Where Did Our Love Go Analysis

Social Formations and Their Representations in Society as Seen Through Music
This paper will argue that Bessie Smith’s song “Young Woman’s Blues” and The Supremes’ song “Where Did Our Love Go?” exhibit both hegemonic and counter-hegemonic components through their reflections of sexist and racist ideologies that existed during their respective eras. Smith released “Young Woman’s Blues” in 1926 which was during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in which black people were able to create their identities through various forms of music and art. This was also during the time of Jim Crow segregation in which the hegemonic ideology of white supremacy permeated through the institutions of law within the United States. Jim Crow laws continued until the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, which is the same year as the release …show more content…
In Smith’s song, she sings, “I 'm as good as any woman in your town/ I ain 't no high yeller, I 'm a deep killer of brown/ I ain 't gonna marry, ain 't gonna settle down/ I 'm gonna drink good moonshine and rub these browns down,” (Smith 1926). Here, Smith demonstrates the emergent feminist ideology of sexual pride by proudly stating that she is not ashamed to say that she does not conform to the dominant monogamous style of sexual partnership. She also challenges traditional gender roles by mentioning that she drinks moonshine, which was as a masculine trait and not typical of women during the 1920’s. These feminist ideologies were sparked by the women’s suffrage movement and the third wave feminist movement of the early 1900’s. When stating that she is “a deep killer of brown” and that she will “rub these browns down”, she is showcasing her black pride by showing attraction to her own race in the acknowledgement that black people are