10 Great Songs About Female Rage

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Comfreak. (Unknown Year). Illuminated Matchstick. Freerange. Retrieved January 22, 2025. Link to Image.

“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Don't let the bastards grind you down.”
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

1. Labour

Paloma, P. (2024). Labour. [Song]. Cacophony. [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Note: This song contains references to suicide, self-harm, and domestic violence
Artist: Paris Paloma
Album: Cacophony

"Labour" is an indie-folk song from Paris Paloma about gender inequality, weaponized incompetence, and the unpaid labour of women. “Labour” went viral on social media within 24 hours of being released on 24 March 2023. It resonated with so many people it started an online trend where people began posting TikTok videos where they shared the song and spoke about their own personal experiences with unpaid physical and emotional labour. In an interview with NME Paloma said “When people listen to ‘Labour’, I want them to feel like their anger is valid." “Labour” perfectly describes how difficult it can be for a woman to be trapped in a relationship with a man who treats them badly. The first time I listened to this song I felt like I had just put my hand over an open flame. This song hits hard and is unapologetic about it with verses like “All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid / Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant” and “It’s not an act of love if you make her / You make me do too much labour.” I saw so many comments online from people who said that this song brought them to tears because it felt so true. “Labour” is a rallying call to women all around the world to stop managing the emotional and mental load in their relationships and to discard gender roles that tell them who they should be.

2. Swine

Lovato, D. (2023). Swine. [Song]. Swine [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Note : This song contains coarse language.
Artist: Demi Lovato
Album: Swine

“Swine” is a pop-punk protest song from singer Demi Lovato about reproductive rights for women. It was released on 22 June 2023 as a charity single two days before the one-year anniversary of the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in the United States of America. All of the profits raised from “Swine” were donated to the Demi Lovato Foundation’s Reproductive Justice Fund. The music video begins with Lovato leading a group of angry women to confront a tribunal of men in a scene that resembles the Salem Witch trials. The song is aggressive and full of indignation that women have lost their sexual and reproductive freedoms in the name of religion. Lovato’s anger is palpable as she rages "My life, my voice / My rights, my choice (oh) / It's mine / Or I'm just swine" I really like how "Swine" gives angry women a voice to rage about their rights being taken away. If you are looking for a pro-choice anthem, then this is the song for you.

3. Don't Hurt Yourself

Beyonce. (2016). Don’t Hurt Yourself (ft. Jack White). [Song]. Lemonade. [Album].
Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Beyonce (ft. Jack White).
Album: Lemonade

“Don’t Hurt Yourself” by Beyonce has been described as a black feminist anthem that echoes ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” was released in 2016 as the third track on Beyonce's sixth studio album, Lemonade. Lemonade was a deeply personal album from Beyonce about the heartbreak, rage, and betrayal that she felt after learning about her husband’s affair. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” is a break-up song where Beyonce talks directly to her husband. Her anger is explosive as she stares directly into the camera and sings “Who the fuck do you think I is? You aren’t married to no average bitch, boy!” The first time I heard this song I was blown away by the brutal honesty in the lyrics and the ferocious anger in Beyonce’s voice. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” isn’t just a break-up song. It is a political statement about how black women in America are often victims of misogyny, racism, and a lack of respect.

4. Look What You Made Me Do

Swift, T. (2017). Look What You Made Me Do. [Song]. Reputation. [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: Reputation

“Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift was released on 24 August 2017 as the lead single on her career-defining sixth studio album, Reputation. The song addresses Swift's feud with Kanye West, negative media scrutiny about her image, and an online campaign of harassment that labelled Swift a snake. In 2023 Swift described Reputation as “A goth-punk moment of female rage at being gaslit by an entire social structure.” The more I listen to “Look What You Made Me Do” the more I appreciate the song and respect Taylor Swift as an artist. I like how the song calls out Kanye for his behaviour with lines like “I don't like your perfect crime / How you laugh when you lie / You said the gun was mine / Isn't cool, no, I don't like you (oh)” I also really like that Swift chose to incorporate snakes in the music video after being branded one online. It was such a boss bitch move.

5. The Man

Swift, T. (2019). The Man. [Song]. Lover[Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: Lover

“The Man” by Taylor Swift is a song about the sexist double standards society has towards women. I remember the first time I ever heard “The Man”. I was sitting at my computer working when I heard Swift's song play on the television. When I heard the lyrics “I’d be a fearless leader / I’d be an alpha type / When everyone believes ya – what’s that like?” I stopped working and turned around to stare at the television. I couldn’t believe how much the lyrics resonated with me. “The Man” is a feminist anthem about how society holds women to a different standard than men. I really recommend watching the music video which was directed by Taylor Swift and features her dressed up as a man.

6. Raise Your Glass

Pink (2010). Raise Your Glass. [Song]. Greatest Hits…So Far!! [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Pink
Album: The Greatest Hits (So Far!)

“Raise Your Glass” is a pop-rock song from Pink that was released in 2010 as the lead single on her album “Greatest Hits…So Far!”. The song was written as a protest anthem dedicated to persecuted minorities that she calls underdogs who are wrong in all of the right ways. In the music video, Pink celebrates gay marriage and dresses up as Rosie the Riveter to show her support for women’s rights. “Raise Your Glass” was written and released before gay marriage was legalized in the United States of America. The song raises a big middle finger to anyone who would dare judge someone for their sexuality, gender, or lifestyle choices. In the music video, Pink rages for equal rights for all and spreads the message that it is ok to be loud, angry, and to stand out from the crowd.

7. So What

Pink. (2008). So What. [Song]. Funhouse. [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Pink
Album: Funhouse

“So What” is a pop-rock song by singer Pink about her breakup from her husband Carey Hart. It was released on 11 August 2008 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Funhouse. “So What” is written from the point-of-view of Pink who has separated from her husband and is desperate to convince herself that she is fine with their breakup. The song is aggressive and childish but also empowering and vulnerable as well. It is the perfect break-up song that captures all of the emotions that people go through after the end of a relationship.

8. King

Florence and the Machine. (2023). King. [Song]. Dance Fever. [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Florence and the Machine
Album: .Dance Fever.

Florence and the Machine's “King” is a pop rock ballad about gender roles, identity, and the societal pressure put on women to balance career and family. The song is a personal one for Florence Welch. In an interview with Grazia Magazine in 2022 , Welch spoke about her experience being a woman in the music industry, and how she feels a lot of pressure now that she is in her thirties to give up her career to have children. This frustrates her because she doesn't think she should have to sacrifice her career just because she is a woman. In the opening lyrics of the song, she sings: "We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children / About the world ending and the scale of my ambition / And how much is art really worth? / The very thing you're best at is the thing that hurts the most / But you need your rotten heart, your dazzling pain like diamond rings / You need to go to war to find material to sing / I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King." “King” is a song about rejecting the labels put on women and empowering them to choose their own.

9. Mad Woman

Swift, T. (2020). Mad Woman. [Song]. Folklore. [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.
Artist: Taylor Swift
Album: Folklore

“Mad Woman” by Taylor Swift shares a lot in common with “The Man” but is a lot more emotional, raw, and angry. “Mad Woman” was inspired by Swift’s 2019 dispute with Scooter Bruan, the owner of Big Machine Records, over the ownership of the masters of her first six albums. In the 2020 track, Swift gives a scathing critique of the idea that women are emotional and irrational and that men are the more logical sex. In the opening lyrics of the song, she is absolutely fuming as she sings “What did you think I'd say to that? / Does a scorpion sting when fighting back? / They strike to kill and you know I will / You know I will / What do you sing on your drive home? / Do you see my face in the neighbour's lawn? / Does she smile? /Or does she mouth, "Fuck you forever”? I really like how Taylor Swift owns her anger in her songs and doesn’t back down from a fight.

10. Feminine Rage

PEGGY. (2024). Feminine Rage. [Song]. Dear Reader. [Album]. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube
Artist: Peggy
Album: Dear Reader

“Feminine Rage” is a catchy Indie-pop tune from Peggy’s debut album "Dear Reader" which was released on 26 April 2024. The first time I heard this song I was taken aback with how much this song made me think. “Feminine Rage” examines how we have grown up in a patriarchal society that devalues women’s contributions and achievements, erases them from history, and forces them to take on stereotypical gender roles like mother, caretaker, or wife. In “Feminine Rage” Peggy points out that a lot of women throughout history and in mythology who are looked back on as monsters, vengeful, or crazy were actually victims of men. We hold women to higher societal expectations than men and judge them if they dare to challenge patriarchal values that have been passed down for generations.

Honorable Mention: Cell Block Tango

Marshall, R. (2002). Chicago. Miramax. Link to Image.
Click Here to Watch on YouTube.

“Cell Block Tango” was written by Fred Ebb and composed by John Kander in 1975 for the stage musical Chicago. The iconic musical number is set inside the Cook County Jail where six women are being held on suspicion of murdering their romantic partners. The women are unapologetic about what they did to land them in jail. They insist that the men in their lives all “Had it coming” and “only had themselves to blame” because of how poorly they treated them. “Cell Block Tango" starts off slowly with each of the women calling out from their cells “Pop, six, squish, uh-uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!” as the guards patrol the prison. The women each take a turn telling their personal stories. All but one of them admit to being guilty of murder. My favourite part of this song is the chorus. “The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum / The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum / They had it coming (they had it coming) / They had it coming (they had it coming) / They had it coming all along (they had it coming all along) / Cause if they used us (cause if they used us) / And they abused us (and they abused us) / How could you tell us that we were wrong?”

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