When I first learned about this project my first thought was I have no idea what I am going to do and I don’t know any protest or social justice related songs. As I started thinking more and more about it a few songs came to mind. Having the limit of the song having to be from the 2000s made finding a song for the podcast a bit more difficult. Once I did a bit more research and looked more into it the two songs I thought fit well for this are “Born This Way” by Lady GaGa and “If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce.

 

“Born This Way” by Lady GaGa is a song discussing the LGBTQ community and how everyone should embrace who they are. When you first listen to this song the beat of the music is very upbeat and catchy. It has a beat that you pick up right away and is an easy song to learn. Then as you focus more on the lyrics you can start to see how powerful the song is. The words she sings are super powerful as you start to pay more attention to the message she is giving. “Born This Way” wants you to express yourself for the way you were born and it doesn’t matter what you look like, what gender you are, what religion, etc. you should just embrace your natural self.

I think the delivery of the song adds so much to it. It makes you feel united with those around you and inspired because it encourages you to be yourself and not conform to the societal norms. I think this song would work well for the podcast. The topic is relevant and a big social justice issues. It can really be broken down in so many ways so it would be interesting to discuss in a podcast. People being able to express themselves for the way they are born is something many people are afraid to do because they feel as though they will be judge. Being able to discuss this song in more depth would help create a discussion about a topic that is often breezed over.

 

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce is a song about gender roles and the divide between male and female. The song demonstrates how woman sometimes think about what it would be like to be a guy because they feel like it would different and they would have more privilege. When you first hear “If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce and just listen to the music it sounds soulful and emotional. It gives off a sad vibe, not necessarily something you are going to jam to. When you just pay attention to the lyrics, you can see the passion behind them. They make you think more about this issue of gender roles and the stereotypes of males and females.

 

The delivery of the song very much matches the tone of the music, powerful and emotional. You feel empowered and feel more reflective on your own life. Having such long and high notes makes the song more exaggerated and leaving you feeling like you want to change something. This song I think would be good for the podcast because it is a topic that you can talk so much about. Gender roles and how males have so much more privileged than woman have. I think it would be a good conversation to have and discuss the song more in depth.

 

-Sophie