Clik here to view.
Yesterday, Rolling Stone shared their list of the greatest debut singles of all time. And while Britney Spears'"…Baby One More Time" (1998) claimed the top spot, in true Rolling Stone fashion female artists only accounted for one-fourth of the list's 100 entries (this fraction becomes only slightly larger if one includes singles by co-ed acts Blondie, The B-52s and Chic).
This disparity may be partially attributed to the list's parameters: solo debuts by already well-known artists (e.g. Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Nicks) were not counted. But for the most part, it's just another example of the industry and its critics' underrating of the women behind some of its most compelling contributions. (It may also be worth noting that of the 15 writers listed in the article's byline, only four are women.)
With this in mind, I took the liberty of listing 25 of the greatest debut singles by female artists and/or female-fronted bands that Rolling Stone overlooked (in order of release, sticking to the aforementioned criterion).
Kylie Minogue - "Locomotion" (1987)
Mariah Carey - "Vision of Love" (1990)
Tori Amos - "Me and a Gun" (1991)
Brandy - "I Wanna Be Down" (1994)
Garbage - "Vow" (1995)
Shakira - "Estoy Aquí" (1995)
Spice Girls - "Wannabe" (1996)
Dido - "Here with Me" (1999)
Jennifer Lopez - "If You Had My Love" (1999)
Kelis - "Caught Out There" (1999)
Mandy Moore - "Candy" (1999)
Nelly Furtado - "I'm Like a Bird" (2000)
P!nk - "There You Go" (2000)
Girls Aloud - "Sound of the Underground" (2002)
Amy Winehouse - "Stronger Than Me" (2003)
Ciara - "Goodies" (feat. Petey Pablo, 2004)
JoJo - "Leave (Get Out)" (2004)
Lily Allen - "Smile" (2006)
Lykke Li - "Little Bit" (2007)
Lady Gaga - "Just Dance" (feat. Colby O'Donis, 2008)
The Pretty Reckless - "Make Me Wanna Die" (2010)
Azealia Banks - "212" (feat. Lazy Jay, 2011)
Charli XCX - "Stay Away" (2011)
SZA - "Babylon" (feat. Kendrick Lamar, 2014)