NPR’s anthology How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History is both a celebration and a reckoning—a rich, meticulously curated collection of writings addressing women’s underrepresentation across all facets of the music industry. Compiled from NPR’s Turning the Tables series (2017-2023), the book doesn’t offer any new material but instead distills some of the most powerful reflections from years of research and dialogue.
Turning the Tables aimed to correct the gender imbalance in American music history by focusing on women’s overlooked and underrated contributions. The anthology pulls from NPR’s viral lists of contemporary music in English such as “The 150 Greatest Albums by Women” (2017) and “The 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women” (2018). The result is a thoughtful collection of artist profiles, quotations from interviews, and excerpts from longform essays.
On the one hand, How Women Made Music is a good compilation. On the other, it’s “just” a compilation that collects the good work NPR has already done. Seeing a similar treatment of women’s music globally would be awesome. A small slice of new material is required for the front and back matter, where Ann Powers’ introduction sets the tone: “Turning the Tables doesn’t just put women and other marginalized people at the center of the narrative—it changes the tale.” Powers further emphasizes that the goal is not just to place women in the existing canon or to craft some essentialist gender-based argument for how women make music differently but that this collection “inaugurates a new phase in our ongoing mission of infusing canon-making with life and, keeping it expansive, of imagining music history as a huge, continuing conversation rather than as something solid, like a monument.”
How Women Make Music is divided into 12 thematic sections, such as “Listen to Your Body”, “Live”, “Shredders”, “Scream Queens”, “Shape-Shifters”, and “Sweet Inspiration”. While these categories provide structure and some basic sense of roles, the lines between them inevitably blur almost immediately, as expected in such a broad and complex field. Many artists defy easy categorization, with some even appearing in multiple sections. For instance, how can we confine a tradition breaker like Chaka Khan to a single archetype? Where does Ani DiFranco, who founded her own record label and built her career on independence, truly belong? Or how can the storytelling of Patti Smith be separated from the empathy of Alicia Keys?
Indeed, these categories begin to dissolve upon closer inspection, revealing the thin line between a tradition breaker (Bessie Smith, Dolly Parton, Chaka Khan) and a warrior (Mavis Staples, Sinéad O’Connor, Ani DiFranco), or between a storyteller (Mia X, Patti Smith, Lucinda Williams) and an empath (Annie Lennox, Alicia Keys, Carly Simon). How Women Made Music highlights the complexity of these women, showing that their influence transcends easy classification. This celebration of complexity means that the artists featured are not subjected to social markers of their identities, such as age, sexuality, nationality, race, or religious distinctions.
The 12 themes offer guidance but feel inadequate for encapsulating the wide-ranging contributions of the featured artists, so these entries generate a truly intersectional discussion—the fluidity of these roles underscores the diverse ways women have shaped popular music. There’s an undeniable thrill in the “Teenage Kicks” section, which features an impressive roster of youthful hooligans like the Ronettes, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, and Lorde, connecting with punk energy across decades in different genres. The vibe of rebellion reverberates throughout this section, with artists like the Go-Go’s, Paramore, and the Shangri-Las standing alongside Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, and Donna Summer in surprising and provocative ways. The section captures a raw, collective spirit transcending genre boundaries, uniting artists through youthful defiance and unapologetic self-expression.
Beyond its lists and profiles, How Women Made Music includes long-form essays, adding depth and nuance to the conversation. Highlights include Maureen Mahon’s essay on Bessie Smith and Caryn Rose’s piece on the Detroit Cobras, where Rose captures the potent dynamic between two women on stage, reminiscent of legendary male rock duos:
“The first time I saw the Cobras live I was delighted because I had never seen two women together in that particular juxtaposition before, the blood brotherhoods like Mick and Keith […] These pairings derived from the magic of the dyad, the intimacy of a never-ending inside joke, the deep vibes of nonverbal communication. I thought, I didn’t know we were allowed to do this. It was intoxicating. It was not a feminist statement and yet it absolutely was. There is nothing more dangerous to cultural hegemony than two women conspiring.”
Other standout essays include Shana L. Redmond’s exploration of abortion songs, Kiana Fitzgerald on Beyoncé, Francesca Royster on Tracy Chapman, and Deborah Paredez on Celia Cruz. Paredez writes with reverence for the Queen of Salsa, capturing her larger-than-life presence and how Cruz paved the way for countless women of color in music. Danyel Smith writes movingly on Whitney Houston’s 1991 Superbowl national anthem performance. Karen Tongson gives a tour through the symbolism of countermelodies in the oeuvre of the Indigo Girls.
There are so very many female music journalists who have long deserved an anthology like this, both to collect the work of those who have already arrived and to inspire those hoping to publish similarly someday. How Women Made Music also features the occasional musician turned writer, like Margo Price’s reflective essay on being inspired by Janis Joplin. The layers of personal connection come through most poignantly in the memoirish analyses that embrace some level of autotheory, such as in Ann Powers’ meditation on Kate Bush: “The limitations of The Dreaming have become clearer to me as I’ve tried to face my own mistakes as a thinker and a person.” Similarly, Joni Tevis’s essay on Gillian Welch beautifully melds the personal and the artistic: “I carry her songs scrawled on my bones, like I carry the mark of that summer.”
The section on lesser-known artists might be the most exciting part for those eager to dig deeper. Artists like Diamanda Galas, a fiercely political performer known for her avant-garde compositions and confrontational live shows, and Suzanne Ciani, a pioneering force in electronic music, challenge mainstream expectations. Gal Costa, an iconic figure in Brazil’s Tropicália movement, and Mallia Franklin, a vocalist for Parliament-Funkadelic whose contributions to the P-Funk sound remain criminally underappreciated, are both given their due here.
How Women Made Music also includes a nod to the Silly Sisters, Maddy Prior and June Tabor, who brought British folk music into a contemporary context with their harmonies and haunting melodies. Each of these artists defies categorization, much like their more famous peers. The anthology’s ability to place Joni Mitchell next to Janelle Monáe or Laurie Anderson beside Nina Simone creates a kind of musical mash-up that is both unexpected and delightful. It certainly drives home the absurdity of traditionally unifying organizing principles like chronological order or musical genres. This collection reveals those values as simple accidents of time and marketing.
How Women Made Music is a treasure trove for anyone interested in how women have shaped and continue to shape the popular music world. The book invites readers to flip through its pages, linger on familiar names, and discover new ones. It’s a collection that, much like music and the women who created it, is meant to be explored rather than consumed in a linear fashion. Rest assured that wherever you turn, there’s lightning waiting to strike.
Perhaps the most valuable part of How Women Made Music is its list of music journalists who contributed to NPR’s Turning the Tables series. This index is a starting point for anyone wanting to dive even deeper into music criticism written by women. It offers endless rabbit holes of thought and perspective by women whose writings are as diverse and intriguing as the musical subjects that have caught their interest. Pick one and dig in anywhere, as they all prove worthy. Ultimately, this book is about joining a conversation—about history, identity, and music—that is still very much in progress.