YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 166 (Women In Rock)
(Originally finalized on November 1, 2025)
Preface: My last (and probably final) edition of Band Connections (dedicated to The Runaways) has whet my appetite for this theme - a tribute to the most notable women of the classic rock era. The only reason I've sat on it this long is because there aren't a whole lot of prominent examples of women in straight-up rock music (as opposed to pop or other genres) back in the '60s and '70s (which is why we'll be dipping our toes into the '80s). It's unfortunate - and the situation has definitely improved over the past 50+ years - but that's just the way it was back then.
Monday: Jefferson Airplane - Somebody To Love [Surrealistic Pillow, 1967]
Comments: Our earliest entry this week takes us back to San Francisco for the psychedelic sixties. Comprised of various singers and songwriters, Jefferson Airplane always planned to feature one female singer. But when their first choice - Signe Anderson - quit the band after having a child, they recruited Grace Slick to fill her shoes. She brought two songs with her from her previous band, The Great Society - this one, and White Rabbit. When she recorded them with Jefferson Airplane for their sophomore album, it gave the band their all-time biggest hits.
Tuesday: Janis Joplin - Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) [I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama, 1969]
Comments: No talk of female rock stars is complete without mentioning powerhouse vocalist Janis Joplin, whose impassioned style of singing positively oozed blues and soul. Born in Texas, she relocated to San Francisco and joined the psychedelic scene, debuting with the band Big Brother & The Holding Company, before transitioning to a solo career that was cut short by her tragic, drug-related death.
Wednesday: Heart - Straight On [Dog & Butterfly, 1978]
Comments: Formed in Seattle, Heart really is a unique band in the classic rock genre. Not only does it feature a female singer, but it has a female guitarist, too - and they're sisters! My only complaint is the disappointment I felt when I realized that the person who plays lead electric guitar is a man... But, to their credit, Ann and Nancy Wilson do a lot of the band's songwriting; so you definitely can't accuse them of being a novelty act.
Thursday: Patti Smith Group - Because The Night [Easter, 1978]
Comments: Emerging from the punk rock movement in mid-'70s New York City, Patti Smith is credited with being an inspiration to the likes of such notable female artists as Courtney Love, Shirley Manson (of Garbage, whom we heard during my diversion into the nineties), and even Madonna! Among the things I'm just now learning is the fact that she nearly became the singer for Blue Oyster Cult, and wrote for Rolling Stone and Creem magazines. Co-written by Bruce Springsteen, Because The Night became her biggest hit, and I'll be damned if it isn't a banger.
Friday: Joan Jett - Bad Reputation [Bad Reputation, 1981]
Comments: Also riding the wave of punk rock into the early '80s, our next artist needs no introduction. As we learned on Band Connections, the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll debuted as a teenager in The Runaways. When that band fizzled out, she soldiered on, determined to make a name for herself in the music world. When her independently produced self-titled debut album was rejected by all the major labels, she formed her own record label and just distributed it herself! A year later it was re-released, and named for what has become one of Joan Jett's signature tunes.
Saturday: Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot [Crimes of Passion, 1980]
Comments: As far as female rock stars from the '80s go, Joan Jett had some competition from Pat Benatar, who would seem to occupy a similar niche, albeit leaning a little more towards polished pop than gritty punk. As such, it could be argued that she had a little more mainstream success. Recorded for her best-selling sophomore album, Hit Me With Your Best Shot was Pat Benatar's first top 10 hit single (outside of Canada).
Sunday: Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen [Bella Donna, 1981]
Comments: If you were disappointed when I opted not to use this song to represent seventeen during The Teenage Years, now is finally your time of retribution! I wanted to share a Fleetwood Mac song, but the Buckingham-Nicks era of the band was characterized by a much softer sound, and anyway their songs are spread between at least two other singers (namely Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie). So this was the best choice in the end.
Honorable Mention: The Runaways - Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin [Queens of Noise, 1977]
Comments: Why have The Runaways been relegated to the Honorable Mention slot? Well, I didn't want this theme to play out too similarly to their episode of Band Connections. I opted to include Joan Jett above because she was the most prominent artist to graduate from that band into the mainstream. I'd never even heard of The Runaways until the movie came out. I also considered sharing another Suzi Quatro song, but again, I've never heard any of her songs on the radio. Also, you could argue that The Runaways were girls and not women, but now we're quibbling. :-p