Ellie Goulding: ‘guys can write about one-night stands,’ but women can’t

2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Pink Carpet
Ellie Goulding, 27 28, has a new interview with People Magazine to promote her album, Delirium, which was released last week. It’s got the singles you’ve probably already heard, “Burn” and “On My Mind“, plus that song from 50 Shades of Grey, “Love Me Like You Do.” Ellie’s music is pretty forgettable to me, although I liked her 2012 hit, “Lights.” I have to confess that when I first read the headline to this story I thought “oh I love Ex’s and Oh’s” that’s a badass song, but that’s Elle King not Ellie Goulding. That’s the love ’em and leave ’em song of the moment anyway, only Ellie G thinks female artists don’t get enough chances to write those types of songs because of sexism and how male dominated her industry is. She has enough experience, she should know. Here’s more of what she told People:

There are a lot of positive changes in the music industry, and I see those with myself and my entire team, which is mostly women. But it annoys me that guys can easily write about one-night stands, but if a girl writes about one? God, that’s terrible, you know? I call myself a feminist because it’s a word for someone who believes in equality. And yes, I absolutely believe in that.

I’d love to do a bit of acting. It would be a natural thing for me because I studied it. It’s what I wanted to do originally. I was singing the whole time, but I didn’t think that I was ever gonna get a job out of it. People used to say to me singing couldn’t be a career… but here I am.

[From People, online and print edition]

I really like how matter-of-fact she is about feminism. Yes that’s what feminism is, and when a young-ish pop star can articulate the meaning of feminism better than an Oscar winning actress starring in a movie about the early women’s movement, we have a problem.

In a more extensive interview with Rolling Stone, Ellie said basically the same thing, that women couldn’t write about one night stands. She was asked which of her songs was about a one night stand and she said it was “On My Mind,” and that the lyric was “You wanted my heart, but all I wanted was your tattoos,” and she added “I think it says a lot. To me, I knew there was a risk in that, but there shouldn’t be a risk.” That’s not clear at all, but maybe that’s what she means, that she was prevented from being any clearer. It makes you wonder if she’s calling out some executive or producer specifically.

2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Runway

2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Pink Carpet

2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Runway

Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

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32 Responses to “Ellie Goulding: ‘guys can write about one-night stands,’ but women can’t”

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  1. Bluebell says:

    I like Ellie, I’ll probably buy her album.

    Off-topic, but as I’m also Ellie’s age, it threw me when you described her as ‘young-ish’. Eek! I suppose it’s all downhill from here….

    (just to add, I know what you meant, i.e. that she’s young but she’s not some naive teenager, I’m just kidding).

    • Allie says:

      I’m the same age and I was frightened by that sentence too.

      That said, I just can’t get behind Ellie. I find that she has very little talent, and she’s so smug.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      I like Ellie, but I though she was younger because she seem a bit juvenile to me. She is friends with Taylor Swift after all.

      I find her so so pretty. She has beautiful eyes.

    • jammypants says:

      It ends at 30 for women and begins at 30 for men, didn’t you know? 😉

  2. Alice says:

    Does anybody else think that tattoos lyric is about Ed Sheeran? I mean, he’s got a lot of those, and everyone thought “Don’t” was about Ellie, and it’s a song about how he wanted a serious relationship and she didn’t. Makes a lot of sense, at least to me.

    • Dtab says:

      It was absolutely about Ed, she pretty much said so before and now is backtracking a bit.

    • Mata says:

      I could be wrong, but I believe he actually confirmed that Don’t was about her. I agree with your theory. It makes sense that she’d also want to get her musical side of the story out there.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      Yeah, if you go lyric by lyric, “On My Mind” seems like an answer to “Don’t”. I really like that song, even though I liked Ellie’s earlier stuff better, before she went all electronic.

    • Lou says:

      Don’t isn’t about him wanting a serious relationship – go back and listen

      • WinnieCoopersMom says:

        “Maybe we’ll go together and just figure it out..It was never just fun and I thought you were different..” Sounds like he wanted more than just a hookup.

    • WinnieCoopersMom says:

      Yep. Definitely this. She is pissed that not only can men write and get away with it, but specifically Ed. She is still bitter about “Don’t.” Hahah I would be too. He SLAMMED her in that song, every detail included. I like her music but I was Team Ed on that one, she deserved it.

  3. Naddie says:

    If talent was required, you wouldn’t have a career, darling.

    • Armenthrowup says:

      So being able to sing in tune and live too, write great pop songs, work your ass off to get where you did instead of using a talent show isn’t talent? Oh okay then. Idiotic comment.

      • Sabrine says:

        She is loaded with talent. The other comments saying she isn’t really took me by surprise….Huh?

      • Naddie says:

        Oh please, take me out of my stupidness, will you? Great pop songs? Give me one , please. And a link where she sings in tune and live. Or leave me alone with my opinion.

      • Jay says:

        Naddie, you are entitled to your opinion… and we are entitled to say your opinion is idiotic (which it is).

      • Bridget says:

        Or, you know, some people aren’t into saccharine warbling.

      • Naddie says:

        I still stand for my opinion. She has no talent. I’ve watched her live, it’s a pain.

  4. BendyWindy says:

    I’m pretty sure she’s the same age as me and I was 27 a few years back. Lol. I remember because I was fat and pregnant when Burn came out and I was sad that we were the same age.

  5. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I wouldn’t think twice if a woman wrote a song about a one night stand. Is that really a thing?

    • Jasmine says:

      Right. It’s been done so many times before.
      This is why I don’t want to call myself a feminist or be labeled as one. They are constantly whining about “Oh, poor me I can’t say this, I can’t do that cause I’m a woman”. Like when Jennifer Lawrence’s talked about being afraid to negoiate in her essay. Don’t blame others for your own insecurities.

      • TheOtherMaria says:

        Well that’s rather broad stroke you’re painting…

        Most feminists simply point the various inequalities in a systematic level for women, as for Jennifer Lawrence, how is being afraid an insecurity?

        There’s a very real fear (on her end) that by asking for me, she’ll be labeled difficult 😒 Last I checked, that’s not projection, it’s reality….

        Plenty of people love to victimize themselves, saying that’s why you’re not a feminist says more about you than them.

      • Jasmine says:

        Well, I disagree, I do think it’s a projection. Adam Sandler for instance asked for more and he was called an a**hole according to the leaked e-mail.

        I did not say that I’m not a feminist (cause I do in fact believe in equality), I just don’t want to call myself one and be associated with many of the statements made by “feminists”.

  6. Anna says:

    When I saw the headline I thought “here we go again… another one of those moronic twits who can’t spell* feminism” but thank god, she actually made sense.

    * I know I can’t spell but I’m not a native speaker 😛

  7. Saphana says:

    those are some deep lyrics.

  8. Mela says:

    I was a huge fan of her first album. But then I made the mistake of going to see her live. She should bless her lucky stars that auto-tune is a thing, because she cannot sing live. Plus, she just seemed like a snot on stage, like performing for the lowly audience was above her. It was a disappointing experience to say the least, but I haven’t really been a fan of her new stuff anyway.

    • WinnieCoopersMom says:

      I thought I wanted to see her live, but I recently caught one of her concerts on tv and she was just jumping around the stage. I was like wow that looks like a lame show and then taking into consideration your comment and others like it? Yeah, no thanks.

  9. MadMenluv says:

    who is this person? never heard of her…

  10. bell says:

    Burn is not a song from delirium. Hayley williams and that dj wrote a song “stay the night” that’s 100% about one-night stand so yes women can write such songs

  11. TWINK says:

    “Burn” was on a previous album, not this one.

  12. Tiger blood says:

    You feel you can’t. But what if you wrote about it? What happens?