So, you’re a girl. You say you like rock music? Perhaps you even want to perform a cover of your favorite T. Rex, Nirvana, or James Gang song at your next gig? Well, you better check with the boys first, or you very well could be boo’d off stage, or taunted on your band’s Facebook page the next day.

This is what happened to Miley Cyrus when she dared cover the Smiths’ “There is a Light That Never Goes Out.” Now, I typically don’t write in defense of a pop star’s actions. (After all, most of the time these performers are looking to ruffle feathers.) But if there’s one thing Cyrus shouldn’t be criticized for it’s her want to perform a song she admires. The same thing happened to One Direction, too. The pop band was berated for performing a combo cover of Blondie’s “One Way or Another,” and The Undertones’ “Teenage Kicks.”

So, why do professional and armchair fan boys and girls get huffy when they hear a pop star covering a rock music anthem? One guess: They despise these pop stars’ young, female followers.

A recent article in Rookie entitled “The Importance of Music to Girls” talks about this issue. After all, why is it so terrible when teen girls start to like rock and dig your beloved band’s music? It doesn’t affect you. Not really. And do you really think these classic rock bands care who their fans are, or their fans’ age? I’d venture to say that all these “big” artists don’t care who is listening: They are just happy people are listening.

The Rookie author also expertly points out that teen girls have been the demographic that has helped music acts gain notoriety. Where would Michael Jackson and The Beatles be without their young, female followers? The author notes that even Kurt Cobain, perhaps the modern day rock god, wrote that: “I like the comfort in knowing that women are the only future in rock and roll.”

So, you rock on, you young, female rock music fans. Keep listening to music and devour as many different genres as you can. Who cares if you fall in love with a classic rock song because one of your favorite pop artist’s covered it? I sure don’t.

Related on EcoSalon

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More than a Feeling: Prescribing Music to Alter Moods

Image: Garry Knight

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