Jessie Murph has come under fire for her controversial new single 1965, which she performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The 20-year-old artist shocked viewers with lyrics implying that she would 'give up a few rights' and 'take a slap' if it meant being treated more respectfully by men, drawing intense backlash across social media.
Murph, known for blending bold visuals with emotionally raw lyrics, sang nostalgically about wanting to be “loved like it’s 1965,” while wearing a retro beehive hairstyle, baby pink mini dress, and performing on a set designed to evoke 1950s and ’60s “tradwife” culture.
The song references a bygone era of courtship, handwritten letters, doorstep flowers, while criticising modern dating via apps and late-night texts. But it was the lines glamorizing a time of severe inequality for women that many critics found deeply offensive.
“In 1965, it was legal for men to rape their wives. I don’t care if this is satire. It’s disgusting,” one furious X user said. Another said, “Giving up your rights isn’t romantic, it’s regressive.”
The track, which includes provocative lyrics such as “I might get a little slap-slap, but you wouldn’t hit me on Snapchat,” and “I’d be twenty, and it’d be acceptable for you to be forty,” has been labelled by some as promoting far-right propaganda under the guise of satire.
Facing the backlash, Murph took to TikTok to defend herself, stating bluntly, “The entire song is satire. Are y’all stupid?” Still, many weren’t convinced, especially as the music video for 1965 drew even more criticism. The video, which includes sexual content and a scene involving a child moments before an adult scene, required age verification on YouTube. Viewers called the imagery “tasteless” and “deeply inappropriate.”
This isn’t Murph’s first brush with controversy. Earlier this year, she made headlines by arriving at the ACM Awards with a baby pig named Wilbur, joking she’d always wanted a miniature pig before learning they don’t actually exist.
Murph, whose recent album Sex Hysteria has also stirred debate, remains unapologetic. But as conversations around gender rights and representation intensify, critics argue that irony or not, 1965 hits a nerve at the wrong time.