8 Deceptively Unromantic "Love" Songs

5. Tom Jones - "She's A Lady"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIfxBthfFkg The Song You Know Probably the only occasion where Tom Jones might be considered a feminist, insisting that a man should know when to treat a woman like a lady. Why It's Not So Romantic Well, this is Tom "Sex Bomb" Jones we're talking about. The guy's always one wayward pelvic thrust away from being on the receiving end of a sexual harassment lawsuit. So his attempt at defending female empowerment was practically doomed from the start. Released in 1971, it's easy to understand why Tom Jones wrote this song. In the midst of the women's lib movement, Jones probably felt he owed it to the men of the world to clarify exactly what the differences are between your garden variety woman and a true "lady." And for Jones, a lady "always knows her place." And she's "never in the way." And she takes whatever her man dishes out, whether that be a scathing critique of her recently freed armpit hair or a solid punch to the baby-maker. Sure, not all the lyrics paraphrase The Honeymooners' Ralph Kramden, but even when Jones intends to fortify his pro-lady stance (saying he'd "treat her with respect" and "never abuse her"), it comes off as a man trying too hard to retain his position of power.
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Jacob is a part-time contributor for WhatCulture, specializing in music, movies, and really, really dumb humor.