The 100 most important women in pop – ranks 49 to 45

Music knows no gender: the struck string, the stepped foot drum or the loop in the audio software – everything is completely gender-neutral. Nice thought, right?

But beyond the tone and beat, the charged theme certainly plays a role. Music, once it has left the instruments, is always context. Music depicts realities and also influences them.

There is no need to tell anyone today that pop and society have become more diverse over the decades. But anyone who likes to scratch their beard with all the movement and prefers to turn around again is a tradition-conscious pop culture canon. Countless lists are still topped by Dylan and the Beatles – Radiohead are still seen as young challengers here. This view may also have an appeal for some, but when it comes down to the argument that there are so few influential female musicians, then the lights dim.

We dedicate ourselves in the current MUSIKEXRESS hence all the influential women in the music business. As obvious as all of this may be, the impulses that female acts have given us in addition to their hits are still valuable. Keep it up, we’ve only just begun.

Here is a twelfth teaser from the list of the 100 most important women in pop – places 49 to 45:

49th place: Nico

It only took three songs on the 1967 Velvet Underground debut (with the banana on the cover) to completely iconize Nico’s deep, world-weary voice. It’s a good thing that she decided against being a muse with Coco Chanel and in favor of music.

Without her we would dream less. Born in Cologne and from there out into the world: Christa Päffgen, alias Nico, is the best example that anything is possible. As a solo artist, she eventually became the “Godmother of Goth”, who had a strong influence not least on Siouxsie and the Banshees and Patti Smith.

(Hella Wittenberg)

48th place: Delia Derbyshire

Delia Who? The sound artist, born in Coventry in 1937, reached an audience of millions with her electronic works for the BBC; her bubble sounds for the series “Dr. Who” (1963). The creator behind it, according to the station’s policy, initially remained anonymous; it was only in the techno era that she gained new attention. She is said to have been inspired by the sound of sirens during the air raids on Coventry during the Second World War.

Without her Electronics and tape manipulation probably only found their way into the TV world much later.

(Frank Sawatzki)

47th place: Dolly Parton

49 studio albums in a 57-year career – most recently the two-and-a-half-hour ROCKSTAR, for which Parton brought together icons from a wide variety of genres, from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to Rob Halford to her godson Miley Cyrus. Everyone loves Dolly! Especially because of their disarmingly self-deprecating nature. The “Backwoods Barbie” once commented on her excessive cosmetic surgery: “You really need a lot of money to look so cheap.”

Without her no country-pop hybrid hyperstars like Shania Twain and Taylor Swift.

(Stephan Rehm Rozanes)

46th place: Salt-N-Pepa

Salt-N-Pepa, three musicians from Queens, bluntly called for “Let’s Talk About Sex” back in the early ’90s. While the objectification of the opposite sex was previously reserved for men, Salt-N-Pepa don’t mince words and prove to the world with their fresh sound what badass rappers they are. “Whatta Man” and “Push It” are so explicit that the prudish Americans turned red in their ears. A milestone in feminist pop!

Without her Women in hip hop would definitely have had a harder time.

(Désirée Pezzetta)

45th place: Suzanne Ciani

The fact that Suzanne Ciani was one of the most influential avant-gardists in the early electronic phase was a well-kept secret in pop music for a long time. The classically trained US composer developed analogue-modular sound worlds at the beginning of the 1970s with the Buchla, a synthesizer that was soon commercially inferior to the Moog. She initially led a niche existence with it. Later her music appeared in film, art and dance performance contexts.

Without her There would never have been this sound effect that became famous in Coca-Cola advertising: the pop when opening a bottle of Coke before it starts to hiss beautifully.

(Frank Sawatzki)

+++ Our current issue has been in stores since February 9th. There is a complete list of the 100 most important women in pop. Here we often share excerpts from the rankings. +++