In 1980, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band had a radio hit with “Her Strut.”
The song, from the No. 1 Against the Wind album, featured a grinding blues-rock guitar riff, a pounding backbeat, and Seger’s raspy vocals about watching a woman’s “strut.” "Her Strut" peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 as part of a double-sided single with “The Horizontal Bop.”
With lyrics that included “Oh, they love to watch her strut/they do respect her, but/ they love to watch her strut,” the meaning of the song was often misunderstood—and remains so nearly 50 years later.
Over the years, “Her Strut” has been criticized for seemingly objectifying women. On one music forum, a user wrote that Seger had the “poor taste” to sing “They do respect her butt.”
Another called it “the most exist song ever.”
But “Her Strut” was quite the opposite. Seger has explained that the song was meant as a tribute to strong independent women and was actually written about Oscar-winning movie icon and activist Jane Fonda.
In an interview on In the Studio with Redbeard, Seger said “Her Strut” was inspired by Fonda’s involvement with the Campaign for Economic Democracy.
“I admired her crust for going in there and having the strength to speak her mind, so I kind of wrote 'Her Strut' for an '80s woman,” Seger said, per Ultimate Classic Rock. “You know, it was the dawn of the '80s, and I wanted to write a song about how women have become so confident and stepped out so much, and I thought Jane was a great role model."
Jane Fonda and American social and political activist Tom Hayden, Campaign for Economic Democracy in 1980.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images
Seger has admitted that the title of “Her Strut” alone “conjures up an image” that could be misinterpreted.
“It's something I had to work my way around, 'cause saying ‘I love to watch her strut’ is almost an automatic sexist thing,” he told Creem magazine in 1980. “I loved the hardness of the word ‘strut’ in the song… And I worked real hard on the verses to try to put across the idea that this is not a sexist theme.”
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Jane Fonda knows 'Her Strut' was written about her
Seger once revealed that “Her Strut” was written to get him on the radio and that Fonda was aware he wrote the song about her.
“With Against The Wind, I said, ‘Whatever it takes, I’m going to have a frigging No 1 album.’ Everything I wrote, I was thinking, ‘I’m going to try to make sure it can get on the radio,’” he recalled to Uncut magazine. “But I was experimental, too. I wrote ‘Her Strut’ for Jane Fonda. She knows it’s about her and she loves that.”
In 2011, Fonda posted a lengthy blog post to confirm that she approved of Seger’s song.
“I’ve always loved Bob Seger,” the Coming Home star wrote. “When I hear ‘Night Moves’ or ‘Against the Wind,’ or ‘Horizontal Bop’ among the many others, I am transported to specific times, exciting times, romantic, sensual times and it makes me so happy.
“My partiality for him pre-existed my discovery—during a radio interview he did in 1981– that his song, ‘Her Strut,’ was motivated by moi!!!!” Fonda added. “I am flattered, to say the least, and you’ll know why when you hear the lyrics.”
Related: 1976 Live Performance Ranked Among the ‘Top Classic Rock Songs’ of All Time Remains a Timeless Anthem 50 Years Later
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