Ladybird

Tay Temple

Effortlessly weaving the threads of contemporary anthems with the soul of English folk, this second single from Manchester based singer/songwriter, Tay Temple, looks down the barrel of representation of woman and doesn’t blink.

Following on from her previous single ‘Millennial’, which tackled and embodied the struggle of Tay’s generation to be heard and not to be dismissed, ‘Ladybird’ spreads its reach and focus to the larger issue of female representation and the struggles woman face with their image. ‘….She used to be a beauty queen talk of her little town….’. Opening the song with these words, Tay presents her message instantly, as though already saying, ‘the term beauty queen only lasts for so long’.

She then pulls the song down a contemporary route while sticking to her messaging. ‘….I am a book everyone has read….’ Almost referencing how woman are prejudged by how they look, rather than their substance. This message is then nailed home by the crashing chorus, ‘….I am a ladybird, without her red….’ A shout, a rallying cry, ‘I might not look like what you expected in your eyes, but I am still a woman underneath, just because a Ladybird may loose its red, does not mean it stops being a Ladybird.

The song pushes forwards once again tackling the injustice of age becoming a factor, which is then tracked against beauty standards; you can be old, as long as you good with it, however the narrator of the song refuses to back down and in Tay’s words ‘….Stands Tall….’ Once again this highlights to the listener, Tay’s personal view on the subject of the way woman are treated in society after a certain age. This is elevated with Tay’s delivery and passion that doesn’t ease as the song powers forwards

Overall the track is a well written and meaningful song that steers away from preachy and grounds itself in an honest reality. For me the final refrain of the song ‘….What’s a lady without her red?….’ perfectly ties together both the metaphor and the reality of the song. ‘What is a woman without her beauty? Without her youth?….she is still a woman.

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