St Vincent has argued that ‘Daughters’ by John Mayer is the worst song ever written.
In a new interview for Kerrang! about the 10 songs that changed her life, the artist – real name Annie Clark – is asked to name what she believes is the worst song ever written, to which she chooses Mayer’s 2004 hit.
“It’s just so hideously sexist but it pretends to be a love song, but it’s really, really retrograde and really sexist,” she said. “And I hate it… It’s so deeply misogynistic, which would be fine if you owned that, but it pretends like it’s sweet.”
The song sees Mayer warn fathers that if they treat their daughters badly, they will create issues for the men those daughters will go on to date. “Fathers, be good to your daughters/
Daughters will love like you do/Girls become lovers who turn into mothers/So mothers, be good to your daughters too,” he sings in the chorus.
He later sings: “Boys will be strong/And boys soldier on/But boys would be gone without warmth from/A woman’s good, good heart.”
St Vincent is set to return to the UK and Europe as part of the ‘All Born Screaming’ tour, named after the musician’s latest album, which was released in April. The tour has already seen her hit the road with opener Heartworms, playing in London’s Royal Albert Hall at the start of June, as well as other dates around Europe.
Tickets for the new shows go on pre-sale at 10am on Tuesday (June 25), with general sale beginning at 10am on Friday (June 28). You can get yours here.
St. Vincent will play:
OCTOBER
13 – Dublin, 3 Olympia Theater
14 – Manchester, Albert Hall
18 – Barcelona, Razzmatazz
20 – Madrid, Riviera
22 – Milan, Fabrique
St. Vincent is also touring North America in August and September – find all the dates and details of that here, and the remaining tickets are here.
NME caught St. Vincent’s show at the Royal Albert Hall on June 1. It earned a four-star review: “Throughout the pulverising 90-minute set, Clark wields her guitar like a weapon and attacks the microphone with a restless urgency.
“Big, cathartic breakdowns teeter on the edge of chaos, but Clark and her four-piece band never let things fall apart completely. It’s gorgeous to watch, but it demands participation as well. With music this charged, there’s simply no standing on the sidelines.”