| You Don't Own Me | |
| Cover: | PaleWaves_YouDontOwnMe_Single.png |
| Caption: | Cover art for the digital download |
| Alt: | The image depicts four musicians looking at the camera |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Pale Waves |
| Album: | Who Am I? |
| Released: | 29 January 2021 |
| Recorded: | 2020 |
| Genre: | Pop-punk |
| Label: | Dirty Hit |
| Producer: | |
| Prev Title: | Easy |
| Prev Year: | 2021 |
| Next Title: | Fall to Pieces |
| Next Year: | 2021 |
"You Don't Own Me" is a song by indie pop band Pale Waves.
"You Don't Own Me" is a pop-punk[1] song that was written by Pale Waves frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie, and the singer-songwriter Sam de Jong; it is played in the key of C♯ minor and at 170 beats per minute.[2] Described by Stitched Sound as a "empowering, guitar-heavy release of frustration",[3] "You Don't Own Me" opens with a "gritty chugging guitar" riff that plays over the song's verses. The song then "transition[s] into a punk-pop [chorus] melody, which Avril Lavigne would be proud of".[4]
Lyrically, "You Don't Own Me" is a repudiation of sexism and gender norms. In an interview with NME, Baron-Gracie explained that the track is "about what it’s like to be a woman in this world ... [It discusses] how society depicts, judges and criticises women on a daily basis. ... I also wanted to say a fuck you to everyone that plays by these fake delusional rules that women and gender need to fit inside a specific box." Many of the song's lyrics were inspired by instances of "sexist" and "inappropriate" behaviour directed at Baron-Gracie by men. The feminist ethos of the song is "unapologetic" and "angry" because, as Baron-Gracie put it, "we [i.e., women] are angry; we're sick of it!"[5] Due to its message, Baron-Gracie has cited the track as "the most important on" Who Am I?[5]
The music video for "You Don't Own Me" was co-directed by Heather Baron-Gracie and her partner, Kelsi Luck. Released on 1 March,[6] the video is "a love letter to early noughties emo and pop-punk";[7] the website Nü Sounds wrote that the visuals of "You Don't Own Me" are a "portal to early 2000s grunge; red hair, graffiti, all the works." The site also likened Baron-Gracie's dress to those worn by Melanie Martinez and called the overall production "a throwback of a lifetime".[8]
"You Don't Own Me" was released as the fourth single from Who Am I?, and it debuted on 13 January 2021.[9]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Who Am I?[10]
Pale Waves
Technical
| Country | Date | Format | Label | + Release history and formats for "You Don't Own Me" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 29 January 2021 | Digital download, streaming | |||