Honouring some of the amazing ladies who set the standards for rock'n'roll as well as introducing us to some brand new music, Spotify have created an amazing playlist called Women Of Rock, where icons like Blondie, Stevie Nicks, Suzi Quatro, Janis Joplin and Joan Jett sit alongside up-and-comers in the track list.
We thought we’d take our pick of the list and highlight a few of our fave tracks. These ladies rock, whether song-writers, musicians, performers or all of the above, there’s no shortage of classic rock, punk, blues, country, and pop, so make sure you check out the full playlist and let us know on Facebook which ones are your top picks.
STEVIE NICKS (SOLO and FLEETWOOD MAC)
Released as the third single from Bella Donna in February 1982, this song was written by Nicks to express the grief resulting from the death of her uncle Jonathan and the murder of John Lennon during the same week of December 1980. It features a distinctive, chugging 16th-note guitar riff, and a simple chord structure typical of Nicks' songs, and sampled in the Destiny's Child hit "Survivor" in 2001. As is typical of Nicks' songs, the lyrics are highly symbolic. Nicks has said that the "white-winged dove" represents the spirit leaving the body. Stevie's career is defined also by her immense contribution to Fleetwood Mac.
Don't forget Stevie's 24 Karat Gold Tour (with special guests the Pretenders) kicks off in Oz this week!! Tickets and info here.
ANN and NANCY WILSON (HEART)
Released as the first single from Heart's second album Little Queen in 1977, "Barracuda", is referred to as an aggressive early heavy metal song, but some refer to it as a hard rock number notable for a galloping guitar riff and its use of natural harmonics. Upon its release "Barracuda" became Heart's second top-20 hit in the U.S., peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, it was named the 34th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
CHRISSIE HYNDE (PRETENDERS)
The first single taken from the 1986 album, Get Close. In the US, "Don't Get Me Wrong" became their second Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #10. Their first Top 10 pop hit, "Back on the Chain Gang", had reached #5 in 1983. The song features a jangly guitar sound and an emphasis on melody. Hynde's lyrics contain literary and scientific references in addition to the more relationship-based subject matter.
JANIS JOPLIN
The song came to mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin on lead vocals covered the song in 1968 and had a big hit with it. The song has since been remade by several iconic female singers, including Dusty Springfield on her 1968 album Dusty... Definitely, and Melissa Etheridge in 2005. In 2004 the Big Brother and the Holding Company version was ranked #353 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
DEBBIE HARRY (BLONDIE)
Written by Debbie Harry and Nigel Harrison for Blondie's third studio album, Parallel Lines (1978), the song was inspired by one of Harry's ex-boyfriends who stalked her after their breakup. Rolling Stone ranked the song #298 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
PAT BENATAR
In 1980, this song was released as the second single from her second album Crimes of Passion. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Pat Benatar's first Top 10 hit. "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" sold well over a million copies in the U.S. alone and is one of Benatar's most recognisable tracks. Heard at many baseball and soccer games, the song has been featured on hundreds of compilation albums.
JOAN JETT
"I Hate Myself for Loving You" is the first single from the album Up Your Alley (1988). The song reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Jett's third single to reach the Top 10, but her first since "Crimson and Clover" in 1982. The song spent six weeks longer on the charts than her biggest hit, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor played the guitar solo in the song.
BONNIE RAITT
Raitt won the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1992 for her recording of this song (Oleta Adams, Mariah Carey, Amy Grant and Whitney Houston were the other finalists). The track also received a nomination for Record of the Year, losing to "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole.
LINDA RONSTADT
Linda Ronstadt began performing "You're No Good" to close her live shows in early 1973, after her band member Kenny Edwards suggested it to her. She first included it in her setlist while opening for Neil Young. Ronstadt gave this early televised performance of "You're No Good" on an episode of The Midnight Special which was broadcast December 21, 1973.
SUZI QUATRO
The credits show this track to have Suzi on lead vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar, congas, and as a writer! Various international versions of the album, If You Knew Suzi... contained the Vanda and Young-penned song "Evie" instead of "Stumblin' In". When If You Knew Suzi... was re-released as a double album with the Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words album, both "Evie" and "Stumblin' In" were included.
PATTI SMITH
In 1979, "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" was recorded by The Patti Smith Group and released as the third single from their album Wave. The original was by The Byrds, but Patti's version comes with a big dose of raw energy and believability - just like Patti.
That's just a small sample fo the amazing hits on this Women of Rock playlist, check it out for yourself... and turn it up!
In our opinion, they've missed off quite a few legendary Aussies who we think deserve to be included, so we'll take the liberty of adding these two for good measure...
CHRISSY AMPHLETT (DIVINYLS)
Originally recorded by The Young Rascals in 1965, it wasn't until late 1992 that the Divinyls recorded the song for the soundtrack to the film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was also issued as the lead single from their second compilation album, The Collection. The single went to the top twenty in Oz (peaking at number nineteen), and spent sixteen weeks in the top fifty.
SUZE DEMARCHI (BABY ANIMALS)
Released in January 1992 as their fourth single from their debut studio album Baby Animals (1991) - which topped the Aussie charts for a staggering 16 weeks! This song peaked at #15 on the ARIA Chart, becoming the band's first top 20 single.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993, the song was nominated for Single of the Year and Song of the Year, but lost to "The Day You Went Away" by Wendy Matthews. The song earned Baby Animals a nomination for Best Group.
