Female Power Songs

We all have songs that we listen to when we’re feeling sad, party tunes we rock out to with company, and ballads that make us feel, well, powerful. Some of these group “power” songs can be heard at sporting events such as Queen’s ever-popular “We Will Rock You.”

We women have our own genre of “power songs” sung by female divas that command our attention and unite us in our heartache, independence, and prowess. I was musing about this today when I was in a bit of a down mood. I started blasting “Leave the Pieces” by The Wreckers and singing along loudly (and off-key). Somewhere between, “It’s alright/Yeah, I’ll be fine/Don’t worry about this heart of mine/Just take your love and hit the road” and “There’s nothing you can do or say/You’re going to break my heart anyway/Just leave the pieces when you go,” I suddenly felt much better. Yeah, life hurts and hearts get broken…but this is a song about independence and moving on after heartache. Instead of wallowing in doubt, I suddenly felt less broken, and like I had a choice and that life really does go on.

Obviously, if you listen to this song, it’s about a guy who doesn’t want to commit and a girl telling him to get lost because she’s tired of his flip-flopping. But there are so many times I need to remind myself that I do have a choice–I can tell the world to get lost, even though it s so painful. I can tell sin to get lost, even though my sins break God’s heart (and mine, too). And isn’t a contrite spirit almost one that is broken, sometimes in pieces, after we’ve told who or whatever to get out of our lives? I know many times after my own stupidity or because of the stupidity of others, I’ve sat with my heart in pieces crying my eyes out. Yet God always takes those pieces and puts them back together.

God just spoke to me so powerfully through this song. Yes, life will hurt, but I can give Him the pieces. Yes, my heart will bust wide open, but I can move past my mistakes. And, yes, I will be fine because God’s holding this heart of mine. Amazing how God can work through a song like “Leave the Pieces,” but whoever said we can only find God in the worship section at the Christian bookstore anyway?

While many female power songs don’t always hit me straight in the heart, there are a few I like to rock out to as well like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benetar, “Heart of Glass” by Blondie (how I love Deborah Harry), “Defying Gravity” from Wicked (I just love that soundtrack), “Take a Chance of Me” (Come on, it’s a woman saying “Hey, baby, look this way!” It’s even funnier when you watch MAMMA MIA!), “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera (who’d have thunk it?), “This One’s For the Girls” by Martina McBride, “Reflections” from Mulan (the ultimate warrior chick), “Go Your Own Way” the Cranberries cover version of course, and my ultimate female power song–“You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. Ah, Carly, you’re my girl!

So, ladies (or gents), what’s one of your “power” songs for your spiritual or emotional health? Post it, proclaim it, rock out to it!