Do not get me wrong, I can be a sucker for your typical, repetitive pop song. However, I have noticed that music tends to draw me in more when it has something to say, such as unearthing a taboo subject or tackling a prevalent issue in politics. Not only have I been adding these songs to my playlists, but a lot of them are now making the “Top 50” and “Today’s Top Hits” on Spotify.
I love seeing these popular artists use their platforms to bring awareness to a problem and even initiate change in the world. The following examples I have chosen are perfect for anyone looking for music with a message or anyone who just wants new music to bop to.
“The Man” by Taylor Swift
If you haven’t listened to Taylor’s album Lover yet, you might be surprised to see her on this list. For years now, Taylor has been marked as the girl who writes about getting her heart broken or breaking others’ hearts. An argument against this claim would be one of her new songs, “The Man.”
It is clear this track is not about breakups; instead, it is about exposing male privilege. Swift takes her experience as a woman, specifically, a woman often exploited in the media for her relationships, and compares it to if she were a man: “They’d say I played the field before / I found someone to commit to / And that would be okay / For me to do.” This is a common theme in our culture today, shaming women for being sexually active, whereas men get praised for their “conquests.”
She further addresses the patriarchy in the chorus with “I’m so sick of running / As fast as I can / Wondering if I’d get there quicker / If I was a man.” This is something all women can relate to, and this topic reminds me of the Women’s and Gender Studies course I am currently enrolled in; we talk a lot about value, and we hypothesize why it is that men’s work is so much more valued than a woman’s, even when the woman’s work is equal or better. Women have to work much harder than a man for anything they wish to succeed at, and I think Taylor sums it up perfectly.
“I Believe You” by FLETCHER
I stumbled upon this one only a few weeks ago, and I was not paying much attention to the lyrics until the chorus hit me with “Me, too / Girl, I believe you / Are you losing your mind thinking what will it take / To make somebody listen to you?” Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another song that challenges rape culture so directly, especially with their own personal experiences.
“It’s the room full of rumors and everybody starin’ / Did they tell you you were asking for it by what you were wearin’?” is another line that caught my attention, considering how many times we have all heard the “excuse” that a woman got raped because of how she was dressed. Through these lyrics, the artist illustrates how disturbing it is to blame the victim, rather than the rapist who actually committed the crime. I really appreciated this courage from FLETCHER, just the title itself a powerful statement: “I Believe You.”
“Body” by Julia Michaels
First off, Julia Michaels is so underrated. All of her music has this organic sound to it, and she is a lyrical mastermind. Her latest Inner Monologue Part 2 features the song “Body,” which holds a very relevant meaning to many young people today. The track starts off with her apologizing to herself for being so self-critical: “Sorry I’m a bitch to you / I know that I’m the reason that you’re so insecure.”
Michaels repeats throughout, “I just wanna love my body like you love my body / I wanna look in the mirror and tell it that it’s beautiful.” Mainly due to the toxicity of the media, including models who have been airbrushed and edited to an unobtainable perfection, so many women are suffering from this internal struggle with self-worth and self-love. Body image can become so poisonous that it leads to body dysmorphia, a mental illness not talked about enough. I love that she devoted a whole song to this idea for all of the people out there who can relate to it and feel understood.
Julia Michaels also shares a song with Selena Gomez called “Anxiety,” in which she further discusses mental illness. The two open up about their personal experiences with anxiety, allowing others to see they are not alone in their battles.
“1950” by King Princess
King Princess defies what we typically hear on the radio – guys singing about girls and girls singing about guys. In her music, she openly broadcasts her attraction to women. This makes her such an important artist because she confidently represents the LGBTQ+ community, letting her audience know it is okay to embrace who you are and love who you love.
In “1950,” she sings “So tell me why my gods look like you / And tell me why it’s wrong,” which questions the traditional belief that a relationship should be only between a man and a woman. This concept continues with “So I’ll wait for you, I’ll pray / I will keep on waiting for your love,” highlighting just one of the many oppressions the LGBTQ+ community faces daily: feeling they are not allowed to express their love or attraction.
The message in “1950” reminds me of “HIM” by Sam Smith and “HEAVEN” by Troye Sivan, which are also great recommendations. It is super inspiring to see performers who are so proud of their identities, sharing their personal experiences, and I cannot wait to see even more LGBTQ+ members enter and influence the music world.
“all the good girls go to hell” by Billie Eilish
If I am being totally honest, it took me a few listens to realize what this song is actually about climate change. Considering Billie Eilish’s exponential rise in popularity, I really appreciated that she decided to use her voice for this cause – like, how many songs do you listen to about global warming? What she does in “all the good girls go to hell” is really unique, singing from the Earth’s perspective: “Look at you needing me / You know I’m not your friend without some greenery” and “Poisoning themselves now / Begging for our help, wow!” These lyrics are criticizing humans for destroying the world and then crying over the mess they made.
The message here is so important because there are still people out there arguing against global warming, despite the clear facts, Eilish mentions in the song, “Animals, evidence,” “Hills burn in California,” and “Once the water starts to rise.” We really have taken our planet for granted, polluting and littering it, and if we do not try to fix it now, it will be too late… if it is not already too late.
Honorable Mentions
There are a few others I had to add in here, their subjects too significant to exclude. First, the song “Love It If We Made It,” in which The 1975 comments on current debates such as gun violence, drug use, and even the president. Although, there are also more positive songs like “Youth” by Shawn Mendes and Khalid, “Woman” by Kesha and “Perfect To Me” by Anne-Marie that gives me hope for our future. So, if you are looking for anything from empowering music to anything with a good beat, these should be great suggestions for your playlists!
Here’s a link to a playlist with all of the tracks I mentioned: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ONsLBGJJAaztBpPYTG7O0?si=hj78N_GlRham-C_ba0Pt5g