My Personal Favorite Women in Music... the Top 30-ish... with an INTRODUCTION by me, Jonathan, here at The Ocean Is Deep.

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I couldn't keep it at 20, so I've expanded to 30-ish...

When I say my Favorite Women in Music I am talking about the women that I think created... brought... revolutionized... (use whatever descriptive word you want) a sound. Anyway, as I was introduced or exposed to these artist, they moved me inside, and if I were ever stuck on a desert island, they would all have to be part of my song selections inside my ipod.

Anyway, about my list. I wasn't even sure how it would evolve. I guess I'm really not sure how it did. I did think about it a lot, when I had some downtime to just think. I felt I could put together a really solid list of 30 people that I thought were tops. I did NOT want a list based on who's won the most Grammys or who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There's a lot of people with Grammys that just don't sing to me...

In this blog I've broken a list of 30 up into six parts, and they aren't in any particular order. I did start my list with Carole King because my first memories of hearing songs were all sung by either Carole King or Karen Carpenter. From there, I just clicked whoever I saw next in my pictures folder as I uploaded them, and Blogger only allowed me five at a time... but it actually worked out better that way, looking back.

There is one individual that didn't make my list but she deserves to be recognized here. The only reason I didn't keep her on my list is she's a country music singer... and that's really not my first choice in music to listen to. Maybe in the Official Rule Book for Making Lists, that shouldn't exclude her but I'm just making this up as I go. So even though I usually steer clear of country music as a matter of personal preferences, I could listen to this woman's songs over and over... In fact, she originally was in my list of 30, (actually she was WAY in before 30...) but I took her out and put someone else in... I don't have a better reason than that.

Even so, I admire her and her work, so before I dive into my Top 30 Favorite Women in Music, I want to give her an EXTRA VERY SPECIAL HONORABLE MENTION as one of my favorite female artist of all time... and I think is probably the most talented female artist alive today... Dolly Parton.


Dolly Parton is a stand-out... (no, not because of those things...) She's truly a notch above the sea of talent that is out there. She can sing a wide range of songs and she writes songs for herself and for others. Whitney Houston's hit, I Will Always Love You, was first recorded by Dolly Parton. (And not to change the subject, but what a gracious personality... doesn't she have the BEST nature about her?)

VIDEO: Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You -LIVE

She sounds great live... but as I was looking at her, I started laughing because I remembered her once telling a talk show host that, "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap." She wrote this song to Porter Wagoner; they had broken up... so I heard.

My Favorite Women in Music... Part One of Six...

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I want to start here... Most of these are of no particular order but when I was a kid my sister brought home an album and played it over and over and over. I think I still know all of the words to every song. So here I go...



This is Carole King. I think her album, Tapestry, was the first album that... in it's entirety... to be an anthem for an entire generation of women. For the life of me I can't think of an album you could point to and say, 'You know what,' that album spoke for an entire generation of men.
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This is Alanis Morrissette. About two decades after Tapestry, Alanis Morrissette debuted with Jagged Little Pill, which accomplished what I believe had only been done only once before... She had an entire album that spoke for a generation.
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.This is Crissie Hynde of The Pretenders. To me, she is the perfect representation of Rock and Roll... and the Last of the Independents.
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This is Bjork, and she is so unique I can't even put her in a category. This is a weird comparison but she's kinda like Joe Cocker. You either 'get it,' or you don't. By 'get it' I mean they either resonate with you or they don't...

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Debbie Harry of Blondie. I think she was a pioneer of sorts... Blondie experimented with several styles of music and as the face of the band, she pulled it off.

VIDEO: Chrissie Hynde ... Angel Of the Morning

My Favorite Women in Music... Part Two of Six...

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Natalie Merchant. Solo artist and the singer for 10,000 Maniacs. She can take a sad song and somehow make you feel good inside... Go figure...

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This is Miki Berenyi of Lush. Lush was an indie band in the 90's and the first song I ever heard was on MTV's 120 minutes. It was called The Sweetness and The Light... The sound was absolutely enchanting and haunting simultaneously... and I was hooked for the entire ride.
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Kate Bush. I think we live in an era of one-dimensional pop stars, but her music is layers upon layers of depth and richness. She has a voice that makes you turn, listen and hope the song she is singing never stops.

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If Rock and Roll has a bad girl, it's Joan Jett of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, complete with attitude and an edge. Rolling Stone says she's one of the greatest guitarist of all times. In her music video I Love Rock and Roll, she flips you off near the end of the video, on stage! It slipped right pass the VETO board there at MTV and she ended up being the first artist to get away with doing that.

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Delores O'Riordan of The Cranberries. She said it best when she said she was an artist, not 'just' a musician. Of all the things that probably should be said about her, what I can never get out of my head is how her accent comes across when she sings. I know that may sound trivial but hey... I love it.

VIDEO: The Cranberries. Promises.

My Favorite Women in Music... Part Three of Six...

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Here is Kate Pierson of The B-52's. My favorite material that she has done is still off of The B-52's debut album. I remember how different it sounded compared to anything else out there... and it was Kate Pierson's quirky sensuality that threw my preteen thoughts into overdrive.
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.Here's Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson, sisters, and the 'heart' of Heart. I remember hearing Barracuda on the radio as a kid, and thinking that these 'Chicks' knew how to rock. Little did I know that many years later I would see them in concert, sandwiched between Cheap Trick and Journey, two bands that are really good live, but it was Heart that literally stole the show.

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Sade... I know this is about music but may I add that she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Words won't work here... Simply put, on a scale of 1-10... She is an 11. Voice, poise, presence, you name it.

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.Of course there is Stevie Nicks, Solo artist and member of Fleetwood Mac. You know the voice when you here it... that is a given. Where I think she surpassed her critics was when she was able to fully contribute, full-time, to Fleetwood Mac and still have enough great material for a solo career.
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If you know Sophie B. Hawkins by her largest commercial success, Tongues and Tails, you're lucky... but what she did afterward that was also some great stuff. As a post script, when I saw her perform in Chicago... just amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

VIDEO: Sade. Babyfather

Sade is, in my book, the most sultry, sexy and beautiful woman I can think of... I remember when she came out with Smooth Operator. "She had me at hello." Ha. This video is Babyfather.

My Favorite Women in Music... Part Four of Six...

Here is Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and more recently as a solo artist. She is incredibly versatile and she is as fun to watch as she is great to listen to.
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Here is Shirley Manson and she is best known as the voice of Garbage. Garbage is currently on hiatus and she is pursuing a solo career. I usually do not like dark themes running through music but she pulls it off, both in song writing and in her performance.
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. Sheryl Crow is probably best known as a Rock and Roll and/or Pop artist but I put her on my list because of her ability to blend a 'Folk-like' and 'Blues-like' sound into her music. Case in point... when covers the Guns N' Roses' hit, Sweet Child of Mine, her interpretation is done with a unique, almost mercurial nature.

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Tori Amos. When I was exposed to her music I immediately connected her music to the piano, kind of like you would do the same with Elton John and the piano. She sounds like she is living in her music as she sings.

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Jewel. I like this picture because it shows her naturally attractive look. (before she went through so much plastic surgery.) It is Jewel's simple, melodic album Pieces of You that I enjoy most of all. It was recorded on Neil Young's ranch and has that distinct Harvest Moon sound (which he had also recorded there) that is heard running throughout.

Karen O… maybe the same O as in OMG! Maps was fun to play on Rock Band… and Karen O’s dreamy, magical and ethereal voice had me searching for more. She fronts the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and does solo work as well, including the entire Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack. If you haven’t seen the music video for Maps I have included it below. Very Powerful.

VIDEO: Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Maps.

Karen O, fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in one of my favorite music videos.

My Favorite Women in Music... Part Five of Six...

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Carly Simon. The best kept secret of any song is WHO is Your So Vain about? Bobby Gentry eventually gave into telling with 'The Ode to Billie Joe,' Don McClean gave into 'American Pie...' (I HATE that song.) Anyway, a great singer/songwriter with a story to tell.
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.Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary. Am I getting way 'out-there?' I really like folk music and I remember my Dad getting the Peter, Paul and Mary debut album. I don't think he listened to it much but I absorbed it... and there was a time when my oldest son was just a baby and he'd sing along with me.
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.Nokko. Solo artist and front for Rebecca, a Japanese band I listened to often while on the island. As a band Rebecca was big throughout the '80's and '90's disbanding in 1999. Nokko now performs and records as a solo artist. (Side note... it was next to impossible to find a picture of her, even on Google Japan.)
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.Suzanne Vega. Solo artist. She's made some catchy hooks without seeming like they are hooks. How about... 'My name is Luka...' and 'You seem to me, like a man, 0n the verge of burning 99.9 Fahrenheit degrees...' and 'I am sitting in the morning at the diner on the corner...' I saw her on Howard Stern, He was such an idiot and she walked out of that situation with dignity. That's a cool chick.

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.Fergie, solo artist and part of Black Eyed Peas. Used to be part of a band called Wild Orchid... but I only know that because my wife told me so. She pulls off the style without going ghetto.

VIDEO: Rebecca. Friends.

In case you would like to sing along...
Artist: Rebecca Lyrics: NOKKO Music: 土橋安騎夫 Song: Friends
口づけをかわした日は
ママの顔さえも見れなかった
ポケットのコインあつめて
ひとつづつ夢をかぞえたね
ほらあれは2人のかくれが
ひみつのメモリー oh
どこでこわれたの oh フレンズ
うつむく日はみつめあって
指をつないだら oh フレンズ
時がとまる気がした
ねえ君は覚えている
夕映えによくにあうあの曲
だまりこむ君がいつも
悲しくて口づさんだのに
今時は流れてセピアに染まるメロディー oh
2度ともどれない oh フレンズ
他人よりも遠くみえていつも走ってた oh フレンズ
あの瞳がいとしい
どこでこわれたの oh フレンズ
うつむく日はみつめあって
指をつないだら oh フレンズ
時がとまる気がした
2度ともどれない oh フレンズ
他人よりも遠くみえて
いつも走ってた oh フレンズ
あの瞳 がいとしい
...if you missed that the first go around, here it is again, in English.
Artist: RebeccaTitle: Friends

The day of my first kiss,
I couldn’t look my mother in the eyes.
Picking out the coins in our pockets
We counted each other’s dreams

Yes, that was our hideaway,
Our secret memories, oh…
Where did we fall apart? Oh, friends.
We only stared at each others eyes when we were down.

When our fingers touch, oh friends
It felt like time stopped for us.
Do you remember that song that matches the twilight?
The song I hummed for you when you were feeling lonely?

The time has passed but the song remains as a sepia colored memory… Oh.

We can never regain that time, oh friends.
You look further away than a stranger.
We were always on the run. Oh friends.
I miss the light in your eyes.

My Favorite Women in Music... Part Six of Six...

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Annie Lennox, solo artist and half of The Eurythemics. How else could I better describe her other than incredibly soulful? I was in high school when Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) hit the radio airwaves. I remember thinking 'I hope they say who sings this when it's over.' They did and I went to Crow's Nest to snatch up a cassette, thinking that if anything else on it was remotely as good as what I'd just heard, then good money spent.
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Avril Lavigne, solo artist. Normally in making a list like this Avril would be going out on a limb, but it's my personal list so no biggy, right? She writes her own stuff and three albums later she's proven that she's not a one hit wonder. And she's got this little edgy thing going on... and I like that.

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Norah Jones, solo artist and singer/songwriter among other things. She reminds me of Sade in a way, and like Sade, also comes across with a distinct 'This is what I do and if you like it great but if not that's OK too and I'm not changing a thing to fit into anyone elses mold' attitude. Her three albums are tops. Also, if you didn't pick up her second one, she does a song with Dolly Parton. Cool stuff.
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Lisa Loeb is a solo artist. She has had her share of radio play but I see Lisa Loeb as more than that. I can't put my finger on it... maybe it's those glasses. How in the world can she pull off something like that and be sexy about it? Anyway, everything she has done has been first rate, although not all have been a commercial success. Sounds like a theme that runs though a lot of music I like...
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This is KD Lang. (Side note...I don't care about her sexual preferences, I just wonder if I should feel bad about posting the most feminine picture I could find?) Whatever. On her own merits, KD Lang has a world of accomplishments that someone could bring up, but I feel her crowning moment was her work with the late Roy Orbison. Who else could possibly pull off a duet of Crying with THE greatest voice in Rock and Roll and pull it off? Together they sounded perfect, like the song was written to be a duet.

VIDEO: KD Lang with Roy Orbison. Crying.

Here it is, KD Lang with a true legend, Roy Orbison.