1 min listen
Sad Ass Songs
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Length:
58 minutes
Released:
Oct 15, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
We begin with a simple question: How did the queen of the boob joke become a feminist icon? Helen Morales, author of “Pilgrimage to Dollywood,” gave us a stern directive – look at the lyrics! So we dive into Dolly’s discography, starting with the early period of what Dolly calls “sad ass songs” to find remarkably prescient words of female pain, slut-shaming, domestic violence, and women being locked away in asylums by cheating husbands. We explore how Dolly took the centuries-old tradition of the Appalachian “murder ballad”—an oral tradition of men singing songs about brutally killing women—and flipped the script, singing from the woman’s point of view. And as her career progresses, the songs expand beyond the pain to tell tales of leaving abuse behind.
How can such pro-woman lyrics come from someone who despises the word feminism? Dolly explains.
How can such pro-woman lyrics come from someone who despises the word feminism? Dolly explains.
Released:
Oct 15, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (13)
Dolly Parton's America Trailer: In this intensely divided moment, one of the few things everyone still seems to agree on is Dolly Parton—but why? That simple question leads to a deeply personal, historical, and musical rethinking of one of America’s great icons. by Dolly Parton's America