Each Friday I pick a song–new, old, borrowed, blue–that’s been on my mind and in my ears, and write a short post about it.
Here’s “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill:
This week I’ve been reading Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution by Sara Marcus. It’s an exhilarating read: Sara Marcus mixes music criticism, music history, social history and sharp, concise analysis in a pretty seamless way. Bikini Kill is the band most associated with the Riot Grrrl movement (one interesting question I’ve been considering while reading the book is to what extent Riot Grrrl is about music at all; Marcus points out that music is a medium for Riot Grrrl, and I’d emphasize that indefinite article: not the medium. Zines, for example, seem a much more important medium when it comes to the content of Riot Grrrl. But I’m not here to debate with myself). Marcus does a nice reading and examination of the lyrics of “Rebel Girl,” in a way the national anthem of the movement, in her book. This Song of the Week post seems to have turned into a book review, but whatever. If you’re interested in punk rock, feminism and/or 1990s popular culture, you should read Girls to the Front. And you should also listen to Bikini Kill (and Heavens to Betsy and Bratmobile and Huggy Bear and and and and and and and and and…).
