‘XPN’s Top Songs By Female Artists: Nathan Arizona’s Ballot

Filed in Arts and Entertainment by on November 3, 2023

“Based on some combination of ‘accomplishment,’ impact, historical significance and what I like.”-Nathan Arizona

10.

9.

 

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

About the Author ()

Comments (14)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. JJ says:
    November 3, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    Think, Aretha Franklin
    Respect, Aretha Franklin
    Angel from Montgomery, Bonnie Raitt
    Me and Bobby McGee, Janice Joplin
    Piece of My Heart, Big Brother and the Holding Company / Janice Joplin
    Chelsea Morning, Joni Mitchell
    Big Yellow Taxi, Joni Mitchell
    I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor
    Dreaming, Blondie
    Landslide, Fleetwood Mac
    Singers with sings that also very nearly made my cut:
    Laura Nyro
    Brandi Carlile (a few)
    Indigo Girls (like, half a dozen)
    The Pretenders (several)
    10,000 Maniacs (a few)
    Bjork/The Sugarcubes
    Ani DiFranco
    Singers on the initial brainstorming pile:
    Alabama Shakes
    Carole King
    Dolly Parton
    Norah Jones
    Diana Ross
    Sinead OConnor
    Heart
    The Carpenters
    Amy Winehouse
    Taylor Swift
    The Cranberries
    Melissa Etheridge
    Alanis Morrisette

  2. puck says:
    November 3, 2023 at 5:44 pm

    After Joni, there is Lucinda Williams. Anything from Car Wheels On A Gravel Road.

    Stone Poneys, Different Drum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9qsDgA1q8Y

    Concrete Blonde, Joey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdpTcvSn8HQ

    4 None Blondes, What’s Up

    And Carole King, of course! I came to appreciate her later in life.

  3. Arthur says:
    November 3, 2023 at 8:00 pm

    Not having Ella or Lady Day in the list seems to be negligent

  4. Mike Dinsmore says:
    November 3, 2023 at 9:30 pm

    So many women! So many great songs!

    Difficult to choose any top ten, but here are ten that I never get tired of:

    Sandy Denny: Who Knows Where the Time Goes
    Erika Lewis (Tuba Skinny): Broken Hearted Blues
    Norma Waterson: Black Muddy River
    Janis Joplin: Down on Me
    Cilla Fisher: The Jeannie C
    Joan Baez: Wild Mountain Thyme
    Emmylou Harris: Boulder to Birmingham
    Melanie Safka: Peace Will Come (And props to Miley Cyrus for the duet)
    Patti Smyth: The Warrior
    Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive
    Edith Piaf: Non, Je ne Regrette Pas

    Okay, that’s eleven, but I should add, anything by Judith Durham (The Seekers), or Mary Gauthier…

  5. KentCoKat says:
    November 3, 2023 at 9:50 pm

    I’m mostly a lurker here but I’ve bought new music based on El Som’s monthly top 10 and always learn something from Al’s song of the day — good stuff.

  6. La Somnambula says:
    November 4, 2023 at 10:35 am

    1. Hurray for the Riff Raff , the Body Electric
    2. Joseph, White Flag
    3. The Cranberries, Zombie
    4. Nina Simone, Sinnerman
    5. The Pretenders, Mystery Achievement
    6. Annie Lennox, Here Comes the Rain Again
    7. The Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian
    8. Tina Turner, Better Be Good to Me
    9. Billie Holliday, Strange Fruit
    10. Cass Elliot, Make Your Own Kind of Music

  7. nathan arizona says:
    November 4, 2023 at 11:39 am

    Agree that Ella Fitzgerald, Sara Vaughn etc. are among the great female artists. I figure a cut-off at about 1960 helps keep the pop/rock and jazz separate.

    Also, I’m not sure it’s clear what WXPN means by “great.”

  8. Mike Dinsmore says:
    November 4, 2023 at 6:49 pm

    Had to add this Tuba Skinny performance from Longwood Gardens a couple of summers ago:

    http://www.youtube.com//watch?v=ED-M1Agtrp8

    Erika Lewis has the most amazing voice for blues and New Orleans style jazz. I could listen to her singing the listings from the telephone book…if we still had telephone books!

    The rest of the band is pretty good, too!

«
»