Back in August 2018, this site published a list of 10 topical tunes dealing with women’s reproductive rights. That was around the time that Argentina voted against legalizing abortion. There were also concerns that potential shifts in the US Supreme Court could lead to Roe v. Wade being overturned. With those concerns recently manifesting themselves, this seems an apt time to consider 10 additional songs which address the subject. The list features artists that weren’t included in the previous list (with one exception to an artist who was a primary artist on the previous list, and a featured artist on this list). The list is presented in chronological order.
Abortion Song – The New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band
The New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band and their Chicago counterpart were formed to challenge the misogyny propagated by a male-dominated rock industry. This pro-choice anthem was recorded prior to Roe v. Wade and appeared on their 1972 split album with The Chicago Women’s Liberation Rock Band, Mountain Moving Day. Lyrics such as “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” have regained renewed resonance with current developments.
Nine Month Blues – Peggy Seeger
The veteran singer-songwriter is no stranger to penning socially conscious tunes. On a couple of occasions, she has been specifically requested to compose a pro-choice tune on behalf of the NARAL. One example of this is this song which appears on her 1979 album Different Therefore Equal. The lyrics address the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy and oppressive attitudes that infringes on a women’s right to choose.
Aaah D Yaaa – The Goats
This song is off the 1992 debut album Tricks of the Shade, an overlooked gem by the alternative hip-hop trio The Goats. The album is a concept album involving two characters Chicken Little and Hangerhead, who make their way through Uncle Scam’s Federally Funded Welfare & Freakshow to search for their mom, who was jailed for attempting an illegal abortion. This tune in particular tackles pro-life hypocrisy,
Keep Ya Head Up – 2Pac
At times rap music has faced accusations of blatant misogyny (a charge that was also levied against 2Pac). This particular song off 2Pac’s 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z… is a powerful tune that fights against those attitudes. It also contains a succinct lyric on the subject of women’s reproductive rights “And since a man can’t make one. He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one.”
Pussy Kills – Rocky Rivera
This potent tune by journalist and rapper Rocky Rivera appears on her 2015 album Nom de Guerre. Lyrics such as “Politicians pass law with my pussy on they mind. They can never handle what it takes to give birth. Say my pussy’s weak, try to claim it as they turf” take on renewed relevance. It also takes aim at religion for the influence they yield on oppressive laws: “If religion is the reason, you should pray between my thighs.”
Bye Bye Baby – Noname
This poignant tune is off the rapper and activist’s 2016 debut mixtape Telefone. She has made the following statement concerning the motivation behind the song:
“What I tried to do is make a love song for them. I feel like whenever I hear people talking about abortion, they typically take the love out of it, as if it can never be a loving act — as if it’s only done out of hate or desperation. I know women who have gone through that experience. And there hasn’t been like, a song for them, or a moment of catharsis and healing for them in music. That shit was just important to me as a woman, as someone who cares about these women.”
Voicemail For Jill – Amanda Palmer
This tune off Palmer’s 2019 album There Will Be No Intermission was a collaborative effort where she reached out to her Patreon patrons and asked them what message would they leave a loved one who was having an abortion. She also inquire about those who had abortions to see what messages they would’ve liked to receive.
Our Problem (featuring Angie Stone, Cyndi Lauper, K. Flay, Lilly Hiatt, Linda Perry, Morgane Stapleton, Nona Hendryx, Peaches, Valerie June) – Amanda Shires
Originally released in 2020 as a duet with her husband Jason Isbell under the title “The Problem”. This revamped version of the pro-choice tune features a stunning array of notable woman artists. It was appropriately released on January 22, 2021, to commemorate the 48 anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.
Shires composed the song a couple of years prior to recording and releasing it. She mentioned the motivation of why: “Some of the reason [“The Problem”] is only coming out now is fear on my part, and I’ll admit that. It’s an often-times divisive topic, and I don’t want to bring any hurt to my family by doing something like putting out a song about this topic, but I lost all that fear when I got angry. Then I’m like, ‘This is coming out now.’”
There are even more reasons to be angry now.
I Am Jane Roe (featuring Aima The Dreamer and Ryan Nicole) – Coco Peila
This alternative hip-hop tune was appropriately released the same day that Roe v. Wade was overruled. The lyrics take aim at both political and religious hypocrites. This anthemic banger is a galvanizing example of musical activism.
Baby, I Had an Abortion – Petrol Girls
This tune appeared on the UK feminist punk band’s latest album Baby which was also released on the same day that Roe v. Wade was overruled. Fittingly the band’s name is derived from Les Pétroleuses, a Paris-based 1800s revolutionary group of working-class women.
Below is a Spotify list featuring tunes about Women’s Reproductive Rights. It includes songs from the two lists posted here, along with a few others.