‘Bobby’s Girl’ might be the worst song ever

My radio was on scan. I was driving when I heard a woman’s voice sing the first line:

When people ask of me
What would you like to be
Now that your not a kid anymore…

I really wanted to hear what she was going to say, so I turned up the volume.

I know just what to say
I answer right away
There’s just one thing
I’ve been wishing for…

 

Here it comes…

I want to be Bobby’s girl
I want to be Bobby’s girl
That’s the most important thing to me…

 

At which point I said, to no one, “Seriously?”

Apparently, yes. Here’s the next verse:

And if I was Bobby’s girl
If I was Bobby’s girl
What a faithful, thankful girl I’d be

 

“This is  a joke, right?” I said.

Each night I sit at home

Hoping that he will phone

 

“Come on, woman, go out. Get a life.” And then she says this:

But I know Bobby has someone else

Wait a minute, here. Hold on. After all that, Bobby has someone else? You are fucking kidding me.

Here’s the finish.

Still in my heart I pray
There soon will come the day
When I will have him all to myself…

I want to be Bobby’s girl
I want to be Bobby’s girl
That’s the most important thing to me…

And if I was Bobby’s girl
If I was Bobby’s girl
What a faithful, thankful girl I’d be
What a faithful, thankful girl I’d be

I want to be Bobby’s girl

I want to be Bobby’s girl

I want to be Bobby’s girl

 

I knew it was an oldie, but I Googled for the details (and to check the lyrics.) Turns out the song is from 1962. That doesn’t make me feel less depressed. It’s not like I can say, “Look how far we’ve come, now we’ve got ‘Blurred Lines.’

What’s so upsetting to me about this idiotic song is that it describes a young woman’s fantasy life. Her dreams. Not her hum drum existence, but what she aspires to be.

There’s an awesome video of hilarious, brilliant, and beautiful Sarah Silverman on my Facebook feed from Jezebel that speaks to this. Right before Silverman hands the host a T-shirt that says “Feminist,” she talks about her reaction to the “Housewives” franchise.

Your heart-breaking attempts to look younger is the reason your daughter doesn’t dream about her future.

 

Silverman is talking about a hit show in the year 2013. What are women dreaming about right now? Really? What do we aspire to be? What are girls dreaming about? What do we think will make us happy? And don’t we grown-ups get how important it is for our kids to see us risk and try and fall on our face and get up again and go further? Every time take some step towards chasing our biggest dreams, no matter how small a move we make, we give others permission to do the same. It’s so much more fun to be your own girl.

2 thoughts on “‘Bobby’s Girl’ might be the worst song ever

  1. I’m looking for good music to play for my four-1/2-year-old girl. My taste is kinda weird and obscure, very much not pop. I’m looking for feminist messages in music that I can stand to listen to. Her taste is more poppy than mine – 7 Year Bitch, Bikini Kill, Babes In Toyland, Crass are too abrasive and lyrically inappropriate. She kinda likes the Slits, who were pretty dancey.
    Any suggestions about poppy feminist bands? I really am looking for bands – a group of people who play their instruments. A woman singing over a mechanical beat isn’t what I’m after.
    Thanks

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