The noticeable absence of females does raise some concerns, but I blame it on two things: the fact that there are more male artists and bands in general (I don't have the statistics, but I'm sure males outnumber female musicians by a massive margin) and that the majority of the more commercially successful female artists - particularly those over the last two decades -are the kind that pump out catchy, but ultimately forgettable, pop tunes that are far from "classics" - well, not by Triple J listeners' standards anyway.
However, there is some fantastic female talent out there, and to give them the credit they deserve, I'm going to put together my all-female Hottest 100 songs of all time.
This required a lot of time-wasting at work, and the order of the songs probably still isn't up to scratch, and there's songs surely that have been left out, but frankly, I couldn't give a toss.
THE ALL-FEMALE HOTTEST 100 OF ALL TIME:
1. Dolly Parton - Jolene
2. Breeders - Cannonball
3. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
4. Dusty Springfield - Son of a Preacher Man
5. Aretha Franklin - Respect
6. Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly
7. Janis Joplin - Piece of My Heart
8. Nina Simone - Feeling Good
9. Heartbeats - The Knife
10. Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
11. The Supremes - Baby Love
12. Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang
13. Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me
14. Salt'n'Pepa - Push It
15. Blondie - Atomic
16. Shirley Bassee - Diamonds Are Forever
17. Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
18. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams19. Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares for Me
20. Everything But the Girl - Missing
21. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2U
22. Ronettes - Be My Baby
23. Dusty Springfield - Spooky
24. Hole -Violet24. Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
25. Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to Love
26. Elastica - Connection
27. Lulu - To Sir, With Love
28. Bjork - Isobel
29. Fleetwood Mac - Seven Wonders
30. The Seekers - Georgie Girl
32. The Carpenters - Tambourine Man
33. Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
34. Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach
35. Patti Smith - Because the Night
36. The Slits - Heard It On the Grapevine
37. Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You
38. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
39. Donna Summer - I Love the Nightlife
40. PJ Harvey - Good Fortune
41. Cat Power - Metal Heart
42. Bjork - Hyperballad
43. Nina Simone - Sinnerman
44. Cat Power - Sea of Love
45. Portishead - Glory Box
46. Delerium (featuring Sarah McLachlan) - Silence
47. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
48. Lamb - Gorecki
49. Blondie - Heart of Glass
50. Shirlee Bassee - Big Spender
51. Bjork - Big-Time Sensuality
52. PJ Harvey - This is Love
53. Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
54. The Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow
55. Nancy Sinatra - These Boots are Made for Walking
56. Madonna - Like a Prayer
57. The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket
58. Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
59. Veruca Salt - Seether
60. Blondie - Rapture
61. Madonna - Live To Tell
62. Tori Amos - Professional Widow
63. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - How Long
64. Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl
65. Hole - Doll Parts66. Magic Dirt - Locket
67. The Divinyls - Boys in Town
68. The Cranberries - Zombie
69. Amy Winehouse - Rehab
70. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
71. I feel the Earth Move - Carole King
72. The Divinyls - Pleasure and Pain
73. Moloko - Sing it Back
74. Sarah Blasko - Don't U Eva
75. Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch
76. Lily Allen - Smile
77. Fiona Apple - Criminal
78. The Bangles - Eternal Flame
79. Kylie Minogue - I Can't Get You Out Of My Head
80. Mavis Staples - I'll Take You There
81. Magic Dirt - Dirty Jeans
82. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
83. Sharon Jones and Dap Kings - What Have You Done For Me Lately?
84. Lisa Loeb - Stay
85. The Pretenders - Middle of the Road
86. L7 - Pretend That We're Dead
87. The Cranberries - Dreams
89. PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
90. Sarah Blasko - Perfect Now
91. The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian
92. Cyndi Lauper - True Colours
93. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
94. Gossip - Standing In the Way of Control
95. Regina Spektor - Real Love
96. Blue Boy - Remember Me
97. Beth Orton - She Cries Your Name
98. Eurythmics - There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)
99. Garbage - Stupid Girl
100. Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee
