You Don't Own Me



You Go Girl

You Don't Own Me ft. G-Eazy by Grace

"It's an old song that was one of my sisters favorites. Now on Suicide Squad soundtrack, and Bella introduced it to me. I like this version a lot."

This track was originally written by John Madara and David White and recorded for the first time all the way back in 1963 by Lesley Gore (x). That version actually has a pretty modern vibe, in my opinion. It has a sort of...horror film feel to it? And that makes it sound like its a 21st century attempt at recreating the '60s style when in reality it's legitimate '60s music.

Gore was quite young when she recorded it, but she had a good grasp on her "indelibly defiant" spirit:

My take on the song was: I'm 17, what a wonderful thing, to stand up on a stage and shake your finger at people and sing you don't own me. (source)

 Apparently this song, which was #2 behind The Beatles' I Wanna Hold Your Hand for three consecutive weeks, was so popular and empowering among young women at the time that the lyrics "are sometimes cited as a factor in second wave feminist movement" (x).

In a somewhat strange series of events, Grace's version of this song was released precisely one month after Lesley Gore's death in 2015.

That's either very sad (if Gore knew about Grace's plans and died before they could come to fruition) or very impressive (if Grace decided to pay homage to Gore by creating her own arrangement, collaborating with G-Eazy, and recording the track in just one month).

I think it's a very fair adaptation that is true to the original both in sound and in spirit.

Grace's version keeps the haunting atmosphere of Gore's recording, but it adds some electronic noises and, most notably, introduces rap sections. It effectively modernizes the track, and it maintains the message that girls rule.

Overview:

Genre:
Hip-Hop / Soul / R&B

Favorite Lyrics:
So just let me be myself,
that's all I ask of you.

Verdict:
love the music and the lyrics - amazing