Fear of a Female Planet
“Fear of a Female Planet”
Is spoken by Kim Gordon during the bridge of 1990’s “Kool Thing” by Sonic Youth. When
Gordan says this line, she is having a dream-like conversation with Chuck D, emulating the
interview that lead to the song’s conception. It’s a moment that can be easily missed despite
being a quintessential mix of nineties music worlds.
In 1989 Gordon interviewed LL Cool J for Spin magazine, hoping to gain a feminist
perspective on the male-dominated world of hip hop. It was to no avail. Her questions that
focused on the way Cool J had been portrayed as a sex object just led to answers of complete
indifference, granting a general acceptance towards the flaws of the hip hop landscape. Gordon
decided to take the high road and created a humorous spin on the article, leading to the release
of “Kool Thing” six months later.
It’s a title that matches the song. Two heavily distorted guitars calmly introduce the song
before the drums crash in and a constrained chaos is created. Drummer Steve Shelley fills each
crevice of otherwise spare space while the guitars gloriously wail and dip with abandon.
Gordon’s singing is sexy in a way that only Gordon can pull off- somehow both breathy and
sturdy as she repeats “I don’t wanna, I don’t think so,” a nod to Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali.”
At the start of the bridge, Gordon calls out “Hey, Kool Thing, come here,” using a
purposely sarcastic tone. She pokes fun at her own initial belief that just because someone is
famous and successful doesn’t mean they share your beliefs, or even have the brain capacity to
know what you are talking about. Just because someone has “cool” in their name doesn’t mean
they can live up to the title.
The line “Fear of a female planet” is a reference to “Fear of a Black Planet,” the album
released by Public Enemy that same year. Aligning these two seemingly different worlds for the
bridge was a brilliant decision, allowing for the track to have an even greater sense of depth and
personality.
One can effortlessly enjoy “Kool Thing” without knowing the backstory. It was Sonic
Youth’s first radio hit, and one of the major tracks off their most accessible album, “Goo.” In
many ways it is a perfect punk rock song: dirty, fast, thrilling, and including social commentary.
A song that was born out of a gendered dispute couldn’t have anything less to do with it; “Kool
Thing” can be enjoyed by any person from any background. Even more, it is a prime example of
Sonic Youth’s ingenuity, music’s uniting quality, and simply, Kim Gordon’s coolness.