118 Songs About Girls and Women

In spite of Adele, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Beyoncé, the music industry is still largely a man's world. Women's voices are missing. At the same time, however, women remain a favorite topic for pop, rock, country, and R&B songs.

Many popular songs refer to us as "girls" and attempt to lump us into neat categories. They describe women by our physical features or as belonging to a man. They compliment us as pretty girls or denigrate us as overly emotional. Popular songs also evaluate us as smart or stupid girls, good girls, bad girls, evil girls, mean girls, or naughty ones. And sometimes they portray us as strong, brave, authentic women. Thankfully, women are three-dimensional and complex.

Make a playlist to celebrate the full range of the female identity. We have a huge list of songs to start you out!

In this classic 1967 rock song, the narrator fondly recalls his ex-lover, a carefree young woman with unforgettable brown eyes. Originally, the tune described a brown-skinned girl and an interracial love affair. Being the '60s, however, that part was altered to make the tune more acceptable to radio stations and their audiences. Now you know.

There are so many ridiculous stereotypes based on hair color, and the blonde narrator in this 2012 pop song pokes fun at many of them. In talking to a guy she likes, she references stereotypes about blonde bimbos, dumb blondes, crazy blondes, and blondes having more fun. The narrator acknowledges that in reality, she's much more three-dimensional—for example, sometimes forgetful but also smart and fun.

Praising the virtues of ladies with too much junk in the trunk, the grown man in this 1978 classic rock song recalls where he got his love of big boned women. It seems that Big Fat Fanny, the naughty nanny who looked after him as a youngster was doing things that would get her arrested nowadays.

This is one of those popular classic songs that wouldn't fly today. As much as I love this tune (because hey, I grew up on it), the lyrics make me go, "Wait. Whaaaat?"

Maybe you're like me and mistakenly assumed that Roy Orbison wore dark glasses because he was blind. (That would make this song ironic since the narrator describes ogling a beautiful woman he sees on the street.)

Named by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Best Songs of All Time, this 1965 chart-topper features a man who wonders out loud whether a woman he's checking out on the street may be lonely like he is. (Hey, leave her alone, Roy!) Just when you think that his admiration is amounting to verbal harassment, she turns around and decides to join him.

Order another double cheese pizza and forget about the Diet Coke when the leaded version is what you really want.

The man in this danceable 2007 rock song gives a shout out to larger ladies everywhere. He compliments them as having a whole lot of curves in all the right places.

While some might call him a chubby chaser, others would simply say that his body positive message reflects reality because beauty really does come in all types of packages.

When he sees a lovely woman who strikes his fancy, the man in this 2012 country ditty gets way ahead of himself. He imagines catching her eye, eventually taking her home to meet his mama, and building dreams together that include a house and a family of their own. Now that's love at first sight!

Oh, to be pretty, young, and clueless about how things really work. What a dangerous combination! In this 2015 pop song, two female pop stars team up to boast about how looks can take you everywhere. They want to "wipe the floor with all the boys" and "do what we like, get what we want" on account of their youth and attractiveness.

The woman in this 2011 country tune isn't crazy at all—simply insecure—and her loving partner tries to reassure her that he's in it for the long haul. After a lover's argument, he simply stepped out for some breathing room. Now he has to earn her trust back by convincing his sweetheart that he needs her and won't be leaving their relationship.

Queen Bey expresses some conflicted emotions about love in this 2009 pop song. Faced with the possibility of breaking up with her unfaithful lover, the narrator expresses her heartache and disappointment about her man's betrayal. The diva wonders if she has what it takes to make their relationship work. Ultimately, she decides to stay:

You say you got the most respect for me
But sometimes I feel you're not deserving of me
And still, you're in my heart
But you're the only one.

About half of long-term relationships are marred by infidelity. If you're one of the walking wounded, why not make a playlist of songs about infidelity? Remember that if it can happen to Beyoncé, then it can happen to anyone.

Mark this gal's words: "I'm three steps from the edge, woah. Don't push me over it." The dangerous young woman in this 2012 country song has evidence that her partner is cheating on her. It's gotten in the way of her rational thinking, making her vengeful as she stalks him. She defends her terrible behavior by saying that every girl is capable of murder if you hurt her.

Maybe she should simply listen to revenge songs rather than act on her impulses. At least that would keep her out of jail!

Talk about a strong woman! I love this 2018 female empowerment song that features a defiant, badass woman totally owning her identity. She refuses to be stopped, is okay with being smart but not pretty, and knows that she is bold, brave, and as powerful as an army.

If you're doubting yourself, play this song on repeat until you've erased any fears. Better yet, start a female empowerment playlist.

Although I'm not traditionally a big Kesha fan, this 2017 girl power song is an exception. All my husband can do is eye roll when I break out in Kesha's song lyrics: "I'm a motherf*cking woman!" and "I run this sh*t, baby, I run this sh*t." (It's a good thing I married a man with a sense of humor.)

The narrator in this 2017 pop song is proud to be financially independent and in control of her own life. She doesn't need to cling to a man for her identity.

Here's a high five to you, sister, if you run your sh*t.

Who would've imagined that Lesley Gore's taunting, classic rock song from 1963 could be improved? But here it is, Grace's 2015 cover version of the original.

Call this "You Don't Own Me" 2.0 because it amps up the narrator's sassy confidence and adds a hip-hop backdrop. The narrator's lover provides a testament that she is one independent woman who cannot be owned. He knows because he's tried and failed. Her self-reliance and charisma keep him coming back.

In 2016, Lesley Gore's original was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Who do you think sang the song better?

In this 2013 pop song, Beyoncé embraces the freedom that comes with being an adult who is steering her own ship. She can make her own choices, say what's on her mind, and live the lifestyle she wants:

I’m a grown woman
I can do whatever I want.

Never underestimate a woman on a mission. The narrator in this 2012 R&B ballad is a dreamer with her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground. The song's soaring vocals reflect the narrator's determination to make a strong impact on the world, even if she has to do it all by herself.

Are you too much of a "yes girl?" In this pop song from 2016, the young woman realizes that she's been going along to get along. In the process, she's lost her way, her voice, her choice. No more. Rather than telling her lover what he wants to hear, this girl will speak her truth. Let's hope it doesn't stop with her love life.

The love smacked guy in this 1964 classic pays tribute to his honey and the way she makes him feel. He feels like a rich man who doesn't need anything else as long as he has this woman by his side. Decades later, some women still appreciate such admiration while others will cut you down quick if you insinuate that they belong to a man. Which are you?

Easy wealth can indeed be a curse in developing character. This chart-topping soft rock song from 1977 describes an emotionally shallow girl who uses her father's wealth to get by in the world. Daddy rescues her from facing any consequences of her actions, and as a result, she doesn't learn to be strong. We've all probably met someone like this, male or female.

If you're a happily married woman, you're somebody's "it girl." Someone picked you above everyone else (and you obviously did the same). Maybe they said:

You could be my "it girl"
Baby you're the sh*t, girl
Lovin' you could be a crime
Crazy how we fit girl
This is it girl.

The guy in this 2011 pop song has a love interest in his crosshairs and makes it clear that he would do anything to take their relationship to the next, ultimate level of commitment. He wants to build his world around her and seeks a sentence of "25 to life."

The premise behind this intriguing 2014 rock song is that all good girls are bad girls who haven't been caught. Whether you're labeled as a "good" person is therefore just a matter of skill at hiding your sexual prowess. Okay, ladies of all ages, why are we letting anyone else shame us for our sexuality when men can fanoodle half the world and not be judged for it? Own your identity and forget the gossip and the haters.

Here's a shout out to all the rebellious wild girls, past and present, who dance to their own rhythm. You know who you are. You buck the system and dress how you wanted. You fill your heart with dreams of your own, rather than those of others. This 1993 country song understands that and encourages you to just keep being you.

This upbeat, uplifting 2018 country song features a narrator who is ever thankful for the love of his partner. In a world that breaks people over and over again, he feels fortunate to have her strength, love, and forgiveness. He wants to shout his love from the mountaintops as well as get down on his knees and thank God for "the night that she gave this drifter's heart a home."

Forget Rolling Stone's 1997 proclamation that women have started to rule popular music. Totally untrue. Sure, there's Adele, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Beyoncé, but there's a gender gap in the music industry you might not have been aware of. I wasn't aware myself until I interviewed musician Emma Cole, a talented young R&B singer, then researched the issue.

Male songwriters and producers far outnumber females in the music industry by a whopping margin of 49 to one. Dude musicians receive more radio airplay—especially on country stations, where nine songs by male artists are featured for every one song by a female artist. Men also dominate the Top 40 charts, and as a result, they sell also more CDs and concert tickets.

In 2015, a prominent country music industry consultant made the jaw-dropping suggestion of taking female musicians off country music radio in the name of better ratings. "They’re just not the lettuce in our salad. ... The tomatoes of our salad are the females.” (He may have simply said out loud what many music executives think.)

And then there are the industry awards. Nine out of 10 Grammy nominees are men, and in early 2018, the Recording Academy president attributed this to women needing to "step up" more.

Think about this when you're making your playlists, watching a music industry awards show, or buying tickets to that next concert.

This chick is no Tammy Wynette, if you know what I mean. In fact, the lady in this 2015 rock song is proud that she ain't no lady at all. She lies and breaks hearts without remorse then blames her lover for not having known better.

What do you do when your friend is behaving like a foolish woman, a doormat in her relationship with a loser? In this catchy 2015 country song, one friend gives another one some straight talk about all the excuses she's been making for her man. The narrator notes that "good guys" behave like good men, and she tries to convince her friend to see him for what he is—a mistake:

There's a fine line between an accident
And a L-O-S-E-R.

In this 2006 pop song, Pink proudly proclaims that she's glad to be among the outcasts and girls with ambition. In a country where we still don't have a woman President, she notes that there is an overemphasis on unattainable standards of beauty at the expense of applauding women's intelligence and contributions. She doesn't want to be one of those fake "stupid girls."