Where Are Today's Girls Like Us?

I recently finished reading Sheila Weller's 2008 triple biography Girls Like Us. Subtitled "Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation" the book recounts in detail the turbulent life, times and interactions of three of the most influential female singer-songwriters of the 1970s. These women are the stuff of legends.

Carly is the poor little rich girl whose sensuality and free-spirited attitude buoyed her and colored her musical legacy of songs both intimate and emotive. The storied life that led her to blast her famous lovers in "You're So Vain" and weep for the costs of modern romance on "We Have No Secrets" leads her to a marriage to junkie James Taylor and a tour and duet intended to salvage their relationship.

Meanwhile Joni is still reeling from giving her illegitimate daughter up for adoption and channels that hurt, pain and confusion into deeply personal lyrics. The steely strength she develops causes deep rifts with each man that enters her life, but created masterpieces of music.

And Carole is a young mother forced into an early marriage to avoid scandal. Writing the melodies and her husband writing the lyrics, they created some of the greatest pop songs in history. As if inspiring and co-creating "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" wasn't enough, she went on the record one of the classic LPs of all time, Tapestry.

The three ladies connected with a primarily female audience, telling their stories through song and giving a voice to the strong wellspring of emotion in a woman. That is the key to their success, they weren't parroting the words of a male-written song while a man drove their sound, look and career. That allowed them to connect, to become Girls Like Us.

These women inspired their peers and women to come with the talent and drive required to thrive in a male dominated industry. They paved the way for social changes in the music industry, but that door remains merely cracked open and is need of being blown off the hinges.

Women in pop music are sold as sex objects as much as musicians. Taking control one's sexuality is one of the central premises of Girls Like Us. However, the fact that, of the women that appeared on VH1's Top 100 Artists of All Time list (including Joni), their looks are just as discussed as their talent is sad and telling. And while some women have taken the reins on the production end of their songs and albums, it is rare for a women to produce (i.e. boss around) male artists.

Who is taking the reins now? All this week on Pictures And Conversations we are gonna look at the Girls Like Us 2011, the female artists who are telling the story of the women of today and the future.