The purpose of this tape is to help us examine the characteristics and imagery of masculinity in American culture. For each of the nine examples you should be listening closely to both the lyrics and the musical content for depictions of prototypically male behaviour. How are men in American society told to behave and to think? How does music participate in the socialization of men? What kind of models do these songs present? Do some of the examples argue against the stereotype or do they all proscribe a limited and typical range of behaviors? How does the behavior of the "U.S. Male" change over the course of the tape or does it even change at all?

#1 "U.S. Male" 2:42
Composed by Jerry Reed (Hubbard)
Performed by Elvis Presley and recorded in January of 1968
RCA 67466-2 ©1997

The liner notes for this recording of Elvis’ Gold Records (Volume 5) attempts to mollify the concerns of today’s listeners to the strangely violent and ethnocentric lyrics of "U.S. Male" by calling the song just "another gently self-mocking Jerry Reed song." Yet I’m not convinced of the existence of irony here or by the implication that listeners in the 1960s might have heard this song as ironic. As an icon of post WWII American confidence (chauvenism?) and the reassertion of patriarchal authority, Elvis delivers this performance in a literal fashion &endash; to my ears at least. Do you agree? What is the relationship between Elvis and his "gal"? What is his role? What is the woman’s role

#2 "It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World" 3:11
Written by James Brown and Betty Newsome
Performed by James Brown
PolyGram 314 511 326-2 ©1991

On the surface this song seems to affirm the role of women in society, yet what kind of role is it? You might want to list the attributes of a man according to Brown’s lyrics.

#3 "I had a Wife" 0:35
Traditional Irish Song
Performed by Pete Seeger, originally issued in 1950
Darling Corey (Smithsonian Folkways SF40018) ©1993

Subtitled "A bloody bit of Irish Balladry," this song demonstrates that mysogyny and violence are nothing new to American music.

#4 "Ramblin’ Man" 4:47 (1973)
by Dickey Betts
The Allman Brothers Band
A Decade of Hits, 1969&emdash;1979 (Polydor 314 511 156-2) ©1991

Here the Allman Brothers paint a picture of a man without responsibility. How do guitars function in this tune?

#5 "Whole Lotta Love" 5:34
Led Zeppelin
Atlantic 82144 ©1990

This tune is one of the prototypical examples of Cock Rock, i.e., an expression of male power usually through the use of high volume, heavy beats, and especially virtuosity with one’s axe &endash; i.e., the guitar as phallus. I’ve heard this tune described as the musical depiction of sex because of the long instrumental interlude.

#6 "Be A Man" 4:20
Tesla
The Great Radio Controversy (Geffen 24224) ©1989

This tune opens with an extended guitar solo, but then the idea of the male begins to get a bit more interesting...

#7 "Real Man" 2:59
by Bruce Springsteen
with Ian McLagen, piano, and David Sancious, organ
Human Touch (Columbia CK 53000) © 1992

Although Springsteen is a guitarist, this song is conspicuous for its lack of a guitar solo. How does Springsteen renegotiate the idea of the masculine without ceding power?

#8 "Father of Mine" 2:59
Everclear, recorded November 1996
So Much for the Afterglow (Capitol 36503) © 1997

This song takes on the idea of fatherhood in a world characterized by divorce and abandonment. The guitars are back, but they seem to mean something entirely different. Any guesses?

#9 "Lucky Man" 2:59
The Verve, written by Richard Ashcroft
Urban Hymns (Virgin Records 44913) © 1997

Here’s a man who seems to define the strength of his existence as a pure lack of social connection. The song escapes the male/female dichotomy simply because this man is alone and likes it that way. Do you agree?

#10 "Macho Man" ca. 5 mins.
Village People (J. Morali, H. Belolo, V. Willis, B. Whitehead)
Live and Sleazy (Rebound Records 314 520226-2) ©1979

This is an example of an "alternative" song that went mainstream. Here is a disco/house band from the gay community that became an enormous popular hit. Does the fact that this band is gay influence your reading of their lyrics?

#11 "Train Station" (1:31)
from All the Way Through Evening by Chris DeBlasio (1990)
Michael Dash, baritone; Chris DeBlasio, piano
And Trouble Came: Musical Responses to AIDS (CRI 729) ©1996

This song departs a typical goodbye scene between lovers, except that in this case both of the characters are men.

#12 "Me So Horny" (excerpt)
The 2 Live Crew
As Nasty As They Wanna Be (Lil’ Joe Records 107) © 1989

My apologies to anyone offended by this cut. I include it not only to depict the mysogyny prevalent in Rap today, but to show how clichés of masculinity can become self-limiting. Here The 2 Live Crew sample the title from a commercially released film (by Zepherelli I think). The part of film sampled concerns American military men soliciting Asian female prostitutes. On one hand the Crew’s violent language emphasizes the power of male social/sexual dominance, yet these "powerful" men are forced to turn to prostitution for their fetishized powerplay. When the vocalists describe themselves as insatiable sexual beasts, they underscore their power as well as their inability to think, grow, change, or express any other emotion than lust. The attraction of this song must have been its ability to sensationalize violence and sex. In my humble opinion, the singing just doesn’t cut it &endash; which lends a whole new dimension to the band’s supposed dominence and power. Do you agree or am I just missing something?