Sister Songs: A Companion Playlist to The Highwomen
Every once in a great while an album comes into your life that changes the whole game. A record where every song is good, where you listen to it over and over in its entirety, a record that cracks your soul open and creates something new that wasn't there before. For me, those have been N*SYNC by N*SYNC (please, I was a child and it was the 90s), Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash, Room for Squares by John Mayer, American Idiot by Greenday, Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, and now The Highwomen.
To say I have devoured this record would be an understatement. I have listened to it, obsessing over each single as it dropped. I have lived in it, cleaning my house, working at my desk, driving in my car. I have sent been an evangelist for it, cornering anyone within reach, proselytizing about its brilliance.
Through that process, something started to tickle in the back of my brain. As I listened to track after track, I started to hear other voices singing back. Voices of other women with similar stories to tell, sending me down a deep and winding Spotify rabbit hole. Over time I started to think of them as sister songs. Not exactly listen-a-likes, but songs with the same heart and feeling, and all by women.
No one asked me for this, but I put them together in a playlist, and I put some of my thoughts in writing. In hopes that you can find as much joy and inspiration from these women as I have in this musical labor of love.
Ready to follow along? Get the playlist here!
The Highwomen -> Hey Girl by Lady Gaga, featuring Florence Welch
When I listen to Hey Girl, I hear a song that exemplifies everything The Highwomen are about. Uplifting women, making their unique stories and voices heard, leveraging the experience of some to open doors for others.
It's not easy for anyone to balance life, career, and family. But it's increasingly difficult for women, living in a society which places such narrow ideals round what we're allowed to be. I shudder to think where I'd be without the support system of adventuring, out of the box thinking, women I've built for myself over the years. It's nice to have a group that is shedding light, sometimes for the first time, on all the nuances of womanhood, but in a way that is relatable to the whole.
Redesigning Women -> 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
It's no exaggeration to say that Redesigning Women changed my life. Listening to it on a virtual loop the week it dropped, it helped me let go of fear that had been holding me back, and open my mind to unconsidered possibilities of what my life could be. With each rotation, Redesigning Women opened my eyes to my strength, just as 9 to 5 did for working women everywhere when it was released in 1980. Fun fact, both 9 to 5 the movie and the song were inspired by a labor movement? Don't believe me? Take a listen to this.
I think once you listen to these tracks side by side you won't be able to un-hear the similarities.
Loose Change -> Poetry By Dead Men by Sara Bareilles
I've rarely heard a better metaphor for feeling unappreciated than "loose change." Have you?
Poetry by Dead Men feels like the same woman giving herself a pep talk, purging herself of all the unsaid things, and gathering her strength before she takes ownership over her worth, and walks the hell away.
Crowded Table -> Song for Judith by Judy Collins
It's the chorus of Song for Judith that binds these two tracks together for me.
Open the door and come on in
I'm so glad to see you my friend
You're like a rainbow comin' around the bend
And when I see you smilin'
Well, it sets my heart free
I'd like to be as good a friend to you
As you are to me
Both are about creating community, opening your world, and your heart, up to whoever may need a seat. Bringing diversity and inclusion to country music one track at a time. Bless you, Highwomen.
My Name Can't Be Mama Today -> Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce
"What? You're comparing The Highwomen to Beyonce?" you say? YES! Though they may sound different, they're saying the same thing. We can love our families and be great mothers, but sometimes we also need to leave our families at home and be individuals. We can be both! We need to be both!
Boy you know you love it
How we're smart enough
To make these millions
Strong enough to bare the children
Then get back to business
I listened to hours and hours of songs by mothers while searching for this sister song. There are songs "for the girls", songs about a mother's love, songs of grief for mothers lost, and songs about mothers coping with teenage girls, but nowhere did I hear a song that, like My Name Can't Be Mama Today, held space for mothers to also be women with drive, ambition and dreams outside of their family. Making this one more in a list of many reasons why I appreciate The Highwomen.
If She Ever Leaves Me -> Loving Her by Katie Pruitt
To me, Loving Her feels like the bolder, younger sister to If She Ever Leaves Me. The third-born who's not afraid to speak her mind because she's always had her older siblings to back her up. Get me?
As for If She Ever Leaves Me, after months of listening and mild obsessing it's my favorite track. For reasons which change with every listen, but especially for the perfect lyrical and musical fusion of the bridge.
If she ever leaves, it's gonna be for a woman with more time
Who's not afraid to let her dreams come trueIf she ever gives her careful heart to somebody newWell, it won't be for a cowboy like you
The feelings of longing, fear, and sacrifice are so palpable here they're inescapable. I'm just not sure it gets better than that.
Old Soul -> Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves
A. Maren and Kacey make a perfect pairing.
B. Old soul, waiting my turn I know a few things, but I still got a lot to learn, is the lyric I first connected to in Slow Burn and as soon as I heard Old Soul my brain sparked with this connection.
To say I have devoured this record would be an understatement. I have listened to it, obsessing over each single as it dropped. I have lived in it, cleaning my house, working at my desk, driving in my car. I have sent been an evangelist for it, cornering anyone within reach, proselytizing about its brilliance.
Through that process, something started to tickle in the back of my brain. As I listened to track after track, I started to hear other voices singing back. Voices of other women with similar stories to tell, sending me down a deep and winding Spotify rabbit hole. Over time I started to think of them as sister songs. Not exactly listen-a-likes, but songs with the same heart and feeling, and all by women.
No one asked me for this, but I put them together in a playlist, and I put some of my thoughts in writing. In hopes that you can find as much joy and inspiration from these women as I have in this musical labor of love.
Ready to follow along? Get the playlist here!
The Highwomen -> Hey Girl by Lady Gaga, featuring Florence Welch
When I listen to Hey Girl, I hear a song that exemplifies everything The Highwomen are about. Uplifting women, making their unique stories and voices heard, leveraging the experience of some to open doors for others.
It's not easy for anyone to balance life, career, and family. But it's increasingly difficult for women, living in a society which places such narrow ideals round what we're allowed to be. I shudder to think where I'd be without the support system of adventuring, out of the box thinking, women I've built for myself over the years. It's nice to have a group that is shedding light, sometimes for the first time, on all the nuances of womanhood, but in a way that is relatable to the whole.
Redesigning Women -> 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
It's no exaggeration to say that Redesigning Women changed my life. Listening to it on a virtual loop the week it dropped, it helped me let go of fear that had been holding me back, and open my mind to unconsidered possibilities of what my life could be. With each rotation, Redesigning Women opened my eyes to my strength, just as 9 to 5 did for working women everywhere when it was released in 1980. Fun fact, both 9 to 5 the movie and the song were inspired by a labor movement? Don't believe me? Take a listen to this.
I think once you listen to these tracks side by side you won't be able to un-hear the similarities.
Loose Change -> Poetry By Dead Men by Sara Bareilles
I've rarely heard a better metaphor for feeling unappreciated than "loose change." Have you?
Poetry by Dead Men feels like the same woman giving herself a pep talk, purging herself of all the unsaid things, and gathering her strength before she takes ownership over her worth, and walks the hell away.
Crowded Table -> Song for Judith by Judy Collins
It's the chorus of Song for Judith that binds these two tracks together for me.
Open the door and come on in
I'm so glad to see you my friend
You're like a rainbow comin' around the bend
And when I see you smilin'
Well, it sets my heart free
I'd like to be as good a friend to you
As you are to me
Both are about creating community, opening your world, and your heart, up to whoever may need a seat. Bringing diversity and inclusion to country music one track at a time. Bless you, Highwomen.
My Name Can't Be Mama Today -> Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce
"What? You're comparing The Highwomen to Beyonce?" you say? YES! Though they may sound different, they're saying the same thing. We can love our families and be great mothers, but sometimes we also need to leave our families at home and be individuals. We can be both! We need to be both!
Boy you know you love it
How we're smart enough
To make these millions
Strong enough to bare the children
Then get back to business
I listened to hours and hours of songs by mothers while searching for this sister song. There are songs "for the girls", songs about a mother's love, songs of grief for mothers lost, and songs about mothers coping with teenage girls, but nowhere did I hear a song that, like My Name Can't Be Mama Today, held space for mothers to also be women with drive, ambition and dreams outside of their family. Making this one more in a list of many reasons why I appreciate The Highwomen.
If She Ever Leaves Me -> Loving Her by Katie Pruitt
To me, Loving Her feels like the bolder, younger sister to If She Ever Leaves Me. The third-born who's not afraid to speak her mind because she's always had her older siblings to back her up. Get me?
As for If She Ever Leaves Me, after months of listening and mild obsessing it's my favorite track. For reasons which change with every listen, but especially for the perfect lyrical and musical fusion of the bridge.
If she ever leaves, it's gonna be for a woman with more time
Who's not afraid to let her dreams come trueIf she ever gives her careful heart to somebody newWell, it won't be for a cowboy like you
The feelings of longing, fear, and sacrifice are so palpable here they're inescapable. I'm just not sure it gets better than that.
Old Soul -> Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves
A. Maren and Kacey make a perfect pairing.
B. Old soul, waiting my turn I know a few things, but I still got a lot to learn, is the lyric I first connected to in Slow Burn and as soon as I heard Old Soul my brain sparked with this connection.
C. There is no C.
Don't Call Me -> You Don't Own Me by The Secret Sisters
Two songs. Same message. Very different vibes. "Buh-bye boy! Figure out your problems for yourself!"
We've all been there. Whether it's a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a job we've outgrown; dysfunctional relationships are a part of life. Once you've let go though, nothing feels quite so good as saying that final goodbye; may it be with a civil farewell, or a loud and resounding fuck you!
My Only Child -> Lullaby by The Dixie Chicks
From the start, My Only Child felt like a lullaby to me. Something a mother, or parent, would sing to their child to soothe and reassure them, making The Dixie Chicks' Lullaby a natural fit here.
As I said, I listened to a lot of songs about motherhood while making this playlist, and the ingredient that sets My Only Child apart from the pack is the narrator's loving honesty with their child about the choice they made to make them their only child. It's not high drama, it may not seem life-changing, but it's real life, that's for sure.
Heaven is a Honky Tonk -> It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels by Kitty Wells
When I first heard Heaven is a Honky Tonk I was sure it was a cover. The sounds, the imagery, the movement of all of it all, I had to be listening to a long-forgotten classic tune they'd pulled out of a trunk somewhere. Nope! They're just that good.
That being said. I owe the world's obsession with Ken Burns' Country Music documentary for discovering Kitty Wells, and an actual classic tune in It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.
I'm ready to grab a whiskey and do a two-step. How about you?
Cocktail and a Song -> Bring Me My Flowers Now by Tanya Tucker
Yes, this is the first of two Tanya songs. But she's a legend, and she's having a moment. And she, like The Highwomen, is here to say, "Save your tears for later. Let's enjoy what we have while we're still here together."
Cocktail and a Song also has my second favorite lyric from this record:
He had his lighter on a leash
And menthols in his shirt pocket
The imagery is so simple, so every day, but so fucking good. It's their ability to zero in on those small, overlooked moments of everyday life that make this record so special to me.
Wheels of Loredo -> Wheels of Loredo by Tanya Tucker
These two are quite literally the same song, but when sung by women of different generations and lived experience strike a completely different cord.
When I listen to Tanya I hear her years of experience, her weariness, the deep longing she feels. Yet with Brandi and The Highwomen I hear an energy and steely determination I wasn't expecting.
Collecting these sister songs has been such an enriching creative exercise for me. I dug in a challenged myself in ways I haven't since my music minor in college. Perhaps the best part is I listened to a lot of women along the way, finding many I'll be following for years to come.
Now that you've heard my Sister Songs, what are yours? What songs or artists come to mind when you listen through these tracks? I'm dying to know! - xo Sydney
Don't Call Me -> You Don't Own Me by The Secret Sisters
Two songs. Same message. Very different vibes. "Buh-bye boy! Figure out your problems for yourself!"
We've all been there. Whether it's a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a job we've outgrown; dysfunctional relationships are a part of life. Once you've let go though, nothing feels quite so good as saying that final goodbye; may it be with a civil farewell, or a loud and resounding fuck you!
My Only Child -> Lullaby by The Dixie Chicks
From the start, My Only Child felt like a lullaby to me. Something a mother, or parent, would sing to their child to soothe and reassure them, making The Dixie Chicks' Lullaby a natural fit here.
As I said, I listened to a lot of songs about motherhood while making this playlist, and the ingredient that sets My Only Child apart from the pack is the narrator's loving honesty with their child about the choice they made to make them their only child. It's not high drama, it may not seem life-changing, but it's real life, that's for sure.
Heaven is a Honky Tonk -> It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels by Kitty Wells
When I first heard Heaven is a Honky Tonk I was sure it was a cover. The sounds, the imagery, the movement of all of it all, I had to be listening to a long-forgotten classic tune they'd pulled out of a trunk somewhere. Nope! They're just that good.
That being said. I owe the world's obsession with Ken Burns' Country Music documentary for discovering Kitty Wells, and an actual classic tune in It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.
I'm ready to grab a whiskey and do a two-step. How about you?
Cocktail and a Song -> Bring Me My Flowers Now by Tanya Tucker
Yes, this is the first of two Tanya songs. But she's a legend, and she's having a moment. And she, like The Highwomen, is here to say, "Save your tears for later. Let's enjoy what we have while we're still here together."
Cocktail and a Song also has my second favorite lyric from this record:
He had his lighter on a leash
And menthols in his shirt pocket
The imagery is so simple, so every day, but so fucking good. It's their ability to zero in on those small, overlooked moments of everyday life that make this record so special to me.
Wheels of Loredo -> Wheels of Loredo by Tanya Tucker
These two are quite literally the same song, but when sung by women of different generations and lived experience strike a completely different cord.
When I listen to Tanya I hear her years of experience, her weariness, the deep longing she feels. Yet with Brandi and The Highwomen I hear an energy and steely determination I wasn't expecting.
Collecting these sister songs has been such an enriching creative exercise for me. I dug in a challenged myself in ways I haven't since my music minor in college. Perhaps the best part is I listened to a lot of women along the way, finding many I'll be following for years to come.
Now that you've heard my Sister Songs, what are yours? What songs or artists come to mind when you listen through these tracks? I'm dying to know! - xo Sydney
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