“Timeless” rock masculinities: understanding the gendered dimension of an annual Belgian radio music poll

ABSTRACT

This article explores the gendered dimension of De Tijdloze Honderd (the Timeless Hundred), an annual Belgian radio music poll organized by public broadcasting radio station Studio Brussel. Female artists have been consistently underrepresented in the poll of all-time favorite songs. Drawing on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of ten editions of the program throughout its history, this study set out to assess gender disparity in the Timeless Hundred and explore how the three most “timeless” male acts negotiate hegemonic masculinity. I argue that the Timeless Hundred inadvertently reiterates the belief that “timeless” popular music is chiefly the product of men who rock, despite the presence of masculinities that undermine a hegemonic masculine rock ideal. Particularly the gendering of rock music, processes of canonization, and the creation of a collective memory have co-constructed music polls that lack fair gender representation. I conclude by emphasizing the importance of public initiatives that expose these structural dynamics and help to reimagine popular music’s history as truly inclusive and representative.

KEYWORDS:

• Popular music
• rock music
• radio music poll
• canonization
• masculinities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Each time the same song was listed in another edition, it was counted as a separate song.

2. Dolores O’Riordan was the lead singer of The Cranberries while D’arcy Wretzky was the bass player of The Smashing Pumpkins.

3. Pixies does not have a single front person, as both Black Francis and Kim Deal share that role.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Frederik Dhaenens

Frederik Dhaenens (PhD) is an assistant professor at Ghent University, where he teaches courses that deal with media, (popular) culture and diversity. His research is situated within the field of critical media studies and cultural studies, while focusing on queer theory, LGBTQ representation, sex and sexuality, and masculinities in relation to popular culture, with a particular interest for television studies, popular music studies, and fan studies. E-mail: [email protected]