Feminist Sounds: Janelle Monáe's "Dirty Computer"
Welcome to the dystopian, yet hopeful, world of Jane 57821. And remember, you are a dirty computer.
This past April, afrofuturist* pop-icon Janelle Monáe released her fourth album Dirty Computer. Made up of 14 songs and a 45 minute “emotion picture”, Dirty Computer is Monáe’s most imaginative and vulnerable album yet. Alongside the release of her radical songs, Monáe came out as pansexual/queer and said she considers herself “to be a free-ass [motherf*****]”. I first discovered Janelle Monáe and her music in 2010 when I came across an article about her unique love of suits and all-over unmatched personal style. Monáe’s early attention for celebrating the fluidity of gender expression in fashion was an indicator of her fearless, feminist spirit. Monáe’s glittery stardom has grown more recently due to her acting roles in Moonlight (2016) and Hidden Figures (2016), among others. She is one of the most important feminist voices in pop music today. In this post, I hope to unpack the feminist message behind Dirty Computer by delving into 6 of the tracks for a new, ongoing Uterish blog series, “Feminist Sounds”. I offer my interpretation of the lyrics based on the album, subsequent interviews with Monáe, and other analyses by music professionals.
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“Dirty Computer” opens the album with: “Dirty computer, walk in line, [...] the bugs are in me”. On this track, Monáe introduces the central (queer-utopian/afrofuturist) concept of the album - the dirty computer. Through a queer, feminist lens (with which Monáe created this project), a dirty computer represents a marginalized, non-normative subject. A dirty computer may be told to “walk in line” but the “bugs”, or non-normative aspects of their identity, are already within them. This first title track stands on its own in the development of this concept, however, the theme of non-normative subjects is also the driving plot of the accompanying, fictional emotion picture in which Monáe plays a dirty computer.
“Screwed” is a feminist’s dream banger resulting from the collaboration of Monáe and Zoë Kravitz (also known as LOLAWOLF). The song centers on the double meaning of being screwed: having hot sex and being marginalized by an oppressive state. Monáe weaves these meanings together effortlessly by reminding listeners of the interconnectedness of marginalization and a freedom of sexuality. During the bridge, Monáe chants: “everything is sex/ except sex, which is power/ you know power is just sex/ now ask yourself who’s screwing you”. The funky, party sounds of the song and the sarcastic “let’s get screwed” chorus line conjure a light-hearted joy that makes you want to dance along to your own destruction for a minute.
In “Django Jane”, Monáe proves she can do it all, including rapping. “Django Jane” lays a history and future of black feminism. Django is a fictional, pop-culture character known as an avenging, freed slave. “Django Jane” specifically speaks to the legacy of resistance of black feminists in title and in the lyrics. In reference to her days of exclusively rocking suits, Monáe raps “remember when they used to say I look too mannish / black girl magic, y'all can't stand it”.
“Pynk” is the most sincere ode to vaginas you’ve ever heard. It is a beautifully written song. “Pynk, where it’s deepest inside...crazy / Pynk beyond forest and thighs”. For Monáe, “Pynk” is “the folds of your brain”, “the holes of your heart”, “the truth you can’t hide”. The music video carries on the soft but powerful melody that supports Monáe’s declarations. Monáe and other women dance in “vagina pants”. Importantly though, not all pants look the same nor do all the women wear pants. Monáe explained the wardrobe choice later - “No matter if you have a vagina or not”. The music video also includes: lots of butts, Tessa Thompson, pubic hair, and more yonic symbolism than we knew was possible...what more could a feminist ask for?
“Make Me Feel” has been lauded as the pan/bi-anthem the pop-scene has been waiting for. It embraces all things crush, desire, and queer in a Prince-inspired bop. Once again, Monáe is completely unapologetic for her hungers. She feels “powerful with a little bit of tender”. If the lyrics weren’t enough, the accompanying video shows Monáe at a club flirting and dancing with both a woman and man. “Make Me Feel” is a bit more explicit in a visual analysis rather than a lyrical analysis. In the video, Monáe explores all her desires openly and defiantly.
In “I Like That”, Monáe articulates the things she likes. At first a rather simple premise, the song soon reveals itself as a feminist nod to embracing one’s desires and pleasures. It speaks to how women, in particular, are told to focus more on what others expect of them rather than what they want or like themselves. “I don’t care what I look like but I feel good.” Looking at the song from a queer perspective reveals a similar radical thread. Queer people are often forced to hide or make excuses for the desires they have. Monáe’s bold and simple statement, “I like that”, makes room for us all to tune into ourselves and advocate for our own hunger. Monáe knows that queer and feminist desire is revolutionary.
There are many more songs to unpack and jam out to on the album! What do you thinking of the album? Check it out below.
*glossary -
Afrofuturism describes an artistic, intellectual, and aesthetic movement within and from the Black community that focuses on science-fiction, fantasy, and the future. Afrofuturism tends to integrate Black people and culture into a genre and imagined future that they might not otherwise be included in.