ABSTRACT

Even a demure girl group song such as the Paris Sisters’ dreamy 1961 “I Love How You Love Me” or the Supremes’ 1964 “Baby Love” could be exciting and empowering to audiences of girls in the context of a concert. The mere fact of seeing girls on stage performing and earning the applause and approval of fans suggested the possibility of a life of glamour, adventure, and independence from the frustrations of conventional domesticity. When girl groups toured, giving concerts across North America and beyond, they presented irrefutable evidence that females could function in public space and could go boldly into new territories.