Parsons Playlists: Riot Grrrl

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! To day we feature a collection of Riot Grrrl music curated by Music Library Associate Melanie.

Riot Grrrl

Riot grrrl began in the early 1990s as a DIY, feminist punk movement. Riot grrrl saw girls as a “revolutionary soul force” with the power to disrupt the status quo; rejecting social constructs of how women were supposed to look and behave; and zeroing in on personal and political discussions of sexism, sexuality, sexual violence, female empowerment, racism, ageism, homophobia, fat shaming, and able-bodiedism.

The riot grrrl movement allowed women their own space to create music and make political statements about the issues they were facing in the punk rock community and in society.

This playlist is inspired by the Music Library’s current exhibit: “Girls to the Front: The Riot Grrrl Revolution” which you should come to the library to take a look at should you have the time or inclination.
It features riot grrrl music from the 1990s(ish), and tracks by fellow travelers, antecedents and descendants.

Riot Grrrl

Bikini Kill – “Rebel Girl”

Sleater-Kinney – “Call The Doctor”

Bratmobile – “Cool Schmool”

Excuse 17 – “Watchmaker”

7 Year Bitch – “Dead Men Don’t Rape”

The Runaways – “Cherry Bomb”

Screaming Females – “Glass House”

Bikini Kill – “Double Dare Ya”

Sleater-Kinney – “Be Yr Mama”

Tribe 8 – “Neanderthal Dyke”

Babes In Toyland – “Sweet ’69”

Le Tigre – “Hot Topic”

Slant 6 – “Poison Arrows Shot At Heroes”

Mary Lou Lord – “Some Jingle Jangle Morning”

Emily’s Sassy Lime – “Mr. Moneybag$”

Autoclave – “Go Far”

Bratmobile – “Bitch Theme”

X-Ray Spex – “Art-I-Ficial”

Babes In Toyland – “He’s My Thing”

Lunachicks – “Bad Ass Bitch”

riot covers

PJ Harvey – “50ft Queenie”

Gossip – “Where The Girls Are”

Heavens To Betsy – “Me & Her”

Team Dresch – “Uncle Phranc”

Bratmobile – “Gimme Brains”

Sleater-Kinney – “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone”

Bikini Kill – “Suck My Left One”

Sleater-Kinney – “Dig Me Out”

Bacchae – “Read”

Wet Leg – “Wet Dream”

Riot Grrrl Sessions – “I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast”

Maya Jupiter – “Never Said Yes”

Lady Parts – “Bashir With The Good Beard”

The Linda Lindas – “Racist Sexist Boy”

Honeyblood – “You’re Standing On My Neck”

Tacocat – “Men Explain Things To Me”

BABYMETAL – “Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!”

Kate Nash – “Fri-End?”

7 Year Bitch – “Kiss My Ass Goodbye”

The Linda Lindas – “Oh!”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZezIt5ZNJHN15UP-GdKW3huz

And here it is on Spotify:

Arachnophonia: Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Eliana (class of 2024) and features a book that takes a deep dive into the 2016 Beyoncé album Lemonade from a feminist/LGBTQ+ perspective. Thanks, Eliana!

Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism
by Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley

Beyonce in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism

Beyoncé in Formation offers a deep-dive into the lyrics and meaning of Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade through a Black feminist and LGBTQ+ lens, creating a deeply nuanced and complex view of the Billboard #1 album.

Tinsley effectively combines her personal life, renowned Black feminist and LGBTQ+ artists, and Beyoncé’s album into one cohesive story wherein she breaks down the ways in which Beyoncé’s album is not only a Black-empowerment album, but an album that introduces complex feminist and LGBTQ+ ideas rarely seen in mainstream music.

I originally picked up this book because I love picking apart lyrics and delving into hidden messages in songs and music videos, however I quickly realized that it would be about much more than song inspection. I appreciate the way in which Tinsley was able to integrate her life into the greater story of Black feminism in a way that felt raw and real, much like the rest of the book. She doesn’t dance around any subject, and no subject matter is too grandiose to take on. Whether it’s gender and sexuality, racism, or the history of music, Tinsley covers it all.

Beyonce - Lemonade (album cover)

Of course, this book would be nothing without the album Lemonade itself. The CD is also available at Parsons Music Library — feel free to check out both the CD and the book to heighten your experience!

EN Beyonce 2016

Picture of the author (Eliana class of 2024) at a Beyonce concert in 2016