bury a marimba riff as smoking hot as that one.





3 comments:

  1. I can absolutely see where the accusations of misognyny come from, but yeah, they're pretty baseless; the song never says or even implies that the reason she's under his thumb is because she's a woman. In fact, the mere fact that the song is about "the girl who once pushed me around" should be enough indication that Mick is fully aware that the fact that this particular power relationship is male-dominated is strictly contingent.

    That said, I'd love to see covers of this by gay men, straight women, and gay women (whether or not they change the lyrics). Why not?

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  2. Can we talk about how amazing Mick's jacket was? Also, how loudly that girl was screaming during most of the song - what is up with that?! that doesn't happen at concerts anymore.

    -Molly

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  3. MOLLY I WANT TO BUY THAT JACKET FOR YOU

    also that was probably my mom screaming. she was everywhere during the 60s.

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