**MIXTAPE ALERT** Girls Names

50s Musicians

There are exactly 200,153 songs about girls names and that's a fact I mean don't research it, don't look it up, you can't find it on wikipedia but it's true...ish. Whatever the actual statistic is I know it's pretty high.

Call me a feminazi but I find that many songs about women written by men tend to fall into two camps. Women are either portrayed as either the temptress seducing a guy or the angel who can do no wrong. This can be a little tiresome for this blogger who just wants to get through listening to one song without being told she's a wanton woman.

It becomes more interesting when women write songs about other women as it allows a more honest depiction of femininity and womanhood.

The Raincoats cover of Lola brings the song into a whole new territory that The Kinks probably never even thought it could go and Patti Smith's classic Gloria becomes a moving declaration of womanhood every time she repeats those famous letters "G-L-O-R-I-A".

Feminist analysis aside these are all bloody good songs so enjoy and everyone sing in unison "GLORIA....".

Tracklisting:
1. Gloria- Patti Smith
2. Lucille- She Keeps Bees
3. Clara Bow- 50 Foot Wave
4. Valerie- Amy Winehouse
5. Angelene- PJ Harvey
6. Oh Marie- Ladyfuzz
7. Samantha- Hole
8. Lola- The Raincoats
9. Prescilla- Bat For Lashes
10. Anne- Santigold
11. Mary Ann- Regina Spektor
12. Oh Serena- The Distilllers
13. Headache For Michelle- Au Pairs
14. Erica Kane- Aaliyah
15. Hedi's Head- Kleenex
16. Polly- Long Blondes
17. Jenny- Sleater-Kinney

**MIXTAPE ALERT** Don't You Wish You Never Met Her

Yes February is the month when everyone truly loses their minds and starts humping the nearest lamppost confusing the soulless act with love (I'm bitter).

Since this month will be filled with sickly sweet valentines mixtapes, eurgggh (I'm VERY bitter), I thought I'd give my own take on love and offer up a mixtape of what I believe to be the most creepy, obsessive love songs around.

This really is an excuse for me to play loads of PJ Harvey and 60s girl groups since they were the ones who did crazy, obsessive love songs best.

Some songs may not seem that strange at first but sometimes you have to use your imagination a little for example if you imagine that Mary Wells' 'guy' doesn't actually know she exists then the song starts to sound proper creepy.

Don't You Wish You Never Met Her Mixtape
1. Rid Of Me- PJ Harvey
2. My Guy- Mary Wells
3. You Keep Me Hangin' On- The Supremes
4. Golden Thing- Throwing Muses
5. A Fool In Love- Ike and Tina Turner
6. He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)- The Crystals
7. Legs- PJ Harvey
8. Me & Her- Heavens To Betsy
9. P.R.D.C.T- Bratmobile
10. Nowhere To Run- Martha and the Vandellas
11. Some Unholy War- Amy Winehouse
12. I Just Love You More- Kate Nash

**MIXTAPE ALERT** Bad Girls Go Everywhere

For this month's mixtape I wanted to pay homage to the girls that are immensely braver than me.

At some point in our life us women need to be hard, we need to be strong we need to be bitches and not give a hoot.

Remember if you're being called a bitch, a slut or a whore it's just because you're saying something people don't want to hear so say it louder.

This is for all the girls that say it loud and proud.

Tracklisting:
1. Bad Reputation- Joan Jett
2. Hard- Rihanna
3. Brat Girl- Bratmobile
4. Cherry Bomb- Runaways
5. Teenage Whore- Hole
6. You Know I'm No Good- Amy Winehouse
7. Bad Girls- Donna Summer
8. O Chenilla- Cadallaca
9. My Alcoholic Friends- Dresden Dolls
10. Hella Nervous- Gravy Train
11. Jail La La- Dum Dum Girls

*MIXTAPE ALERT* Best of the Noughties

This should have been published awhile ago, technically last year, but who cares since when were there rules for this end of the year lists. Who says they actually have to be made at the end of the year.

Here my recap of the last decade in music.  I think it's been a good'un myself.

1. Fuck The Pain Away- Peaches

2. Big Exit- PJ Harvey
3. Bootylicious- Destiny's Child
4. Keep on' Livin- Le Tigre
5. Combat Rock- Sleater-Kinney
6. Crazy in Love- Beyonce
7. Maps- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
8. TKO- Le Tigre
9. The Beer- Kimya Dawson
10. The Fox- Sleater-Kinney
11. Single Again- The Fiery Furnaces
12. Back to Black- Amy Winehouse
13. Lust in the Movies- The Long Blondes
14. Declare Independence- Bjork
15. Paper Planes- M.I.A
16. Animal Imagination- Glass Candy
17. Where Do You Run To- Vivian Girls
18. Transformer- Marnie Stern
19. Golden Phone- Micachu
20. Shelter- The xx
21. Zero- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

**Girls of the Decade**

I've neglected doing this post for nearly a month now mainly because I felt my list was pretty predictable to anyone that's seen a post or two on this blog, but who cares I'll put it up anyway and if you think it's predictable you can tell me. I won't cry.

The rules of this list, yes there are rules, are that those featured have to have come to prominence in the last decade and they must have had a lasting effect on the world, or at least enough of an effect that it can be explained in written form.

Now that everything been explained let's get started...

Beyonce

I've loved Beyonce since I was shy little tween, this was before tween was a real word. I'm counting B in this list because she became a super influential star when she went solo.  For all her faults, the separation of Beyonce and Sasha Fierce to name a few, she is probably the greatest pop star of her generation and one that can wiggle her crotch at you without looking too dirty.  To quote the great Kanye West "Beyonce had one of the greatest videos of all time."

M.I.A

I previously discussed my annoyance with how criminally underrated M.I.A is and I'll say it again M.I.A is criminally underrated. 'Kala' was the stand out album of the last few years and saw Maya take over the world with her genre-bending, top tapping, worldtown beats.  She has sung about her feminist beliefs previously and has discussed her feelings to the haters who put her down.  M.I.A is the most aggressively political rapper out there who has not resided to rest on her talented laurels as many others have. She can do no wrong in my eyes.

Karen O

Karen O was my first love. I ignored all the spot ridden boys and focused all my shrinking violet energy onto Karen.  Her semi-violent, colourful outbursts turned my grey mundane life into array of colours.  Not only is she one of the best performers around today but she's also in an ever evolving, charismatic, super band. 

Lady Gaga

I've tried my hardest to figure out this girl.  She is a mass of contradictions. In a way she is an amazing pop star what with the stage costumes, grandiose performances and catchy tunes but she also lets us down sometimes.  Her shaky ideas of feminism and her reliance on sexuality make me slightly wary of her but she has still made an amazing impact on music in 2009 and for that reason deserves to be on this list.

Peaches

Peaches is a true artist of the noughties. She came into our lives in 2000 like a filthy storm and blew us away with the cult hit 'Fuck the Pain Away'. More than just a one hit wonder she has stayed around the whole decade to entertain us with her sex-crazed, fun filled spectacular shows.

Beth Ditto

Beth is probably the woman who sums up this decade. To compensate for our society's sick obsession with thin women we developed a sick obsession with supposed 'real women'. This led to a sick obsession with one larger woman named Beth Ditto. The constant tabloid obsession would have destroyed a lesser woman but not Beth.  She has enough charm, personality and talent to brave the tabloid storm for now and probably another decade as well.

**UNDER COVER** I'm Just About To Lose My Mind