Cherchez La Femme

It's all about women… man.

1. The Beatles, Hey Jude
B-side on Revolution (1968)

Rumours say that McCartney wrote this song to comfort Lennon's kid, Julian (Jules), who was suffering during his parents' divorce, and that Jules became Jude, because Jude it was easier to sing. Other rumours say that this song was actually referring to McCartney's failed relationship with Jane Asher. Whatever the answer is, a woman is certainly involved.


2. The Doors, Miss Maggie M'Gill
Morrison Hotel (1970)

This song, which is believed to be about a prostitute, had been released in an era when you weren't allowed to sing about certain things – The Doors were banned on Ed Sullivan Show because they dared to sing "Girl we couldn't get much higher". Now, a part of you might protest in the name of freedom of speech, but sometimes it's more interesting to guess, rather than to hear.


3. The Rolling Stones, Angie
Goads Heat Soup (1973)

This track also has a background story – it is believed that Angie is David Bowie's then wife, Angela, with whom Mick Jagger had an affair. Whether this is true or not is rather irrelevant for the meaning of the song. It illustrates perfectly the pain that lingers in you when you still care about your lover, but you know that there is no chance in hell for a happy end.


4. The Ramones, Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
Rocket to Russia (1977)

Hm, should I say any more words about this song? I guess the title says it all.


5. Nirvana, Polly
Nevermind (1991)

Based on a real event, the song tells a story of a girl who is brutally raped and tries to escape by flirting with her captor. In its slow version, it is simply heartbreaking. Apparently, not all of the fans understood the song's message – after the release of Nevermind, a similar thing happened to another girl; moreover, the assaulters sang the lyrics while raping her. Kurt Cobain called the two men "wastes of sperm and eggs" and wrote "I have a hard time carrying on knowing there are plankton like that in our audience."


6. The Cure, A Letter to Elise
Wish (1992)

Broken promises, painful words, painful silences, tears, alienation – this is the eternal, well-known and painful story of two people that cannot understand each other properly. And the interesting thing is that, at the first listening, while being captivated of the instrumental, you don't even realise how damn sad this song is.


7. The Smashing Pumpkins, For Martha
Adore (1998)

The lyrics are referring to a dead person – and certainly, the grief can be strongly felt while listening to it, even if there is at a certain point some hope that someday a reunion will be possible. Billy Corgan wrote this song in memory of his mother, Martha, who had died in December 1996.


8. Franz Ferdinand, Jacqueline
Franz Ferdinand (2004)

I'm still not one hundred percent sure about the relationship between Jacqueline, Ivor and Gregor, but I know for sure (and I bet you all agree with me) that is always better on holiday.


9. Manic Street Preachers, Emily
Lifeblood (2004)

The song has political content – "Emily" refers to Emily Pankhurst, a leader in the British woman's suffrage movement. In his well-known style, Nicky Wire said it expresses "the idea that an icon of Pankhurst's standing, who really tried to do something good, who got women's suffrage and got women the vote, can be replaced by someone as obviously empty as Princess Diana as a feminist icon." Ouch.


10. The Horrors, Sheena Is a Parasite
Strange House (2007)

You can also call it a twisted version of Sheena Is a Punk Rocker.