Song 1: Cause I’m a Man by Tame Impala

This song and its psychedelic, melodic, and entrancing nature hides its clear meaning as a protest against misogyny and sexism. However, when you read the lyrics: it is a self deprecation piece by Kevin Parker, concerning the typical selfish tendencies of men that they blindly allow to affect women. The issue that is brought up here is how men refuse to correct actions that women would get scrutinized for. An example in the lyrics:

“‘Cause I’m a man, womanDon’t always think before I do‘Cause I’m a man, womanThat’s the only answer I’ve got for you”

Kevin Parker details that he has hurt a woman, but is making excuses instead of being apologetic, cannot let his weakness show because his masculinity will be hurt. And when she asks him why he hurt her, all he can say is he’s a man and he just bulldozes through life using that a cop out for his wrongdoings. Interestingly, in the last lyric, he admits that as a man afraid of admitting his wrongs: that he is not as strong as the woman he is singing to. The underlying distinction that Kevin outlines here is that men and women will never have a full understanding of each other, and most men will put in less work than women will to come to a mutual comprehension. To me personally, this is a very prevalent issue in my life that I am very preachy about to my peers. Especially at this age, men are given way more slack on behaving like an adult, under the guise of “boys will be boys” mentality in society. As a woman, it is tiring to work around the clock dealing with my own issues from men being naive or disrespectful towards me or my friends. Sexism in today’s society is extremely prevalent, and it is one of my more passionate subjects to argue for women who’s voices are stifled by men. I feel I have a lot to work with with this song: a man admitting his issues with toxic masculinity, and blissfully giving up on self improvement… which is a phenomenon that is typically only addressed by the women who are affected by it.

Song 2: Money by Pink Floyd

My second choice is a song that is from 1973, and has been a huge part of my life, as my dad played it for me growing up frequently. As I got older, I realized the lyrics were poking at the issue of “money can’t buy happiness,” which is how I thought of this song as an option for this project. The song has a cheery tune, repetition, and a guitar solo that is so memorable. However, the lyrics are discussing the issue in society with greed, selfishness, and how money can turn a good person into a monster if they are not aware of how it can be evil. As the song progresses, the desire for more material things grows, until abruptly it is stated

“MoneyIt’s a crimeShare it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pieMoneySo they sayIs the root of all evil today”

I feel like this issue has only gotten worse in 2023, meaning the lyrics aged well, which is an interesting way to frame the podcast if I chose this song. Additionally, there are many elements of the song that are sung in ways that draw attention to the lyrics, but instrumentals that distract: this feels intentional due to the subject matter being about how earning money can make a person stray from their values.