885 Greatest Songs By Women – WXPN Host List
For two decades WXPN has crowd-sourced its most popular on-air countdowns. With themes like the 885 Greatest Songs of All-Time, 885 All-Time Greatest Albums, 885 Greatest Desert Island Songs, and more, each event resulted in a Top 10 list dominated by male artists. This year will be different.
Here are the various lists chosen by the XPN hosts for the 2023 885 Greatest Songs by Women countdown.
Kristen Kurtis
Morning Show Host & Asst. Music Director
- Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit
- Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me
- Joni Mitchell – A Case Of You
- Tori Amos – Crucify
- No Doubt – Just A Girl
- Amy Winehouse – Rehab
- Lady Gaga – Poker Face
- Janelle Monae – Tightrope
- Alabama Shakes – Gimme All Your Love
- Fiona Apple – Under The Table
Bob Bumbera
News Director/Morning Show Co-Host
- Bonnie Raitt – Angel From Montgomery
- Annie Lennox – No More I Love You’s
- Brandi Carlile – The Joke
- Tori Amos – Silent All These Years
- Etta James – At Last
- Aretha Franklin – (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
- Kate Bush – This Woman’s Work
- Sinéad O’Connor – No Man’s Woman
- Gladys Knight – Midnight Train To Georgia
- Joni Mitchell – Blue
Mike Vasilikos
Midday Host / Operations Manager
- Aretha Franklin – The Weight
- Brandi Carlile – The Story
- Sister Nancy – Bam Bam
- Wanda Jackson – Funnel Of Love
- Patti Smith Group – Because The Night
- Yaz – Only You
- Waxahatchee – Recite Remorse
- Amy Winehouse – Valerie (’68 Version)
- The Chicks – Goodbye Earl
- Patty Griffin – Long Ride Home
Raina Douris
- Joni Mitchell – Free Man In Paris
- Donna Summer – I Feel Love
- Missy Elliott – Work It
- The Weather Station – Thirty
- Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know
- Judee Sill – Jesus Was A Crossmaker
- Azaelia Banks – 212
- Cardi B – WAP Feat. Megan Thee Stallion
- Cass Elliot – California Earthquake
- Lana Del Ray – Video Games
Stephen Kallao
World Cafe – Contributing Host
- Portishead – Glory Box
- Nina Simone – Feeling Good
- Bjork – Hyperballad
- Aretha Franklin – Respect
- Cece Peniston – Finally
- Paramore – Misery Business
- Mazzy Star – Fade Into You
- Tori Amos – Cornflake Girl
- The Cardigans – My Favorite Game
- Madonna – Like A Prayer
Dan Reed
Music Director / Afternoon Host
- Dolly Parton – Jolene
- The Pretenders – Private Life
- Joni Mitchell – Coyote
- Liz Phair – Never Said
- Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill
- Patti Smith – Ask The Angels
- Veruca Salt – Seether
- Blondie – Heart Of Glass
- Kathleen Edwards – 6 O’Clock News
- Rufus Feat. Chaka Kahn – Once You Get Started
Kathy O’Connell
- Judy Garland & Barbra Streisand – Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again
- Genya Ravan – Jerry’s Pigeons
- Marshall Chapman – Why Can’t I Be Like Other Girls?
- Jennifer Hudson – Change Is Gonna Come
- Susan Werner – Time Between Trains
- Donna Summer – Bad Girls
- Madeline Kahn – I’m Tired
- The Ronettes – Be My Baby
- The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men
- Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells – Danny Boy
John Vettese
Music News Editor / WXPN Local Host
- Bjork – Hyperballad
- Joni Mitchell – California
- Lauryn Hill – Everything Is Everything
- Sleater-Kinney – You’re No Rock N’ Roll Fun
- Nina Simone – Mississippi Goddam
- Carole King – So Far Away
- Rilo Kiley – With Arms Outstretched
- PJ Harvey – Sheela-Na-Gig
- Hole – Malibu
- Mitski – Last Words Of A Shooting Star
Rahman Wortman
- Sade – Kiss Of Life
- Anita Baker – You Bring Me Joy
- Eve – Love Is Blind
- Missy Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly
- Erykah Badu – Didn
- Amy Winehouse – What Is It About Men?
- Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
- Teena Marie – Square Biz
- Sister Nancy – Bam Bam
- Dionne Warwick – You
John Morrison
- Tina Turner – River Deep, Mountain High
- Joni Mitchell – The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
- Throwing Muses – Not Too Soon
- Nina Simone – Mississippi Goddamn
- Bjork – Joga
- Cibo Matto – Sugar Water
- Lauryn Hill – Everything Is Everything
- The Breeders – Divine Hammer
- Mary J Blige – All That I Can Say
- Kate Bush – Eat The Music
Eric Schuman
Host/Producer, Indie Rock Hit Parade
- The Ronettes – Be My Baby
- Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights
- Hurray For The Riff Raff – Pa’lante
- Donna Summer – I Feel Love
- Annette Funicello – Pineapple Princess
- Tom Tom Club – Genius Of Love
- Shilpa Ray – EMT Police And The Fire Department
- Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance
- Julee Cruise – Falling
- Enya – Orinocco Flow
Keith Kelleher
- Aretha Franklin – Respect
- Patti Smith – Rock & Roll N*****
- Joni Mitchell – A Case Of You
- Shirley Horn – Here
- Peggy Lee – Is That All There Is?
- Richard & Linda Thompson – Dimming Of The Day
- Kate Bush – All The Love
- Aldous Harding – Treasure
- Feist – Now At Last
- Offa Rex (Feat. Olivia Chaney) – Willie O
Julian Booker
- Billi Holiday – Strange Fruit
- Nina Simone – Mississippi Goddam
- Big Mama Thornton – Hound Dog
- Fiona Apple – Criminal
- Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good
- Grace Jones – Pull Up To The Bumper
- The Pointer Sisters – Yes We Can Can
- Valerie June – Astral Plane
- SIster Rosetta Tharpe – Strange Things Happening Every Day
- Waxahatchee – Lilacs
Bruce Warren
- Aretha Franklin – Respect
- Patti Smith – Gloria: In Excelsis Dio
- Carole King – It’s Too Late
- Joan Jett – I Love Rock ‘N Roll
- Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know
- Beyonce – Single Ladies
- The Supremes – Stop! In The Name Of Love
- Adele – Rolling In The Deep
- Lorde – Royals
- Madonna – Like A Prayer
David Dye
- Joni Mitchell – Coyote
- Allo Darlin – Tallulah
- Aretha Franklin – Respect
- Gillian Welch – April The 14th Part 1
- The Pretenders – Message Of Love
- Lucinda Williams – Passionate Kisses
- Sandy Denny – Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
- Dorothy Love Coates – Strange Man
- Irma Thomas – Ruler Of My Heart
- Bonnie Raitt – Angel From Montgomery
Wendy Rollins
- Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me
- Hole – Violet
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Burning
- Bjork – Isobel
- Fleetwood Mac – Gold Dust Woman
- Florence + The Machine – Delilah
- Garbage – Stupid Girl
- Bikini Kill – Rebel Girl
- Blondie – Call Me
- Sinead O’Connor – Feel So Different
Chuck Van Zyl
- Hildegard Of Bingen – O Euchari
- Caterina Barbieri – Knot Of Spirit
- Hélène Vogelsinger – Ceremony
- Martha Bahr (Panic Girl) – Woodpecker
- Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Careen
- Julianna Barwick – Nepenthe
- Maggi Payne – Lunar Earthrise
- Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe
- Pauline Oliveros – I Of IV
- Wendy Carlos – Winter
Debra D’Alessandro
- Joni Mitchell – Urge For Going
- Brandi Carlile – The Mother
- Cris Williamson – Sweet Woman
- Ferron – Ain’t Life a Brook
- Jamie Anderson – Dark Chocolate
- Aretha Franklin – RESPECT
- Joan Armatrading – Love And Affection
- Bonnie Raitt – Something To Talk About
- Toshi Reagon – Happy And Satisfied
- Sweet Honey In The Rock – On Children
Jonny Meister
Host/Producer “The Blues Show”
- Linda Waterfall – Song Like A Roar
- Memphis Minnie – Nothing In Rambling
- Tríona ní Dhomhnaill – Sixteen Come Next Sunday
- Aziza Mustafa-Zadeh – Stars Dance
- Ma Rainey – See See Rider Blues
- Ida Cox – One Hour Mama
- Ellen McIlwaine – Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (But Nobody Wants To Die)
- Martha & The Vandellas – Dancing In The Street
- Dory Previn – The Game
- Dolly Parton – In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
Jim McGuinn
Assistant Program Director / On-Air Host
- Patti Smith – People Have The Power
- Kate Bush – Cloudbusting
- Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good
- PJ Harvey – This Is Love
- X-Ray Spex – Oh Bondage Up Yours!
- Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop (That Thing)
- Blondie – Heart Of Glass
- Courtney Barnett – Pedestrian At Best
- Bjork – Army Of Me
- Sharon Jones – 100 Days, 100 Nights