Vinyl, Volume, and Vengeance: The Feminist Anthems of the ’70s
Part 4 of "From Suffragettes to Taylor Swift: The Feminist History of Protest Songs"
The 1970s gave us disco, bell bottoms, and some truly regrettable interior design choices (who let people put carpet in bathrooms?), but most importantly, the 1970s was the decade when women stopped asking nicely.
Feminist anthems of the ‘70s weren’t just catchy tunes to belt in the car. They were the soundtrack of a movement, a declaration of independence, middle fingers set to music, and, in some cases, a whole new way to piss off conservative men—which, let’s be honest, is a sport all on its own.
From folk ballads to funk grooves to full-throttle punk, women were making it clear that they weren’t going anywhere. These weren’t just songs to sing along to—they were anthems to fight to.
So grab your platform shoes, because we’re diving into the feminist bangers of the 1970s.
Olivia Records (1973)
You cannot talk about feminist music history without talking about Olivia Records—the first-ever women’s music label. Not just a record company run by women, but one that signed only female artists singing about women’s lives. And not just any women—lesbians who were tired of being ignored by the male-dominated music industry.
Olivia’s first release was a 45 featuring Meg Christian covering Carole King’s “Lady” on one side and Cris Williamson’s “If It Weren’t for the Music” on the other. It made $12,000, which they immediately reinvested to fund Christian’s first full-length album, I Know You Know.
By 1974, they had moved from Washington, D.C., to California, setting up shop in a more artist-friendly environment.
In 1977, when Anita Bryant launched her infamous “Save Our Children” anti-gay campaign, Olivia Records fought back the best way they knew how: with music.
They released Lesbian Concentrate, a mix of spoken word and women’s music. The title? A direct middle finger to Anita Bryant’s role as a spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission (because, you know, orange juice and lesbians are apparently mortal enemies).
Proceeds from the album were donated to the Lesbian Mothers National Defense Fund, because Olivia wasn’t just about making music—they were about protecting their community.
“I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy (1972)
I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
And no one's ever gonna keep me down again
This wasn’t just a song—it was a revolution with a backing track. Helen Reddy gave us the feminist anthem, and much like women trying to get equal pay, radio stations didn’t want to play it.
But women heard it anyway, and it hit HARD. The song shot to #1, and when Reddy won a Grammy, she thanked God—“because She makes everything possible.” Evangelicals nearly combusted on the spot.
I Am Woman became the unofficial theme song of every woman who had been mansplained to one too many times—so, literally all of us.
“The Pill” – Loretta Lynn (1975)
A country song about birth control? In 1975? Imagine the clutching of pearls.
Loretta Lynn, mother of six, had had it with men acting like contraception was a dirty word. The song was banned on country radio (because of course it was), but women loved it because it was real.
For rural women who weren’t getting their feminist news from Ms. Magazine, this song was a revelation—an anthem of autonomy. Also, can we talk about how badass Loretta was?
“I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor (1978)
On the surface, this was a disco breakup song. But women knew better. I Will Survive follows the legacy of the many post-divorce anthems about women’s empowerment that I’ve covered in previous sections of this series.
This was the post-divorce, post-patriarchy, post-BS anthem that transcended the dance floor. It was for every woman who had ever been told she wasn’t strong enough—and then proved everyone wrong.
Let’s be real: this song is still playing somewhere, right now, and someone is dramatically singing it with their whole soul. That’s power.
“Sister” – Cris Williamson (1975)
A little more underground, but no less iconic.
Williamson was part of the women’s music movement, which was all about female artists creating music by and for women—without record labels telling them to add more songs about heartbreak (yawn). She was also a visible lesbian activist during a period where gay activism was a lot less visible and mainstream.
Sister was a love letter to female solidarity, proving that feminism wasn’t just about fighting the patriarchy—it was about lifting each other up.
If I Am Woman was for marching in the streets, Sister was for sitting in a circle with your ride-or-dies and planning the overthrow of the system.
Which, I don’t know, seems topical currently for some reason.
“Abortion Song” – Chicago Women’s Liberation Rock Band (1972)
You think The Pill was bold? These women said, hold my beer.
I honestly had never heard of this group until I started doing research for this series. It’s now potentially part of my personality, so…
We've got to get together and fight.
They tell us to get married and have three or four kids.
Change the diapers, be a good wife.
But we will decide how many children to bear.
We've got to control our own life.
Abortion Song was exactly what it sounds like—a song about reproductive rights that didn’t pull a single punch. It was raw, it was loud, and it was absolutely necessary.
With Roe v. Wade (sigh) still under fire today, this song is proof that we’ve been fighting the same damn battle for decades.
Honestly their entire discography is kind of amazing, so here have another one.
“Bread and Roses” – Judy Collins (1976)
Ever been told you should be grateful just to have a job? That whole “you don’t need nice things, just survival” spiel? Yeah, women in the labor movement of the 1910s had heard enough of that, and they put it into a slogan: “We want bread, but we want roses too.”
Fast forward to 1976, and folk queen Judy Collins turned that phrase into a hauntingly beautiful anthem about the fight for fair wages AND a decent quality of life. Because, let’s be real—surviving isn’t enough, we want to thrive, dammit.
Women sang this song at protests, union meetings, and probably while rage-knitting scarves. And decades later? It’s still a reminder that women’s labor isn’t charity—it’s valuable.
“I’m Gonna Be an Engineer” – Peggy Seeger (1971)
If you’ve ever been told to “just be a lady” while watching a less-qualified man get a promotion, Peggy Seeger has a song for you.
I’m Gonna Be an Engineer is basically a musical takedown of every sexist expectation shoved down women’s throats from birth. The lyrics? A sarcastic, scathing, and deeply relatable account of how girls are taught to sit quietly, play nice, and definitely not have career ambitions—only to grow up and realize that, shocker, society was lying to them the whole damn time.
"No, you only need to learn to be a lady
The duty isn't yours for to try and run the world
An engineer could never have a baby
Remember, dear, that you're a girl"
She's smart...for a woman
I wonder how she got that way?
You get no choice, you get no voice
Just stay mum, pretend you're dumb
That's how you come to be a lady, today
Seeger, a folk singer and hardcore activist, wasn’t just complaining—she was calling out the entire system. She laid out how girls are funneled into “appropriate” roles (teaching, nursing, getting married and making babies), while boys get to be literally anything they want. And even if a woman does break into a male-dominated field (engineering, for example), she’s still expected to fetch coffee and smile through the condescension.
This song became an unofficial anthem for women in STEM before “women in STEM” was even a phrase. And decades later? It’s still painfully relevant.
“Typical Girls” – The Slits (1979)
Who invented the typical girl?
Who's bringing out the new improved model?
Ah there's another marketing ploy
Typical girl gets the typical boy
This song is pure punk rebellion.
The Slits, one of the first all-female punk bands, looked around at the BS expectations society had for women and said, “NOPE.”
Typical Girls is a sarcastic takedown of every stereotype shoved down women’s throats. This song didn’t just mock sexism—it absolutely body-slammed it into the ground.
“Oh Bondage Up Yours!” – X-Ray Spex (1977)
The first words of this song? “Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think… OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS!”
And with that, punk feminism was born.
Oh Bondage Up Yours! wasn’t just a song—it was a full-throttle sonic rebellion. X-Ray Spex, led by the inimitable Poly Styrene, smashed through punk’s boys’ club with a song that mocked the idea that women should be quiet, obedient, and grateful for their oppression.
X-Ray Spex, led by badass frontwoman Poly Styrene, made this song a battle cry for women who were tired of being told to sit still and be nice.
Poly Styrene herself was a revolutionary figure: a mixed-race, anti-fashion, braces-wearing, feminist frontwoman in a scene that didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for women of color. But did she let that stop her? Absolutely not.
This was feminism with a safety pin through its lip. And it was glorious.
The Final Mic Drop
These songs weren’t just good music—they were musical weapons in the fight against sexism. They called out the bullsh*t, mocked it, danced on its grave, and then handed the mic to the next generation.
So next time you need a musical pep talk, skip the sad love songs. Throw on one of these feminist anthems, crank the volume to maximum, and remember: the fight isn’t over.
And if anyone complains?
OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS! 🎤
Next up, the 1980s. Joan Jett, Dolly Parton, and a whole host of 80s feminism coming soon.