Betty Wright, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do” | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 63^rd edition of Throwback Vibez (2022), we recollect and reflect on “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do” by Betty Wright.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome – we don’t discriminate ‘round here! In the 63^rd edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2022), we recollect and reflect on 🎵 “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”, performed by 🎙 Betty Wright.

Theme & Lyrics ✍ 

“The guys are gonna wander / Go out and play sometimes / But girls you must not let it get you down.” Guys are trash for sure, so, yeah, 🎙 Betty Wright, you have valid point.  Still, it feels so damn unfair to the girls (and I’m a guy)! In her 1968 classic, 🎵 “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”, Wright continues adds in the first verse, “Just take this advice I give you just like a mother / You try to match your guys two for two / Don’t try to do the things that the guys do, no no.” Well, okay… Wright, again, has a valid point on this throwback gem from 💿 My First Time Around.  Of course, it also highlights the double standard women face, ugh!

The chorus, the centerpiece of “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do,” speaks volumes:

“‘Cause girls you can’t do what the guys do, no

And still be a lady

Girls, you can’t do what the guys do, no

And still be a lady, no

No, oh.”

Basically, women can’t get away with that sugar honey iced tea… lame. BUT, depending on the lens you view “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do,” Wright is urging women to be classy –  rise above the dumb stuff guys do.  The messaging is big on this soul classic, which peaked at no. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Also worth mentioning is the music itself.  “Girls Can’t…” features vintage, soul production with horns, keys, and vibes; the orchestration is ‘everything.’ The record commences dynamically and energetically with articulated, biting horns. Wright is both refined and commanding. Besides her epic lead vocals, the backing vocals are terrific in their own right.  Notably, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do,” has been sampled by 🎙 Beyoncé (🎵 “Upgrade U”) and 🎙 Latto (🎵 “P—y”).

Final Thoughts 💭 

Although 🎵 “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do” has a short runtime, it’s incredibly powerful.  The message – the theme – and musicianship are equally important. Still, above all, Betty Wright was a fabulous vocalist.  It’s no wonder why so many rappers sought her out for collaboration in her later years.

🎙 Betty Wright • 💿 My First Time Around • 🏷 Atco • 🗓 1968

Betty Wright, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 63 (2022) [📷: Atco, Brent Faulkner, Gerhard G., JL G via Pixabay,  Karl Hörnfeldt via Unsplash,  The Musical Hype]