Put a ring on it...

A funny thing happened to me the other day.

I was driving along when Helen Ready's classic hit I Am Woman began playing on the radio.

You know the one - I am woman hear me roar. If you don't know the song, you've no doubt heard that line before... most likely in the form of a joke.

In fact, once I'd have probably been one of the main perpetrators of such a joke. In high-school I'd often laugh at the girls who insisted on shifting desks (they were just as capable as the boys) and refusing to let their dates pay for movie tickets.

Songs such as I Am Woman seemed equally as hilarious.

I knew I was in control - I didn't need to prove a point by refusing acts of chivalry.

But while I'll still happily leave the heavy lifting to the men, upon recent listening this particular song didn't seem quite so amusing.

In fact, I found myself relating to particular elements of the song...

"Yes I am wise but it's wisdom born of pain/yes I paid the price but look how much I've gained/If I had to I can do anything
I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman."

Ok, so that last line is still borderline funny, but I did find myself thinking of my son and the battle I went through to have him, following conception problems and subsequent IVF.

And at that moment, I did feel invincible - I am Woman dammit!

Granted, I would have looked more ridiculous than powerful as I belted out the feminist rant, but hey, that's the power of music.

My re-discovery of the female anthem got me thinking about other similarly labelled tunes.

There's been a few over the years, all sending a different message, but not always in the best interest of the sistahood, depending on who you're talking to.

Aretha Frankli's Resepct and Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, are classics from a time when women were standing up and taking control.

Christina's Can't Hold Us Down and Destiny's Child's Independent Woman were part of a more recent trend of songs focused on reclaiming sexuality and financial independence.

But Beyonce's hit Single Ladies (put a ring on it) has been the latest track to be dubbed a female anthem - but opinions on it's worth are apparently split.



This song is different to the norm in that combines power and sexuality with a desire for commitment. This C-word apparently a naughty no-no for some feminists.

One such is Amanda Hees, author of The Sexist Blog.

She says:

"Beyonce referring to herself as “it”, equating herself to bling? Handing herself over to a man who will determine her self-worth through a demeaning, years-long game which can only end with Beyonce emerging triumphant as his symbolic property, or crawling away as a meaningless ex?"

That's one way of looking at it, feminist and novelist Edan Lepucki has a different view.

"Perhaps it’s anti-feminist for sex to lead to marriage, or to desire that. But why? Why is it unacceptable for a woman to require commitment from the man she’s sleeping with?"

So what makes a female anthem?

A call for respect? Equality? Power? Sexual satisfaction? Commitment? Love?

In reality, most women want a little bit of everything... which is why I think Beyonce nailed it with Single Ladies (put a ring on it).

The Soundtrack to my life...

In movies, everyone has the perfect sound track to go along with their lives.

And I often find myself wishing that were the case in real life.

There have been many special, sad and frustrating moments when I could have chosen just the right song to be playing.

Sometimes this would have required me to move in slow motion however, but you get the picture.

But after going to a couple of concerts recently, I realised that I do, in fact, have a soundtrack to my life.

Songs may not coincide with those epic moments of life (apart from my wedding song of course and, sadly, funerals); but there are certain songs, bands and styles of music, that take me right back to a period of time, even a moment, in my life.

So, after seeing a couple of old favourite bands, I took the time to think about my soundtrack.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Pearl Jam.

And when Jeremy and Daughter blasted from the speakers, I was immediately taken back to my high school years.

And suddenly I was hanging out with my two best friends, having sleep-overs and looking forward to school discos and music festivals.

On Wednesday I saw Greenday, and I was taken back to a different time - my university days when I first went to see them play, and when I met my husband.

He was a massive Greenday fan at the time – and suddenly we were dating again.

But the sound track began back when I was a little girl.

Blueberry Hill and the Beach Boy’s Barbara Anne play over my earliest childhood memories; a little girl dancing in the living room with my mum and dad looking on.

When I hear The House of the Rising Sun, I’m watching my dad strum his guitar and when Fergal Sharky’s A Good Heart plays, I’m in the car with my mum as she drives me to swimming lessons.

I’m watching Rage with my big brother to the sound of Cheap Trick’s The Flame and 1927’s If I Could.



Anything Nirvana and Silverchair’s Tomorrow prompts memories of my friend and I as we dreamed of our futures, we were going to start a band.

And I’m doing laps around the Gold Coast in another friend’s first car to the soundtrack from Romeo and Juliette. It was the only cassette we had at the time.

I’m watching Channel V in the middle of the night with my little brother to the sounds of The Verve’s Freshman and Foo Fighter’s Everlong.

And enjoying decades of family get-togethers to Leo Sayer classics.

But this is just a small sample of the soundtrack of my life. The soundtrack wouldn’t fit on one CD, and it’s still being recorded.

And while the tracks don’t always coincide with particularly momentous occasions, they all remind me of special people, family and friends, and represent the special relationships that I share with all of them.