Sonic Femininity: The Ronettes' Transgressive Gender Performance

Sonic FemininityThe Ronettes' Transgressive Gender Performance Hilarie Ashton (bio) Looking and looking back, black women involve ourselves in a process whereby we see our history as counter-memory, using it way to know the present invent future. —bell hooks, "The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators" On September 28, 1963, Ronettes performed on Dick Clark's American Bandstand for first time.1 The curtain unfurls reveal three singers exemplifying uniformity apparent demureness imposed by norms of classic sixties femininity: their slim bodies are dressed identical long-sleeved pencil dresses, hair is partially swept up half-bouffants, eyes thickly lined kohl. They sway hips arms awkwardly opening bars "Be My Baby," then Ronnie Spector, standing left, opens her mouth. That voice. voice, which teens had started hearing month before when Baby" single was released. which— per Bandstand's practice—was exactly what been heard record, TV screens lip-synched along. But still: that When camera zooms in, Spector (then still known Veronica Bennett) pushes past limits lip-synching acting out lyrics: she points an unseen audience member line "so proud me" (applying tricky emphasis both italicized words) cocks head, adopting quick Marilyn Monroe–esque pout, "turn heads." Still, these motions small. Estelle Bennett's Nedra Talley's movements, entirely synchronized, backup singers' job demanded, even more circumscribed: hands forearms move down, they remain assigned dance space. In fourthwall-breaking moment during bridge, instrumentals take over, all briefly stop mouthing "oohs." surface, this performance falls firmly within complexly restrictive lines accepted feminine behavior understood at time, especially [End Page 90] performance: modest clothing, light movements space, come-hither (but only). also fit into sonic framework Wall Sound: janglingly bombastic glitzy set sounds recording methods developed producer Phil sound engineer Larry Levine. (To add Spector's own controls exerted over female his stable artists, 1968 he would become famously abusive coercive husband.) deeper analysis shows some ways particular, rebelling against such strictures: hiding might be provocation behind facade "good girl," complicating gender, taking direct ownership persona. performs like this, shifts effect Sound away from production toward singer. Across career, performances, rehearsals, counters others' memories herself, exceeds visual spaces allotted injects transgressive power smallest subtly shifting terms acceptable, femininity pushing perceived obedience pop. Indeed, retrospectively categorizes music rock roll, frame deploys capaciously enough describe excessive its connections biracial identity. Grandstanding here becomes creative act, small ways. new artistic territory, static choreography fixed These boundary-shifting actions others them characteristic solo image building Talley, collective work. article, I argue Ronettes, transgressed social, gendered expectations public various rehearsal cross public/private divide. did through call feminine, capacious combination vocal choices (re)inserts women's perspectives into...