INTERVIEW: Deb Cavanaugh’s New Single a Collaborative Effort Between Women Musicians
Content warning: Please be advised that this article contains discussions of sexual assault.
Photo by Frankie Cavone
“I thought I was writing a fictional story. And then what happened with the Cornell case suddenly made me realize that I had written my own story.”
“Oh Jenny, please beware, it can be such a cold world out there…”
Deb Cavanaugh is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, but in her decades of experience, her newest song, “Oh Jenny,” was the most difficult to write.
“I wrote the song back in March. I was invited to play Song City [in Troy] for International Women's Day. It was all women in the show, so I decided I wanted to write something really strong,” explains Cavanaugh.
“Oh Jenny” details the life of fictional Jenny from childhood to adulthood, noting formative, sexist experiences leading up to a sexual assault, which she blames herself for.
The first lines “she was just a young girl, when her mother told her, Jen, always wear a smile and look your best, don’t wear clothes too revealing, not everyone is kind…” set the tone for the rest of Jenny’s life. Caught between being pleasant and being cautious, she doesn’t know who to trust.
“Always prepared to run and knowing that the damage had been done…”
Cavanaugh took the early stages of the song to a group of singer-songwriter friends who encouraged the vision, but she wasn’t entirely sure how to approach the topic. Several drafts later, and after consulting the editorial skills of her daughter, Jes, and fellow musician, Niki Kaos, she felt it worked best by focusing on one woman’s story.
After all, we all know Jenny. We all know Jane Doe. Some are Jenny without even realizing it.
“I thought I was writing a fictional story. And then what happened with the Cornell case suddenly made me realize that I had written my own story. I just didn't realize it at the time.”
Photo by Stephanie Bartik
The Cornell case, of course, refers to the seven members of a Cornell fraternity that advertised and assaulted an unconscious woman at a party.
Regarding her own story, Cavanaugh notes, “I am committed to complete honesty at this point. I think that one of the reasons we're not having the change that we deserve is because so many of us are silent about what's happened to us.”
But she isn’t in it alone.
To aid in recording the song, Cavanaugh enlisted as many women musicians as she could. In total, ten women were included on the song, many of them Capital Region musicians. Cavanaugh proudly lists Brenda Fisher, Denise Parent, Jill Tolstrup, Leslie Barkman, Lauren Chiyoko, Kate McDonnell, Laura Johnson (Girl Love), Shannon Tehya, and Susan Gierthy as those who assisted in bringing “Oh Jenny” to life.
“It was important to me to have only women doing [this song]. I wanted to include as many women as possible.”
Cavanaugh asked many women to take part, but not everyone could fit it into their schedules. She had an eclectic bunch, but she trusted the strengths and expertise of each of the women involved.
“I found myself with oboe and harmonica, which is quite unusual, but I think it turned out great. I just told everyone I wanted them to wing it and use their own creativity. It all fell into place,” marvels Cavanaugh. “During recording I kept thinking they were all doing exactly what I would have wanted. We were all on the same wavelength. It felt almost magical.”
“Oh Jenny” is slated for release Friday October 9, but there’s still more to come. Cavanaugh recently posted about filming the song’s music video with Shannon Tehya.
“I wanted Shannon specifically as the part of Jenny. I really admire her work and I think she’s a really wonderful human being.”
Cavanaugh hopes to release the video at a live performance in March, during Women’s History Month, where she wants each woman featured on the song to do a short set leading up to the release. A bright spot to cut through the darkness.
“You know, I keep reminding myself that things have changed. But they have not changed enough for me.”
“Oh Jenny” is released everywhere today, October 9. Keep up with Deb on her website https://www.deb-cavanaugh.com and her Instagram @debcav53.
