You Don T Own Me Analysis

“My fear now is of cliché, of complacency, of not being able to feel authenticity in myself and those around me” - John Hawkes

The 1960’s were a time of multiple revolutions in this country. The culture explosion that came about in the 60’s was nothing short of utter enjoyment. This culture explosion gave headway into other revolutions such as feminism, the sexual revolution and even the coined term black power. The music that came out of this era allowed this country to develop in a somewhat unconventional but mostly the American way. Music in this era played an even more significant role in politics than it has ever had in histories past.

This era of the 60’s was being fueled by robust political views on war and the eminent danger that can and would arise if the Cold War actually became full blown combat as opposed to its propagated tension that was going off on all cylinders between America and the Soviet Union. In addition, the continued

Leslie Gore was a great advocate for these movements with her hit single “You Don’t Own Me”. To be honest this whole song has a very strong and repetitive message and that is “ I don’t tell you what to do/I don’t tell you what to say” this is an out cry for equality in the relationship between a woman and a man at the time. In todays age it would still mean the same thing regardless of the gender that the relationships are comprised of. Another important piece of this song is essentially what the title says “ You Don’t Own Me.” This simple line right here means so much. I means that the person saying this is looking to be their own person, and will not have you controlling their thoughts, or forcing them to be like other people. They want to have a meaningful identity. They want authenticity to be entailed to their name, and to everything around them. They want people to see them, for who they are, a person who has their own ideas that are useful. They want to be new and fresh, they want to be above all respected