C // Stay The Night // Zedd ft. Hayley Williams

"...it's about a breakup and about a couple spending their last night together although they both know it's not the right thing"  

It's actually unclear to me who wrote the lyrics. Zedd (Zaslavski) wrote the song, initially intending to have a male singer, but then sent it to Williams. She says she loved it and wanted to make sure it had words she wanted to sing. It's also unclear what singer/songwriter Carah Faye's credit is doing on the song. 

It only matters when we're trying to consider whether the song empowers women. I guess in this haze of who wrote what, it should be considered as gender-neutral. Therefore:

• Neither empowers nor disempowers women
• No name calling
• No real objectification
• I am fire gasoline, 
  Come pour yourself all over me
  We'll let this place go down in flames only one more time
  
  You kill the lights, I'll draw the blinds
  Don't dull the sparkle in your eyes
  I know that we were made to break
  So what? I don't mind
• Women in relation to man, if assuming heteronormativity, which is not specified. 

I'm basically going to give it the not about women grade of average. 

C // Pompeii // Bastille

Not about women

A // Team // Lorde

Team is a pretty positive jam. It seems to be just about growing up, being a normal teen from nowhere. She continues to critique shallow pop culture as she did in Royals. "I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air." Yes, aren't we all. Here comes the feminist run-down.

• No name calling
• Empowering women
• Look upon your greatness and she'll send the call out
• Not objectifying, maybe even speaking out against it?
• Call all the ladies out, they're in their finery
  A hundred jewels on throats
  A hundred jewels between teeth
• Not about women in relation to man. She does mention boys, but  the song is not about her in relation to them, it's about just being supportive of each other in general."We're on each other's team" is the phrase repeated over and over.
• Now bring my boys in, their skin in craters like the moon
  The moon we love like a brother, while he glows through the room

Well done. If it were just a little more obviously woman-positive, it might get the plus.

D // Drunk In Love // Beyonce ft Jay-Z

Tough one. lets get it out there from the top: this song is about sex. lots of it in all kinds a ways. that's pretty much all its about. but wait--the internet has made the point that despite references to ike turner and mike tyson (woo--beat that pussy up, yeah...awkwaaaard), this song is beyonce being a feminist. Partially by the virtue that they are in fact married. he is saying these things ON his wife's song. It's not like it's not consensual. There's been a lot already written about this. Most of the attention has been in dividing black from white feminists and some legitimate critique of the sometimes exclusionary view of mainstream feminism. But whether you think beyonce, in affirming her (married) sexuality, is promoting a certain kind of feminism, most people think Jay-Z went too far. What's up with that?!

As I have said many times before, I am not anti-sex, I am anti-objectification. Women are very capable of turning themselves into objects. The question is does this sexually or otherwise empower her, and us, or does it diminish her power? I mean, it's beyonce, that's a hard task. But by the end, who does it seem comes out on top? Beyonce? Jay? or both? Personally, I feel like both, but my hunch is that this would depend a lot on the context of the listener and their personal history.

She does call this her rebellion against perfection. And in her "Self-Titled" webisode, it has been noted that she seemed surprised by Jay's lyrics. But let's get down to the way this blog runs:

• No name calling. Jay does mention that she has been sayin she's the baddest bitch. But the bitch issue has already been cleared up. There is empowering bitch and mean bitch, and this is the good kind.
• Woman in relation to man. Yeah...and to her sexuality...but there's definitely some man going on here. 
• Objectification: This happens. I'm actually surprised there isn't more considering the sexual content. Well done. Though we do get quite a bit of info about Jay's penis.
• We sex again in the morning, your breastetests is my breakfast
  
• Can't keep your eyes off my fatty (her butt)
• Empowering? Well, this is the money question really. Would I want to sing this song with my husband. kinda? maybe in private? I dunno...Jay's verse does get in the way a bit. Maybe if she had come back with some Mary Todd Lincoln references...like if you dont use enough wood or bring the right kinda meat, ima throw a log at you, Abraham! (Don't know what I'm talking about? Just google women who beat their spouses.)

So I'm giving it a D. *shrug* Maybe that feels like a cop out, but it also feels right.