Amanda Palmer Addresses the Complex Emotions Surrounding a Woman’s Abortion in New Video for “Voicemail for Jill”

Amanda Palmer, an American singer recently released her music video for her new song, “Voicemail for Jill”. “Voicemail for Jill” dives into themes of abortion and the grief that comes with that choice. The new video has powerful imagery that compliments the weighty message of the lyrics.

The video switches between straightforward shots of the woman and slanted mirrored images. The slanted mirrored images that create a dreamlike aesthetic. This aesthetic choice portrays the inner-thoughts of the woman’s mind when having to make such a difficult choice. Through lyrics and imagery, it becomes clear the choice of abortion comes with a lot of “what-ifs” and doubts.

The video opens with a woman doing her daily routine, getting out of bed and putting on her clothes. You can see the sadness in her eyes as she walks along the sidewalk and when another woman looks in her eyes she looks at her with empathy. The song explores the sadness and grief that comes with abortion that many women do not talk about. The lyrics “no is going to celebrate you, no one is going to bring you cake”, examines the complexities of making the hard decision whether to have an abortion or not. She sings about the things that traditionally happen when you are going to have a baby and by getting an abortion none of these celebratory events will happen any longer. In a scene, it pans over the many faces of women sitting in the bus who have the same sadness within them as the main woman in the video. Palmer sings, “Isn’t it amazing how we can never tell who is in an identical hell”, making it clear that you never know who around you has to face the same struggles and live with such sadness. The bus, a means of public transportation allows the audience to see how abortion rights affect all women no matter race or socioeconomic status. The choice of abortion is a challenge that many women face and it comes with many perplexing emotions which Palmer explores through her new song.

“Voicemail for Jail” is one of the many songs on Palmer’s new album There Will Be No Intermission. The twenty new songs on the album explore the many complicated challenges that come with being a woman and makes bold political statements. Palmer released her new album today, on International Women’s Day drawing attention to the importance of women within society. Amanda Palmer brings to light women’s complex issues in her first solo album in six years, giving a voice to many.