By: Isabella Urbani, Staff Writer
Content warning: mentions of sexual harassment, grooming, sexual assault of minors, misogyny, and queerphobia.
There are a few ways in which women are generally framed in alternative music — usually rock, punk, and metal. They’re playing hard to get, they’re too young for the singer but the singer “can’t resist” the urge to pursue them, they’re slut shamed for “lusting” over the singer, or they’re ridiculed for not “understanding” the singer’s angsty past.
Songs of this nature were customary as the rock genre gained traction throughout the ‘50s, with lyrics that were disgustingly straightforward in their predatory advances, and at their peak in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Elvis Presley’s 1968 track, “A Little Less Conversation,” includes the lyrics “close your mouth” and “satisfy me,” as he tells a woman to stop “fighting” and talking because it’s “aggravating” him and taking away from his “satisfaction.”
The so-called Rock ‘n Roll king groomed his ex-wife Priscilla Presley, pursuing a relationship with her when he was 24 and she was just 14. During their marriage, Elvis was known to control what Priscilla wore, and sexually assaulted her. Even before Priscilla, Elvis was known to bring 14-year-olds with him on tour and sleep with minors at different stops of his tour, and was brash about it too.
As disgusting as this is, it didn’t turn many heads in the ‘60s. “A Little Less Conversation” was seen as romantic for the times, and apparently even so in 2009, when it was featured on the first-ever Just Dance game. A quick look at the song’s Youtube comments proves people are still willing to overlook and make excuses for Presley’s known pedophilic behaviour to protect their nostalgia for his music — which glorifies his actions.
He’s not the only one being protected by nostalgia. The Beatles threaten to kill a girl in “Run For Your Life.” The Rolling Stones sing about controlling their girlfriends. Rock band Kiss’ song, “Christine Sixteen” is about lusting over a 16-year-old schoolgirl, and continuing to do so, while admitting that it’s wrong, as if that makes it any better. The song “My Sharona” by The Knack talks about how younger girls are sexually arousing and although it’s “dirty,” the band’s “never going to stop.” Distracted by a good tune, people rarely listen to the lyrics and ignore the sinister intentions laid out right in front of them. These songs are still commonly played on alternative radio stations, and “My Sharona” is a hockey game staple, fitting for the numerous allegations and sexual assault court cases against professional hockey players.
Songs are more often than not written from personal experience. With how negatively women are portrayed in alternative music, it’s not surprising that countless alternative bands have grooming and sexual assault allegations against them. Despite this, many of these abusers end up remaining in the band. These allegations include large names in the genre, such as Pierce the Veil and Of Mice and Men.
Years later, nothing has changed. So, no, you can’t justify a song by referring to it being socially acceptable for that time. It’s still gross. Morals don’t work like that! Bands may not be as upfront in their lyrics about being misogynistic predators, but you don’t have to listen very closely to pick up on it. However, so many of these songs receive mainstream recognition and aren’t called out for being criminal.
Blink 182’s song “Dumpweed” from their most popular album, Enema of the State, talks about the band wishing they could train women to take commands like a dog. When touring to promote that album, the band would shout expletives to women, asking them to show their chests.
More recently, in 2022, Jacob Hoggard, the former lead singer of Canadian rock band Hedley, was sentenced to five years in jail for sexually assaulting a woman in Ottawa in 2016. That same year, Hoggard was engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old online, arranging for her and her friends to see a Hedley show in Toronto, where he subsequently groped her. This isn’t isolated. Multiple bands and popular singers in the alternative music scene are fraught with sexual assault allegations. Evidently, there’s a sexism problem — women in the industry themselves have spoken up about facing harassment, too.
The solution to this problem is pretty simple: bands need to stop grooming and manipulating fans. Better yet, just respect women and girls. Less than 10% of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been women. It’s nearly impossible to find a mainstream rock band consisting of all women. Most women-led bands, including Paramore, No Doubt, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Tonight Alive, only have one member that’s a woman.
With few women-fronted rock bands compared to men-fronted bands, fans, many of whom are teenagers, are looking up to the same individuals who are using their trust and position of power to take advantage of them. These aren’t good people, and however much you like their music doesn’t excuse that fact. All it actually does is keep survivors from speaking out.
There’s no need for misogyny in music — ever. Rock music doesn’t get a pass just because its music is vocal about being anti-establishment and pushing boundaries. Members of Nirvana, the band who “saved rock music from itself,” were outspoken feminists and 2SLGBTQIA+ allies. In 1992, they performed at an Oregon benefit concert, which was protesting a motion that would allow schools to teach children that being gay and being a pedophile were one and the same. The bill was called Measure 9, and was thankfully never formally adopted.
Nirvana said they wanted to perform at the benefit concert to “end bigotry and narrow-mindedness everywhere.” True to their word, earlier in the year, the band refused to tour with Guns N’ Roses due to some of the band’s racist and homophobic lyrics. When a fan jumped on stage to ask Nirvana to change their minds during the Measure 9 protest, lead singer Kurt Cobain told them that Axl Rose “is a fucking sexist, racist, and a homophobe, and you can’t be on his side and on our side.” He also spoke about teaching men to respect women amid the oppression they face. While the band faced controversy on some of their own songs, Cobain always maintained his intentions were to empower women. While intentions and execution are not one and the same, you would think those influenced by him would also listen to his sociopolitical commentary, for someone so influential in the genre.
Rock songs are perfectly capable of not shaming and objectifying women. “Rock ‘n Roll” culture needs to take a stand against violence towards women. Historically, the genre has been not only problematic, but malicious — it needs to change.
