Life

The Ultimate Feminist Playlist, Because We Need It

by Emma McGowan

Election Day 2016 was hard. After crying myself to sleep for a scant four hours, and then waking up with tears in my eyes when my best friend called and said, “I can’t help feeling like we lost because America hates women,” I started to get angry. I got angry at my fellow white women who decided their whiteness was more important than their womanness and more important than our sisters of color. I got angry that all of the work I’ve spent my life on could potentially be erased. I got angry about the fact that my friends who have been sexually assaulted (which, as a reminder, is one in five women and one in 71 men in America) have to watch a man who has been charged with sexual assault multiple times take one of the most powerful positions in the world.

And when that anger started to take over, I turned to music. Specifically, I listened to more Ani Difranco than I have since I was a baby feminist in high school, listening to burned copies of Living in Clip as my best friend and I drove around in her Subaru. I listened to her words and her anger and her pain and remembered that while this anger and sadness is nothing new, the stakes have been raised once again.

And while Ani does it for me (I mean, “Not A Pretty Girl” couldn’t be more relevant right now), I know that her brand of angry folk rock isn’t for everyone. With that in mind, here are 37 feminist songs that will help you work through that anger, sadness, grief, and maybe even bring a little bit of joy. But most of all? I hope they get you pumped for the fight. Because we are going to have to bring our A game.

1. “Not A Pretty Girl” — Ani Difranco

2. "Asking For It" — Hole

3. "Independent Women, Part 1" — Destiny's Child

4. "Sorry" — Beyoncé

5. "So Yo" — Bomba Estereo

6. "Formation" — Beyoncé

7. "The Handmaid's Tale 1" — Lakes Of Canada

8. "You Don't Own Me" — Lesley Gore

9. "Pussy Control" — Prince

10. "Crimson Wave" — Tacocat

11. "Rebel Girl" — Bikini Kill

12. "I'm Not Gonna Cry" — Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings

13. "Tyrone" — Erykah Badu

14. "Bad Reputation" — Joan Jett

15. "Roar" — Katy Perry

16. "Papa Don't Preach" — Madonna

17. "Swimming Pools" — Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

18. "Elevate Or Operate" — Esperanza Spaulding

19. "I Don't Need A Man" — Pussycat Dolls

20. "Better Days" — Dianne Reeves

21. "F*ck With Myself" — BANKS

22. "Cornflake Girl" — Tori Amos

23. "Hey Mami" — Sylvan Esso

24. "Gravel" — Ani Difranco

25. "Closer To Fine" — Indigo Girls

26. "Girl On Fire" — Alicia Keys

27. "Queen Of The World" — Claudette

28. "Flower" — Liz Phair

29. "Give Me One Reason" — Tracy Chapman

30. "To Be Young, Gifted And Black" — Nina Simone

31. "Lazy Lover" — Brazilian Girls

32. "Let's Talk About Sex" — Salt-N-Pepa

33. "No Scrubs" — TLC

34. "I Choose" — India Arie

35. "Dear Mama" — Tupac

36. "This Woman's Work" — Kate Bush

37. "Phenomenal Woman" — Laura Mvula

Images: Fotolia; YouTube