Like Patti Smith, Corin Tucker took time off from being a punk-rock heroine to become a mom. The lyrics to her solo debut reflect that, touching on kids, distant partners and hunger for a former self. "Who is the zombie that is wearing Mommy's clothes?" she sings, as weary rocker moms worldwide nod in solidarity. She's not shredding the awesome vocal cords so much, but she gets fierce in other ways, trying on cellos and piano ballads. When she finally cranks it up Sleater-Kinney-style on "Doubt," it feels earned: a cry of self-determination, as inspiring as ever.

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.