"Rebel Girl"

Bikini Kill
(Kill Rock Stars, 1993)

The "Marseillaise" of riot grrrl nation was later re-recorded with guest vocals by Joan Jett, but the real deal is the chaotic 1992 original. Over squalling guitar and martial snare, Kathleen Hanna careers from shriek to nyah-nyah to near-traditional rock growl on the chorus: "Rebel girl, you are the queen of my world." This is liberation via confusion: is it a show of solidarity ("She's my best friend"), a come-on ("I wanna date you"), a manifesto ("When she talks, I hear the revolution"), or simply a send-up of punk/garage machismo? Answer: all of the above.

-- Franklin Bruno