Understanding Rock - Essays in Musical Analysis

"Joanie"Get Angry 97 wife can also feel something from it. I received a letter just the other day from a feminist saying, 'I'm really upset by you doing "Johnny Get Angry" because I can't figure out whether you're condemning or condoning it.' I would assume that a woman who looks and acts like me, well, it would be pretty obvious what I felt about it."10 But how might a feminist look at such a piece of music? Popular-music critic Simon Frith has written, "The question we should be asking is not what does popular music reveal about 'the people' but how does it construct them."11 This leads me to explore two questions: What is the social statement that lang is trying to make with this song? And how does she construct the female role in relation to her male partner? With regard to women taking charge of woman's media images, the media critic Rosemary Betterton writes: "What is at stake is the power of images to produce and to define the feminine in specific ways. By investigating what controls the image and how its power operates, feminist criticism can begin to explore the ways in which women can produce and take possession of their own images."12 Ultimately lang makes a powerful feminist statement simply by illuminating the frightening consequence of women being dominated by men. I believe she wants us to reflect on the following questions: Is there a fundamental difference between male authority and abuse? Is one the logical outcome of the other? And perhaps most problematic, what part do women play in the abusive relationship?

Lang claims that her goal is to look at a song in all its dimensions, to deliver it with "layers" of meaning. The medium of videotape instantly adds another layer, by giving her the opportunity to act out the story. In Sommers's performance, Johnny's girlfriend appears as the sole character. She addresses Johnny, so we believe that she is delivering the text to him, and our impression of him is only created through her reference. Lang, by contrast, manages to establish Johnny's presence. We understand through lang's performance that Johnny actually does strike his girlfriend. Lang wants to realize explicitly the implications of the song text: an invitation to abuse can result in abuse.

Lang acts as a commentator or interpreter throughout her performance by playing both the role of Johnny's girlfriend and the role of Johnny. Whereas Joanie Sommers gives a credible performance of the feminine role, lang appears to parody the masculine and feminine roles. It is hard to imagine that she could sing this song without some self-reflection or tongue-in-cheek interpretation. Joanie Sommers gives a charming performance of the song, maintaining a sweet (almost childlike) vocal quality and even emotional disposition throughout. She attempts to get what she wants from Johnny by exploiting the "little girl" aspect of femininity. In contrast, lang creates an emotionally charged drama, leading to a climactic crisis through her dramatic actions and her development of the original musical language. She suggests another possible interpretation of the woman's role in this song. Lang's woman is experienced and aggressive. In her hands, the song is not just about female submissiveness, or if it is, this is being presented through female aggression with a demand for being slapped down.

Lang's actions contribute to the impression that she is role playing. During the lengthy introduction she walks around the stage with her head bent down, striking herself repeatedly on the forehead. This action is puzzling: she might be playing the role of Johnny, or she might be playing the part of a commentator, an impersonator