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 of The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?”. The Supremes as an entity challenges dominant residual ideologies of what is to be a beautiful, black, successful singer. They proved that black women could earn their own income as underrepresented artists in the music industry. Unlike many black artists of the time, the Supremes were not known for “protest music” or lyrics about hardship such as those found in the music of Marvin Gaye (Weissman 100). The Supremes performed in elegant dresses and sang in a conservative manner when compared to other artists of the same time such as the Rolling Stones. Simply by existing, they show that all black music is not protest music or containing counter-hegemonic themes such as “Young Woman’s Blues”. The Supremes are counterhegemonic in the sense that they are simply beautiful black women trying to make a living by being successful in the music industry during a time in which black people must fight for their rights. Although The Supremes are counterhegemonic by not adhering to the structure of protest music, they model the residual conservative style of music that follows the hegemonic traditional gender roles associated with women in the 1960’s. However, by taking on hegemonic ideologies as their own, they were able to broaden their audience and accumulate more of their own wealth. The dominant residual ideologies of traditional gender roles and white supremacy are challenged in “Young Woman’s Blues” through new emergent ideologies such as black pride and sexual freedom. …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 beautiful. Smith clearly challenges many dominant ideologies of the time period, and in the eyes of some, she perpetuates the hegemonic ideology of white supremacy by fitting the mold a black delinquent. By singing openly about practicing promiscuity, she is challenging the dominant Christian ideology of monogamy. Since the most common religion in the United States was Christianity, the bible served as a source of moral values such as the one being challenged by Smith. Her disinterest in the idea of marriage, one held sacred to many, helped to further the white supremacist ideology that labels black people as delinquents inherently lacking in morals. The creation of “Young Woman’s Blues” due in part to the tensions created by the contradiction of race in society. Colored people live in a country founded upon the equality of all men, yet live in a country in which people receive rights based on their position in the racial
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 of The Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?”. The Supremes as an entity challenges dominant residual ideologies of what is to be a beautiful, black, successful singer. They proved that black women could earn their own income as underrepresented artists in the music industry. Unlike many black artists of the time, the Supremes were not known for “protest music” or lyrics about hardship such as those found in the music of Marvin Gaye (Weissman 100). The Supremes performed in elegant dresses and sang in a conservative manner when compared to other artists of the same time such as the Rolling Stones. Simply by existing, they show that all black music is not protest music or containing counter-hegemonic themes such as “Young Woman’s Blues”. The Supremes are counterhegemonic in the sense that they are simply beautiful black women trying to make a living by being successful in the music industry during a time in which black people must fight for their rights. Although The Supremes are counterhegemonic by not adhering to the structure of protest music, they model the residual conservative style of music that follows the hegemonic traditional gender roles associated with women in the 1960’s. However, by taking on hegemonic ideologies as their own, they were able to broaden their audience and accumulate more of their own wealth. The dominant residual ideologies of traditional gender roles and white supremacy are challenged in “Young Woman’s Blues” through new emergent ideologies such as black pride and sexual freedom. …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 beautiful. Smith clearly challenges many dominant ideologies of the time period, and in the eyes of some, she perpetuates the hegemonic ideology of white supremacy by fitting the mold a black delinquent. By singing openly about practicing promiscuity, she is challenging the dominant Christian ideology of monogamy. Since the most common religion in the United States was Christianity, the bible served as a source of moral values such as the one being challenged by Smith. Her disinterest in the idea of marriage, one held sacred to many, helped to further the white supremacist ideology that labels black people as delinquents inherently lacking in morals. The creation of “Young Woman’s Blues” due in part to the tensions created by the contradiction of race in society. Colored people live in a country founded upon the equality of all men, yet live in a country in which people receive rights based on their position in the racial