Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Seven ‘90s “Girl Power” Jams to Empower You Today


Last week, girl group the Spice Girls announced that they would be reuniting for a UK tour. Geri Halliwell Horner (Ginger Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice) and Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) will embark on the 11-date tour sans Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), who declined to participate in the reunion. While no US dates have been announced, the news comes as a revival of 90s nostalgia and “girl power” continues to take hold of our collective culture.

Bursting out of the male-dominated grunge and punk era, the 1990s were full of female musicians who had something to say. Girl groups and pop princesses began dominating the airwaves by the end of the decade. And tours like Lilith Fair gave rise to a number of powerful female voices in rock.

In honor of the Spice Girls spicing up our lives once again, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look back at some of the 1990s’ most empowering “girl power” anthems. Here are seven whose messages are as relevant as ever.


1.       Spice Girls, “Wannabe”: Practically the inventors of the “Girl Power” “brand,” obviously any of the Spice Girls’ songs could lead off this list. But “Wannabe” was the group’s first massive single and really got the world taking notice. Not only is the song fun and energetic, but its message that friendship is more important than any man is a bold statement that really sums up the “Girl Power” movement and is still relevant today. (video)

2.       Destiny’s Child, “Independent Women, Pt. 1”: Destiny’s Child has had a wealth of songs promoting self-sufficiency, and none were as poignant as their hit “Independent Women, Pt. 1.” Released on the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ soundtrack, the song celebrates women who only depend on themselves for their success. (video)

3.       TLC, “No Scrubs”: TLC are another girl group whose songs dealt with a lot of important matters, from sex to self-worth. However, “No Scrubs” was more about self respect and not supporting undeserving men. The song clearly describes the kind of people the singers don’t want to associate themselves with and then puts them on blast for the world to take notice. (video)

4.       No Doubt, “Just A Girl”: Not only were the 1990s a big time for pop princesses and girl groups, it was also a time where women were making their mark on rock too. No Doubt was one of the most popular of these groups and their breakout single “Just A Girl” proved that they were here to stay. The song mocks the way culture teaches us to shelter women, criticizing everything from the way they expect them to act to the way they expect them to look. Gwen Stefani declares that she’s “had it up to here” because she’s more than your “typical prototype.” (video)

5.       Britney Spears, “Stronger”: Britney Spears really started to come into her own with her sophomore album, ‘Opps!... I Did It Again.’ The album’s second single “Stronger” was proof of this, making the powerful declaration that she is no longer dependent on a man to make her feel strong. The song proudly states that everything she does will be done “her way” and turns around a line from debut single “Baby One More Time,” saying her “loneliness ain’t killing me no more.” (video)

6.       Meredith Brooks, “B****”: Meredith Brooks’ only hit, “B****” made it clear that women are complex. Par the song’s lyrics, women can be many things all at once without having to feel shame for it. And like her, we “wouldn’t want it any other way.” (video)

7.       Christina Aguilera, “Beautiful”: During every period of her music career, Christina Aguilera has tried to come up with at least one powerful song to empower her young female audience. I could have mentioned “Fighter” or “The Voice Within” or even a handful of songs from her latest album, but “Beautiful” is one of those songs that really made an impact when it came out. The song reminds not just women but everyone that they are beautiful despite what people might say about them. Her refrain of “words won’t bring me down / so don’t you bring me down today” is an important message to anyone who is being bullied that the bully’s words don’t matter because beauty comes from within. (video)


In the 1990s, the Spice Girls helped usher in a new era of “girl power.” Throughout the decade, many female artists dominated the charts with empowering tracks (like the ones above) about being strong and being your own person. With the political atmosphere the way it is today, perhaps the Spice Girls reunion is just the kind of “girl power” boost we need right now.

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Find music from these empowered artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a wide variety of genres. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

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