You Don't Own Me (Pale Waves song)

"You Don't Own Me" is a pop-punk^[1] song that was written by Pale Waves frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie, and the singer-songwriter Sam de Jong; it is played in the key of C♯ minor and at 170 beats per minute.^[2][3] Described by Stitched Sound as a "empowering, guitar-heavy release of frustration",^[4] "You Don't Own Me" opens with a "gritty chugging guitar" riff that plays over the song's verses.^[1] The song then "transition[s] into a punk-pop [chorus] melody, which Avril Lavigne would be proud of".^[5]

Lyrically, "You Don't Own Me" is a repudiation of sexism and gender norms. In an interview with NME, Baron-Gracie explained that the track is "about what it’s like to be a woman in this world ... [It discusses] how society depicts, judges and criticises women on a daily basis. ... I also wanted to say a fuck you to everyone that plays by these fake delusional rules that women and gender need to fit inside a specific box."^[1] Many of the song's lyrics were inspired by instances of "sexist" and "inappropriate" behaviour directed at Baron-Gracie by men. The feminist ethos of the song is "unapologetic" and "angry" because, as Baron-Gracie put it, "we [i.e., women] are angry; we're sick of it!"^[6] Due to its message, Baron-Gracie has cited the track as "the most important on" Who Am I?^[6]

The music video for "You Don't Own Me" was co-directed by Heather Baron-Gracie and her partner, Kelsi Luck. Released on 1 March,^[8] the video is "a love letter to early noughties emo and pop-punk";^[7] the website Nü Sounds wrote that the visuals of "You Don't Own Me" are a "portal to early 2000s grunge; red hair, graffiti, all the works."^[9] The site also likened Baron-Gracie's dress to those worn by Melanie Martinez and called the overall production "a throwback of a lifetime".^[9]

"You Don't Own Me" was released as the fourth single from Who Am I?, and it debuted on 13 January 2021.^[10]