I listen to "the oldies" quite often, and what I've come to realize is that there were a LOT of stalker-ish and misogynistic
song lyrics in
the 1950s and 1960s (maybe there still are, but I just wouldn't know!). Women are often
portrayed as
fickle temptresses, thereby
abnegating any responsibility on the man's part. Even when they are very young apparently it is the female's fault, such as "Young Girl" (Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, lyrics by Steven Fuller):
Beneath your perfume and your make-up
You're just a baby in disguise
And though you know that it's wrong to be
Alone with me
That come on look is in your eyes
And if you truly listen to the words in the song "Delilah" (sung by others, including The Platters, but probably the Tom Jones version is most well-known, lyrics by
Barry Mason and Sylvan Whittingham, music by
Les Reed), and feature the person singing as perhaps being Delilah's stalker, it changes the entire perspective of the song, right?
At break of day when that man drove away I was waiting
I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door
She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
There are any number of songs about
infidelity (think
"Your Cheatin' Heart"--and just try to do it without the "your" going all nasal and coming out "YORE" like some half-baked
hillbilly!) but the culture of it being normal, or even expected, for men to cheat--and be forgiven for it--was epitomized in quite a few Lesley Gore songs, such as her crying in "It's my party" when her boyfriend Johnny sneaks away to mess around with Judy (but then she gets Johnny back in "It's Judy's Turn to Cry" because apparently Johnny is just a jealous dimwit), to the lyrics from "Maybe I know" where she just knows (deep down!) that he loves her, even though he may run around, and "maybe" she knows he's been cheatin', but opines "what can I do?" Well, Lesley, you could have kicked Johnny to the curb and paid more attention to another song you sang: "You Don't Own Me" (Songwriters David White / John Madara):
You don't own me
I'm not just one of your many toys
You don't own me
Don't say I can't go with other boys
And don't tell me what to do
Don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don't put me on display 'cause
You don't own me
Don't try to change me in any way
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay
I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you
I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want
To say and do whatever I please
And don't tell me what to do
Oh, don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don't put me on display
I don't tell you what to say
Oh, don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you
I'm young and I love to be young
I'm free and I love to be free