Females Rock!

Because each music genre has its unique characteristics that make it easy for people to distinguish between the different types of music, rock music is no exception. When someone talks about rock music, the image of famous rock male singers instantly comes to our minds. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Nirvana, Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, etc., all of them are famous cultural objects of rock music that have a huge fanbase culture globally. Although rock music is associated mostly with male artists, a lot of female rock singers were able to print their names on the pages of music history throughout the years. You think it’s too easy to read but too hard to believe? Let’s have an example to elaborate the validity of this point.


Who doesn’t know or love the song “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by The Arrows? You may say “No one” because you’ve listened to it a zillion times, but think about this question again. Was it this version you really liked or another one—Say, the one by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts? You may choose the original song, but you’re a one in a million people who may not choose the same as your choice. Demonstrating points with numbers and statistics always maintain the validity of a point. Jett’s cover of the song was a number-one single on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles for seven weeks. However, the original version has never been a hit on any chart.

The original version by "The Arrows":


The cover version by "Joan Jett & the Blackhearts":


Many sociologists and music experts said that people liked Jett’s version more because she was the first female rock singer to sing a song written and sung by an all-male rock band. Furthermore, Jett was a member of the first and famous all-girl rock band The Runaways in mid-70s, where she was only 16 years old. Having people knew all that about her, she literally drew the attention of the mass media and created a new subculture: The subculture of female rockers.

A few examples on some of the famous contemporary female rock singers are Hayley Williams (The lead vocalist of the alternative rock band Paramore), Avril Lavigne, Pink, Orianthi, Ashlee Simpson, Amy Lee (the lead vocalist of the alternative & grunge rock band Evanescence), Skye Sweetnam, etc.