Melanie Hiscock Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I find it interesting just how much the softer fifties and sixties resonate with my hotel and club audience that i sing to that don't want the harder rock tunes now they are getting elderly. Someone sent me this still from an old tv special from the period. I noticed that the boys in the background have ties on but that poor girl on the right in the background has on a giant skirt. Evidently someone in the production team was worrying that their female performers might not look enough like girls! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantpothead Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'm getting on a bit and I still want to hear hard rock songs, along with the softer ones from the 50s and 60s, as they are the ones I grew up with. Still you can hardly call Helter Skelter (1968) or anything from Led Zeppelins 1st album (1969) or loads and loads of records from the 60s as soft....that was the beginning of heavy rock.......Anyway you must cater to your audience....What songs do you prefer singing? I'm sure Going To California would go down well with audiences of all ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Hiscock Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 My songs range from the Great American Songbook such as the Andrews Sisters to the softer songs of the fifties and sixties. A lot of people are surprised that I concentrate on the Songbook and the softer songs of the fifties and sixties, given my youth, but a lot of the songs from later have nasty sexism and glorification of violent attitudes towards girls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantpothead Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 My songs range from the Great American Songbook such as the Andrews Sisters to the softer songs of the fifties and sixties. A lot of people are surprised that I concentrate on the Songbook and the softer songs of the fifties and sixties, given my youth, but a lot of the songs from later have nasty sexism and glorification of violent attitudes towards girls. What?????? Which songs "from later have nasty sexism and glorification of violent attitudes towards women" I have over 5.000 albums in my collection and I can't think of ANY song that fits your description, yet you claim that a lot of songs do..........Please name ten or so of these songs then we can have a discussion on them. I presume that these tracks are from well known bands or singers. I have albums from Al Jolson To Pink Floyd and from Frank Sinatra to Led Zeppelin, with everything in between!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie Hiscock Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 There's a girl band whose premise is taking songs written by men and singing the lyrics without changing them for the different gender of the singers. They use this to point out that a lot of male singers and songwriters have poor attitudes towards women. Even in the sixties you had songs like "Young Girl" which is practically an ode to statutory rape. "I Saw Her Standing There" which is sung by 22 year old Paul McCartney about a 17 year old teenage girl who is young, beautiful and freshly at the legal age of consent. It's damn creepy coming out of a grown man like Macca. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagefan55 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hello Melanie. I may be naive, but I always thought "I Saw Her Standing There" was a sweet, innocent song. Also, I don't think a song being (perhaps) a little bit creepy necessarily equates with it having or promoting "nasty sexism and glorification of violent attitudes toward girls." Could you name for us 10 or so songs that you believe contain or convey this theme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DropDown Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I'm pretty sure "I Saw Her Standing There" was about his longtime fiancée, Jane Asher - she was 17 when they met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantpothead Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Yes and also in the lyrics he sings "that before too long I'd fall in love with her" In young girl..Gary Pucket is telling the girl to "run along girl"....."you're much too young girl" You sound as though you belong to the Mary Whitehouse generation.....Very sad for a girl your age. Melanie, have you seen High Society?................I hate to think what you'd think of the songs in that film. Or the basic story line.....and erm....when was that made????? Melanie who is this girl band you mention???? can't be famous as I don't recall any girl bands doing what you described.Did you have a very strict upbringing? Cos I did, but I was taught to not read too much into songs, unless they are written specifically about a person or a particular subject that the lyricist supports. But I really do disagree with your thoughts on music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipper Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I'm getting on a bit and I still want to hear hard rock songs, along with the softer ones from the 50s and 60s, as they are the ones I grew up with. Still you can hardly call Helter Skelter (1968) or anything from Led Zeppelins 1st album (1969) or loads and loads of records from the 60s as soft....that was the beginning of heavy rock.......Anyway you must cater to your audience....What songs do you prefer singing? I'm sure Going To California would go down well with audiences of all ages. To me Led Zep 1 is more about the blues. It remindes me alot of stuff from the 50s like Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 There's a girl band whose premise is taking songs written by men and singing the lyrics without changing them for the different gender of the singers. They use this to point out that a lot of male singers and songwriters have poor attitudes towards women. Even in the sixties you had songs like "Young Girl" which is practically an ode to statutory rape. "I Saw Her Standing There" which is sung by 22 year old Paul McCartney about a 17 year old teenage girl who is young, beautiful and freshly at the legal age of consent. It's damn creepy coming out of a grown man like Macca. I don't know what girl band you're referring to, but I do remember Tori Amos doing an album of covers of songs written by men. I also don't get what you mean by "the softer Sixties"...that's when rock and jazz really started exploding and experimenting sonically and lyrically. As for "I Saw Her Standing There"...it is hardly in the same class as W.A.S.P.'s "Fuck Like a Beast" or 2 Live Crew. Macca was barely out of his teens when he wrote it for his girlfriend, and to think it creepy, you must have led a sheltered life. Actually, one can parse the Great American Songbook and find questionable attitudes towards women in some songs. It's just because there is no vulgarity and the songs have graceful chords and melodies that allows people to think the songs are sweet and innocent. Rock and roll is more upfront and in-your-face in both sound and attitude. Being that you're singing to a hotel audience, I'm not surprised a bit that they would rather hear Cole Porter than Bruce Springsteen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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