The 10 most misogynistic songs from the counterculture movement
The late 1960s was all about moving past normal society. As much as some bands may have been looking to have some fun, the central theme behind the Summer of Love was about expanding beyond the normal horizons that the straight media had in mind. That being said, not even the hippies were safe from a few misogynistic lyrics.
For all the songs about living free from your inhibitions, these tracks were not the most respectful to women. From The Beatles to Led Zeppelin, every one of these songs had some things to say about the opposite sex that were not always appropriate.
From playing fast and loose with sexuality to indentured servitude, every one of these songs tend to treat women more like objects or a means to an end rather than actual human beings. What’s even more alarming is when some of these songs become staples of the band’s catalogue, with millions of fans singing along to them.
Granted, some of these songs were meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek at the time, but that flew over most people’s heads when they started singing the lyrics whenever they came on the radio. There’s no disputing these are great musicians, but there’s also no chance these songs would have been released today.
10 most misogynistic songs of the counterculture movement:
Beware of Young Girls – Dory Previn
It’s easy to paint with a broad brush and say that every one of these terrible lyrics were written by a man. However, breakups can be a great outlet for anger, and Dory Previn’s reaction to being cheated on is a lot more uncomfortable in retrospect.
While ‘Beware of Young Girls’ was written after Previn found out about her husband’s affair with Mia Farrow, her decision to make a retort back about young girls is a little too tone-deaf to take seriously. She might be angry, but hearing her make these blanket statements about an entire subsection of people isn’t the best way to deal with that type of anger.
Even when this happened later down the line when Paramore wrote ‘Misery Business’, they at least acknowledged that the song wasn’t written from the best place. Cheating is never easy to get over, but this is using misogyny to try and solve a problem.
He Hit Me – The Crystals
The ‘60s seemed to be a glorious time when you look back on it. There were flowers in everyone’s hair, and we were living in free peace at Woodstock. And it was also apparently super OK to be abusive towards your significant other.
While listeners might want to stretch the definition of this song all they want, this is about a girl who is physically abused by her boyfriend and says that it felt like a kiss. While she’s at least being optimistic, the lyric about it feeling like a kiss just makes the situation worse.
Although she might be looking to settle down with her boyfriend, this is an extremely toxic relationship, and the modern-day version of this song would involve this man getting arrested for domestic violence. For a generation that was all about peace and love, this is the kind of practices that people didn’t like to talk about too much.
A Little Less Conversation – Elvis Presley
In the world of ‘60s rock and roll, Elvis Presley practically felt like a relic. By the time the Beatles came into the picture, the King of Rock and Roll had his time in the sun and had to regain his badassery during his comeback special. He didn’t forget the misogyny of his early days, though.
Aside from meeting his wife when she was 14, ‘A Little Less Conversation’ is one of the cheapest ways any man has tried to get out of an argument. Instead of hashing out his problems, Presley just thinks that sex will make all of the problems go away, lest his girlfriend actually have something to say.
The ‘60s might have been a different time, but Presley’s insistence on sex feels pitiful, as he desperately tries to convince his latest squeeze that what she says isn’t important. She might have some genuine, but none of them are more important than what the King is going through.
Under My Thumb – Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones were always meant to be a little bit nasty. When they first got signed, they were intended to be a dirtier retort to what the Beatles were doing. And whereas the Beatles had ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, The Stones’ shot at romance was out of line on ‘Under My Thumb’.
Though the initial part of the song checks out alright with Mick Jagger talking about the great things that his woman does for him, using the phrase ‘Under My Thumb’ sounds like Jagger seeing her as a possession rather than a human being.
It only gets worse in the chorus, when he talks about how his girl only speaks when spoken to and only is around to serve him whatever he needs. The Stones might be legends in their own right, but it doesn’t help if one of your classic songs sounds like it could have been written by Andrew Tate.
Wild World – Cat Stevens
No one is going to accuse Cat Stevens of being rageful towards women. If you listen to the man’s music, he seems like the ideal stoned hippy telling you everything is going to be alright. When you start looking into the lyrics behind ‘Wild World’, though, it starts to get all kinds of icky.
While Stevens may have meant for this song to be a breezy song about the dangers of the world, it’s hard to hear it without sounding like he’s talking down to this woman. When he talks about it being hard to get by just on a smile, he starts to make a few too many baseline assumptions, as if her looks are all that matter in the real world.
This woman may very well be able to speak for herself, but from Steven’s perspective, she needs his brand of wisdom if she’s going to measure up to anything in the world. For all the great guitar playing and good intentions, this is mansplaining decades before the practice got its name.
Just Like a Woman – Bob Dylan
No one really writes a love song quite like Bob Dylan. Although he’s known more for his ballads about injustice and political songs, Dylan was about dissecting the meaning of love and why we are so attracted to each other. Once he’s in love, though, he starts to take it a few steps too far.
While most of Blonde on Blonde checks out from a certain perspective, ‘Just Like a Woman’ isn’t the smoothest way of talking about your girlfriend. After mentioning the virtues of his lady, Dylan mentions that she’s just like a woman but falls apart just like a little child. Even though Dylan talking about his own insecurities would be interesting, he sees fit to throw them all on his former lover.
Considering how questionable this line can be, it’s no surprise that Dylan found himself in the doghouse and then lost in the world on Blood on the Tracks. When you make assumptions like this, there are never any winners. Just an abundance of losers.
Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were never exactly choir boys when they first hit the ground running in the late ‘60s. The band lived up to every definition of ‘excess’, and their desire for excess was only matched by their warped view of what the opposite sex wanted.
Although rock has never run out of its fair share of sex songs, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ is almost a little too pushy in what it wants to do. While the original genesis of the song is based on blues traditions, hearing Robert Plant talking about his woman needs his…services, let’s say…comes off as more than a little bit demanding.
While this might have worked in the context of the seedy blues scene, it also led to some pretty awkward situations for Zeppelin later, like their uncomfortable proximity towards underage women when they were on the road. The riff might be classic, but any man that would try this line on a woman these days would most likely have a drink get thrown in his face.
‘A Man Needs a Maid’ – Neil Young
Ever since the ‘90s, Neil Young has become the resident crazy uncle of rock and roll. Though he may have had his heart in the right place when writing for acts like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, his classic roots rock was undercut by one of the biggest pity party on ‘A Man Needs a Maid’.
Regardless of the hardships that come with being a rock star, Young talking about how he needs a maid to keep his house in order reeks of first world problems when heard in context. Young’s trademark squawky voice works over the backing track, but it would have been an amazing song if it were about something other than needing a woman to clean up and do his laundry.
It’s almost laughable once the strings come in, as if this plea for having a maid to watch over his every move is being taken super seriously. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, but Young definitely crossed a line when a song like this is given the same treatment as ‘Ohio’ and ‘Heart of Gold’.
‘You’re Sixteen’ – Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr was never meant to be the biggest solo career after the Beatles. While the Fab Four each carved out a great niche for themselves past the ‘60s, Starr’s habit of singing rock and roll standards was not welcome when he turned in ‘You’re Sixteen’.
No matter how you slice it, this is a paedophile song, with Starr including lyrics about loving this girl the night they met and even calling her his ‘pet’ during one of the verses. Despite a decent beat, Starr’s relentless charm can’t sell this song; sounding like he wants his audience to egg him on as he goes after a teenager.
While the song might have worked if the singer was also in his teens, ‘I’m the Greatest’ earlier on the album says loud and proud that Starr is 32 and wants to boogaloo. So this girl is literally half this man’s age, and for some reason, it was accepted that it was totally OK for him to sing this song.
‘Run For Your Life’ – The Beatles
Rubber Soul marks a bit of a turning point in the Beatles’ career. After years of being the lovable boy band playing rock and roll, they had started to expand their songwriting and talk about more universal topics, with adult tales about love. So why backtrack when it comes to the last song on the record?
Granted, even John Lennon talked about being ashamed of the final version of ‘Run For Your Life’, which reads like an Elvis Presley song written by a sexual predator. Though Lennon’s charm might rub off on this song, the lyrics are a different story, talking about a paranoid man who would rather kill his girlfriend than see her running off with another man.
This isn’t a clever turn of phrase either, with Lennon confirming in the final verses that this is a legitimate threat and that his lady should be worried about him retaliating. Considering the pedigree the Beatles had to work with, it’s amazing that both this song and ‘Norwegian Wood’ appear on the exact same album.
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