Words by Lauren Stone; Photos by Michelle Paradis
The day Joelle Bensaid sent me “Like a Woman Scorned” her latest jazz-folk ode (and single) off her forthcoming album, I spent all morning listening to it. Partly because, in full transparency, this is my first song review and I didn’t want to sound totally incompetent when I spoke to her the following afternoon, but also because, after each listen, I got more intrigued. Verse after verse, line after line, Joelle brings to life an internal debate I think a lot of people, especially women, can relate to: whether to choose yourself over what you know to be an unhealthy love.
With lyrics like “You look like a blessing / You feel like a curse” and “Been too fond of you / So I let you get away with murder,” underpinned by sparkly synths and a twinkly layered guitar, Joelle tells a story we know all too well…one of taking off our rose colored glasses and recognizing that we deserve better. Another line, “Won’t you understand me first and want me last,” struck me for its relatability and insightful reading of a universal component of the female experience—being desired rather than understood.
My roommate and I were talking about this just last week: Why do men want a complex woman without any interest in understanding her?
The song’s namesake, a clever play on the classic “hell has no fury” bit, captures the perplexing nature of partners who fetishize women in pain or emotional turmoil. In Joelle’s words, during our interview, “Sometimes, you might find yourself in a relationship or a dynamic where you keep telling your partner, ‘Hey, this bothers me,’ or ‘This doesn’t sit right with me.’ You try to get through to them, but it just becomes this cycle of false promises. The song is about me coming to this realization of, ‘Oh, maybe the answer is that you *like* it when I’m in pain. And that’s why nothing seems to change.’”
The honest and powerful lyrics of this, in Joelle’s words, “folk-adjacent power ballad” are brought to life by the contributions of some of the local music scene’s best musicians, who’ve all done impressive work with various other artists in town: Lucas Saur’s production, Jenna Pascale’s cello, Walter Ferguson’s drums, and David Rossi’s bass. From the beginning of the production process, Joelle said she knew she wanted cello on the song, and, especially after seeing the song carried out live at the release party on March 21 at 7 House Gallery in Brooklyn, it’s clear why. Pascale’s rich tones help evoke the lyrics’ feelings of pain, realization, and hope. Her expressive performance with Joelle notably wooed the crowd at the intimate gathering.
Despite sharing the negative experience of being misunderstood and underappreciated, “Like a Woman Scorned” doesn’t leave us feeling broken—quite the opposite. Lines like “I won’t be the phoenix rising from cigarette ash” and the repetition of “I’ve gotta lift my standards up” bring hope into the conversation, inspiring us to recognize our worth.
“I just hope people feel empowered by it, and feel like they can see themselves in it,” Joelle says. “I think a lot of women have, unfortunately, been gaslit into thinking they’re the crazy one. I guess I just want people to feel like they’re not alone if they’ve gone through something like that. Maybe, if they’re in that situation, they’ll feel strong enough to leave it if they want to.”
Kicking off with an enchanting performance by Truman Flyer, accompanied by Kevin Hyland on the guitar, the release party, in the words of the photographer for this piece, Michelle Paradís, “just felt special.” Among white walls, vintage candlesticks, and twinkling lights, Joelle’s impressive and heartfelt performance, enhanced by Sammi Katzmann on the saxophone and David on the bass, evoked a sense of connection in the room. After we revelled in “Like a Woman Scorned” live, the audience was treated to a viewing of the song’s music video (see above, or click the link!) complete with popcorn and wine.
The acting skills of Kyle Salamack (friend and actor) and Joelle through the lens of a French-cinema style music video hit home for Marisa Whitaker (friend and music journalist) and I, as it seemed to with everyone in the room. All we could talk about afterward was the looks on their faces—the indifference in Kyle’s eyes and the yearning in Joelle’s—and how relatable it was. A perfect embodiment of the song itself.
Don’t miss and stay tuned for Joelle’s upcoming album—and more singles in the meantime to hold us over—sure to bring more Joni Mitchell-esque lyrical genius and passionate stories of the heart.
