What Happens When Two Female Artists Mix the Songs “Blurred Lines” With “Rape Me”?
When I heard Amanda Palmer and Reb Fountain’s mash-up of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Rape Me” by Nirvana I was stunned into silence. It is raw, cathartic, and deeply revealing about the music we currently call popular, but who were these women?
Amanda Palmer is a performance artist, author, and musician, most widely known for being one half of The Dresden Dolls, a cabaret punk style band. Reb Fountain by comparison is ‘new’ to the music world only releasing her first album in 2020. What these women share is an emotive, unflinchingly direct way of calling out the world as they see it in their music, and refusing to go quietly. Becoming friends and later finding out they were cousins, Amanda was asked to cover a traditionally sexist song for the DoReMeToo fundraiser and knew straight away that Reb was the one to do it with. With just a piano and two incredible voices, they pressed record.
Without the catchy pop tune to disguise it, “Blurred Lines” was stripped down to its disturbing reality, and when placed into an almost dialogue with Cobain’s words in response the stark message we are popularising is like a shard of glass.
Whether it was a clumsy and triggering attempt at an anti-rape anthem or an attack on the media and music industries' treatment of Cobain at that time is irrelevant. Listening to “Rape Me” was never easy and its meaning was interpreted by most as a direct and defiant taunt to attackers everywhere.
“Blurred Lines” however was just another pop song. Yet even the title of the song alludes to the blurring of the boundary lines for some men when a woman says no.
Does silent actually mean consent and does ‘no’ really mean ‘yes’?
If your opinion was informed by this song you would believe that it does. The message of the lyrics suggests that if a women were to respond to a man’s advances with disinterest or disdain, it’s just part of a bigger game. One in which she is putting on a ‘good girl’ performance, just ready and waiting for him to release the bad girl underneath.
He’ll show you what you really want, what all women want.
How often do we sing along to snippets of songs without thinking?
We know that there might be words we would normally disapprove of and never say, or suggestions that we don’t agree with, but we don’t switch off. Instead, we sing along without listening to the dangerous misogyny we are repeating and making socially acceptable.
The interesting part for me is that Nirvana’s “Rape Me” was the only one of these songs to court controversy over its lyrics. Why is it that we are so ready to turn a blind eye to popular music that perpetuates terrible messages to our young people, especially when it is wrapped up and packaged in a nice ‘pop’ music bow? I also have to wonder, how these two songs would have been originally received if sung by women.
Why is it that we are so ready to turn a blind eye to popular music that perpetuates terrible messages to our young people, especially when it is wrapped up and packaged in a nice ‘pop’ music bow?
Maybe take a minute to read the lyrics to “Blurred Lines” below after listening to the Amanda Palmer and Reb Fountain version. You can’t un-hear their emphasis. Perhaps we should all be a little more careful with the words we repeat or accept as entertainment.
“Blurred Lines”
Everybody get up
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey (Uh)
Hey, hey, hey (Ha-ha!) (Woo!)
Tune me up
If you can’t hear what I’m trying to say (Hey girl, come here!)
If you can’t read from the same page (Hey)
Maybe I’m going deaf (Hey, hey, hey)
Maybe I’m going blind (Hey, hey, hey)
Maybe I’m out of my mind, mind (Hey, hey, hey)
Okay, now he was close
Tried to domesticate you
But you’re an animal
Baby, it’s in your nature (Meow)
Just let me liberate you (Hey, hey, hey)
You don’t need no takers (Hey, hey, hey)
That man is not your maker (Hey, hey, hey)
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl (Everybody get up)
I know you want it (Hey)
I know you want it
I know you want it
You’re a good girl (Hey, hey)
Can’t let it get past me (Oh yeah)
You’re far from plastic (Alright)
Talkin’ ‘bout getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines
I know you want it (Hey)
I know you want it (Oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah)
I know you want it
But you’re a good girl (Ah, hey)
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty (Ah, hey, hey)
Go ahead, get at me (Everybody get up) (Come on!)
What do they make dreams for
When you got them jeans on? (Why?)
What do we need steam for?
You the hottest bitch in this place
I feel so lucky (Hey, hey, hey)
You wanna hug me (Hey, hey, hey)
What rhymes with hug me? (Hey, hey, hey)
Hey! (Everybody get up)
Okay, now he was close
Tried to domesticate you
But you’re an animal
Baby, it’s in your nature (Uh-huh)
Just let me liberate you (Hey, hey, hey) (Uh-huh)
You don’t need no takers (Hey, hey, hey) (Uh-huh)
That man is not your maker (Hey, hey, hey) (Uh-huh)
And that’s why I’m gon’ take a good girl (Everybody get up)
I know you want it
I know you want it (Hey)
I know you want it
You’re a good girl
Can’t let it get past me (Hey)
You’re far from plastic (Oh)
Talkin’ ‘bout getting blasted (Everybody get up)
I hate these blurred lines (Hate them lines)
I know you want it (I hate them lines)
I know you want it (I hate them lines)
I know you want it
But you’re a good girl (Good girl)
The way you grab me (Hustle Gang, homie)
Must wanna get nasty (Let go) (I say Rob)
Go ahead, get at me (Let me holla at ’em real quick)
One thing I ask of you
Let me be the one you back that ass up to (Come on!)
Go from Malibu to Paris, boo (Yeah)
Had a bitch, but she ain’t bad as you (Uh-uh, ayy)
So, hit me up when you pass through (Oh)
I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two
Swag on ’em even when you dress casual
I mean, it’s almost unbearable (Hey, hey, hey!) (Everybody get up)
In a hundred years not dare would I
Pull a Pharcyde, let you pass me by
Nothin’ like your last guy, he too square for you
He don’t smack that ass and pull your hair like that (You like it)
So I’m just watchin’ and waitin’
For you to salute the true big pimpin’
Not many women can refuse this pimpin’
I’m a nice guy, but don’t get it confused, get pimpin’ (Everybody get up)
Shake your rump
Get down, get up
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt
What, you don’t like work?
Hey! (Everybody get up)
Baby, can you breathe?
I got this from Jamaica
It always works for me
Dakota to Decatur (Uh-huh)
No more pretending (Hey, hey, hey) (Uh-huh)
’Cause now you’re winning (Hey, hey, hey) (Uh-huh)
Here’s our beginning (Hey, hey, hey) (Uh-huh)
I always wanted
You’re a good girl (Everybody get up)
I know you want it (Hey)
I know you want it
I know you want it
You’re a good girl
Can’t let it get past me (Oh yeah)
You’re far from plastic (Alright)
Talkin’ ‘bout getting blasted
I hate these blurred lines (Everybody get up)
I know you want it (Hey)
I know you want it (Oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah-yeah)
I know you want it
But you’re a good girl (Ah, hey)
The way you grab me
Must wanna get nasty (Ah, hey, hey)
Go ahead, get at me
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey
Songwriters: Clifford Harris, Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke