From Janis Joplin to P.J. Harvey, Women and Popular Music explores the changing role of women musicians and the ways in which their songs resonate in popular culture. Through a series of artist case studies Sheila Whiteley examines the interaction between feminist debates and music culture over thirty years of pop history.Sheila Whiteley begins by examining the counter-culture's reactionary attitudes to women through the lyrics of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. She explores the ways in which artists like Joplin and Joni Mitchell confronted issues of sexuality and freedom, redefining women's participation in the industry, and assesses the personal cost of their achievements.