The Beginning of the ‘I’ Era

The act of “women speaking in their own words” became taken for granted in popular music. However, it also served as an example of how important it is for women to express themselves in society.

Up to the mid-1960s, female singers in popular music often simply performed songs assigned to them by producers, dressed in flashy costumes. It was much the same whether in the American pop scene or any other scene: women were given the role of providing a glamorous presence on stage. However, around the mid-1960s in the United States, a new breed of women emerged who wrote their own lyrics and music, performed by themselves, and incorporated their own experiences and emotions directly into their songs. These are the so-called female singer-songwriters.

Led by Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Laura Nyro, more and more of them followed—Sandy Denny, Carly Simon, Helen Reddy, Janis Ian, Maria Muldaur, Joan Baez, Marianne Faithfull, Nico, Minnie Riperton, Maggie Bell, Linda Lewis, and so on—filling the Billboard charts. They appealed to the public with raw, immediate emotions and inner perspectives that differed from those of male artists.

What they spun into song were their own stories: love, heartbreak, internal struggles, dreams, the emergence of feminism, and more. Their willingness to bare their inner truths—distinct from the formulaic female image seen in mainstream pop—grew even stronger once the 1970s began. At the same time, women’s very ways of living were also in flux. Through the civil rights movement, anti-war movement, and the women’s liberation movement of the late ’60s, women began seeking new forms of self-realization within society. Against that backdrop, the forthright messages of these female singer-songwriters offered encouragement to many.

Yet, about fifty years after the dawn of this “I” era, if we revisit their music today in the 21st century, it still feels remarkably fresh—far from something confined to the past. Even now, more than half a century after its release, Carole King’s Tapestry remains beloved worldwide, while Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Laura Nyro’s New York Tendaberry continue to move listeners deeply.

It’s not that people are listening to these works as oldies. Their lyrics and melodies carry something universal that transcends eras. The style they embodied—“singing one’s own story in one’s own words”—has been passed down to contemporary singer-songwriters as well. You can see that legacy in Billie Eilish, who swept the Grammys from her debut LP five years ago, and in Taylor Swift, who reigns as a pop icon, among others.

Looking back on the female singer-songwriters of the 1970s, it’s clear that they were far more than just a passing trend. They represented a major innovation that fundamentally transformed the nature of popular music. Here, we’ll introduce some of the representative albums by those pioneers and explore how their music emerged and evolved.

For example, Billie Eilish, who dominated the Grammys in 2019 with her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, produced it in her bedroom with her brother Finneas, singing with a keen perspective on her own mental health and youth culture. It’s no exaggeration to see parallels between her and Laura Nyro, who completed her debut album at the age of nineteen.

Back then, Laura Nyro too wielded her own sensibilities and talent like a weapon, freely unleashing her creativity in the studio. Her determination to pursue her own music without being swayed by producers or label demands is something she shares with Billie Eilish.

Moreover, Taylor Swift’s 2020 back-to-back releases Folklore and Evermore took a bold turn away from her usual pop style, integrating folk and indie-rock elements to create a more introspective world. This approach can be seen as a further sharpening of her stance in the pop scene, emphasizing her role as a songwriter and singing about her inner life and personal narratives.

One key reason female singer-songwriters of the 1970s garnered so much attention was not just that they sang their own lyrics, but that they laid bare their own stories exactly as they were. By overturning the conventional image of womanhood and vividly depicting the joys and pains of love, along with discontent and questions about society, their songs were both shocking and refreshing to the listeners of that era.

Until then, it was common for female singers simply to perform songs written by male composers around them. But Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, and others wrote their own lyrics and music, expressing a woman’s point of view and emotions directly. This resonated with women living through the same era, and their music became a social phenomenon.

Take Joni Mitchell, for instance. She drew attention by candidly weaving her own romantic experiences into her songs. On Blue, she included many tracks that revealed breakups, loneliness, and her inner self—content considered highly sensational at the time. However, her honest lyrics and delicate melodies struck a chord with many listeners, propelling her to become an iconic figure among singer-songwriters.

Thanks to their success, the act of “women speaking in their own words” became taken for granted in popular music. At the same time, it also served as an example of how important it is for women to express themselves in society. Their achievements paved the way for many subsequent female artists.

Looking back, the mid-’60s to early ’70s was a time when youth culture in America and Britain was undergoing major transformation. Rock and folk were evolving rapidly, and more young people were raising their voices about political and social issues. Against that cultural backdrop, female singer-songwriters might have inevitably risen to prominence.

And now in the 21st century, the huge success of Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift shows that the “I” era that emerged back then has both deepened and diversified. In our current world, where social media makes it easy for anyone to broadcast their voice, the style of “singing one’s own story in one’s own words” is more vital than ever.

With all this in mind, this upcoming singer-songwriter guide offers a comprehensive introduction to albums by female singer-songwriters from the 1970s. Their music is sure to provide many insights and sources of inspiration even for us living today. I hope you’ll revisit these classic albums and let your thoughts wander back to the dawn of the “I” era.