As a part of the DoReMeToo campaign, which involved female artists covering traditionally sexist songs, Kiwi musician Reb Fountain and Dresden Doll frontwoman Amanda Palmer contributed an outstanding and thought provoking mashup. The combination of Robin Thicke’s controversial hit “Blurred Lines” with Nirvana’s grunge anti-ballad “Rape Me” is a stroke of genius.
The track is slow and deliberate, Palmer’s solo piano mixing the melodies of both songs while the lyrics of both songs are sung in an almost call-response format. Fountain sings the sexually aggressive “Blurred Lines” lyrics, as Palmer responds with a scared and tragic delivery of “Rape Me.” The song builds to a crescendo as both artists nearly scream at each other, one for sexual domination, the other mocking the mindset the dominant person thinks the other may have. It’s a powerful statement on how women are still treated as objects by men, and the near exhaustion felt by women.
