Listen to a rare recording of Kim Gordon covering ‘Oh Bondage Up Yours!’
Although Kim Gordon is best known for co-founding the experimental alternative rock band Sonic Youth, the musician has used her talents for other musical projects, such as Free Kitten.
Formed in 1992, Free Kitten was created by Gordon and Julia Cafritz from Pussy Galore, who later added Yoshimi P-We from Boredoms on drums and Mark Ibold from Pavement on bass. In 1995, they released their debut album, Nice Ass, followed by Sentimental Education in 1997 before reteaming (minus Ibold) for Inherit in 2008.
In an interview with Village Voice, Cafritz explained, “I think partly back then, our main lives, our main jobs and gigs were darker so Free Kitten was an opportunity to make light.” This is evident in the band’s song titles, such as ‘Harvest Spoon’, and ‘Teenie Weenie Boppie’. Free Kitten was an opportunity for the musicians to let loose away from their other projects. In Gordon’s essay ‘Music on the Internet Has No Context’ from This Woman’s Work, she dubbed Free Kitten an “irreverent duo,” that she and Cafritz “started on a whim to counteract the overindulgent white male free improv scene at CBGB Saturday afternoon matinees. It was all in good fun!”
Gordon met Yoshimi after Boredoms opened for Sonic Youth on their 1992 tour. In Gordon’s essay, Yoshimi explained that one day, Gordon, Thurston Moore and Cafritz instructed her to come to the studio with her drumsticks and trumpet. “They had me listen to ‘Oh Bondage! Up Yours!’ by X-Ray Spex. They told me, ‘Learn this song now, we’re gonna start recording right away.'” Yoshimi had never heard the feminist punk anthem before, but she attempted to cover the saxophone parts with her trumpet and “kinda did my own take on the drum part.” Gordon and Cafritz played the guitar, with the lack of bass baffling Yoshimi. “All three of us sang on the song, and they told me, ‘Yoshimi you gotta scream,’ so I screamed as loud as I could!”
From there, Free Kitten became a three-piece, with Yoshimi stating, “I couldn’t speak English very well, so it was a really thrilling experience for me.” The cover was released on a picture disc featuring Yoshimi posing in her friend’s BDSM dominatrix outfit. On the other side was an image of Yoshimi wearing a traditional kimono called a furisode, worn in Japan for a coming-of-age ceremony.
Free Kitten retains the spirit of X-Ray Spex’s original version, released in 1977 as their debut single. Although X-Ray Spex did not find chart success with the song, ‘Oh Bondage Up Yours!’ is now considered one of the most iconic and influential punk songs ever. It also acted as an early precursor to the 1990s’ riot grrrl movement, thanks to the feminist nature of Poly Styrene’s lyrics, as reflected in the lines, “Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think, Oh bondage! Up yours!”
Gordon’s band only released the cover as a seven-inch single, making it a relatively rare track to come across. However, you can find a copy of the song on YouTube. Listen below.
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