About the Show
For more than the first half of the last century, the voice of women in Top-40 popular music has been one of neediness and dependency. I'll do anything for you; just be my baby, even if you're no good and treat me bad; just LOVE me and I'll stand by my man. By the end of the century, things were quite different. Popular music had come far enough so that women looked for the hero within themselves, were urged to get on their feet and make it happen, ready to stand on her own with or without a man. Messages encompassed "I am woman-hear me roar," to "I will survive" and encouraged women to find their own dreams.
Vanderbilt professor Dr. Dorothy Marcic created the show based on her book, RESPECT: Women and Popular Music, where she analyzed all Top-40 female song lyrics since 1900. Recent feedback from audience members includes: "Your show is one of the best things I have ever seen, period." -Shawn Johnson, Kansas City. "This was one of the most inspiring performances I have attended in my life."-Vladimir Brajkovic, Melbourne, Australia; "It was the musical history of MY life," Sheri Bewitt, Orlando.
Join us for the journey of women from codependence to independence – from "Someone To Watch Over Me" to "I Will Survive." See the progress of women from property of their husbands to presidents of countries in the 20th century – hear it through a dramatic musical presentation.