History Music / L7

* IronicTitle: ''The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum'' - "The beauty process" was Donita Sparks' ironic term for putting on "fright makeup" before a show, as the intention wasn't to look beautiful at all. Meanwhile, Platinum is one of the highest certifications for record sales, and the band had yet to go Gold, which is the lowest certification in the US.

The band was formed by Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, the latter having already been quite known in the AlternativeRock scene for performing vocals on "Slip It In" by Music/BlackFlag. Their name derives from a [[TheFifties fifties]] slang word for "square".

** L7 themselves have covered: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (Ohio Express), "Suzy Is A Headbanger" (Music/TheRamones), "Bag" (Music/ShonenKnife), "Bloodstains" (Agent Orange), "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (Music/DeadKennedys), "Cherry Bomb" (Music/TheRunaways), "Hanging On The Telephone" (The Nerves, but [[CoveredUp better known by]] {{Music/Blondie}}), "Three Days" (Music/WillieNelson), "Lion's Share" (Music/TheGerms), and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" (Music/BlueOysterCult).

** Donita Sparks also pulled her pants down during a performance on UK series ''The Word.'' She wasn't wearing underwear.

* {{Grunge}}: Via their own brand of metal-infused punk rock.

** You did read that tampon thing earlier, right?

* SingleStanzaSong: "Bite the Wax Tadpole."

* TitleOnlyChorus: "Riding With A Movie Star." In fact, those are the ''only'' lyrics.
** Also, "Gas Chamber" and "Baggage."

* LoopedLyrics: Lots of this on the BSide "Used To Love Him."
* MetalScream: Get used to this.
* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: At least a 7, which is only appropriate.

* PretendWereDead: TropeNamer, InNameOnly (the song seems to actually be a rant against oppressive machismo).

* EpicRocking: "Uncle Bob," "Talk Box."

* RoommateDrama: "Slide" from ''Bricks Are Heavy" is what happens when Suzi Gardner has had ''more'' than enough of this trope, and kicks out the roommate in question along with all his stuff. Said roommate is implied to be a freeloading boyfriend (ex-boyfriend, by the end of the song).

* RefugeInAudacity: You did read that tampon thing earlier, right?

The band was formed by Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, the latter having already been quite known in the AlternativeRock scene for performing vocals on "Slip It In" by BlackFlag. Their name derives from a [[TheFifties fifties]] slang word for "square".

* {{Badass}}

* WordSaladTitle: "Bite The Wax Tadpole" sort of makes sense in context: The title comes from an urban legend that, when Coca-Cola tried to transliterate its name for the Chinese market, they ended up with a phrase meaning "bite the wax tadpole". A few other groups, including Music/TubRing have used the same reference in titling their own songs.

** L7 themselves have covered: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (Ohio Express), "Suzy Is A Headbanger" ({{Ramones}}), "Bag" (Music/ShonenKnife), "Bloodstains" (Agent Orange), "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (DeadKennedys), "Cherry Bomb" (Music/TheRunaways), "Hanging On The Telephone" (The Nerves, but [[CoveredUp better known by]] {{Music/Blondie}}), "Three Days" (WillieNelson), "Lion's Share" (Music/TheGerms), and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" (BlueOysterCult).

* CoverVersion: TheProdigy covered "Fuel My Fire" as the last track on ''The Fat of the Land''. Arguably a case of CoveredUp, actually.

L7 were an all-female {{Grunge}}[=/=]PunkRock[=/=]AlternativeMetal band from Los Angeles, active between 1985 and 2000. Its members were as follows:

* Badass

* EpicRocking: "Shove"

* SingleStanzaSong: "Bite the Wax Tadpole"

* Donita Sparks - guitar, vocals

* Janis Tanaka - bass guitar (1999-2000)
* Demetra "Dee" Plakas - drums, vocals (1988-2000)

** L7 themselves have covered: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (Ohio Express), "Suzy Is A Headbanger" ({{Ramones}}), "Bag" (Music/ShonenKnife), "Bloodstains" (Agent Orange), "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (DeadKennedys), "Cherry Bomb" (Music/TheRunaways), "Hanging On The Telephone" (The Nerves, but [[CoveredUp better known by]] {{Music/Blondie}}), "Three Days" (WillieNelson), "Lion's Share" (Music/TheGerms), and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" (BlueOysterCult).

** L7 themselves have covered: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (Ohio Express), "Suzy Is A Headbanger" ({{Ramones}}), "Bag" (Music/ShonenKnife), "Bloodstains" (Agent Orange), "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (DeadKennedys), "Cherry Bomb" (Music/TheRunaways), "Hanging On The Telephone" (The Nerves, but [[CoveredUp better known by]] {{Music/Blondie}}), "Three Days" (WillieNelson), and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" (BlueOysterCult).

* EpicRiff: "Everglade"

** L7 themselves have covered: "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (Ohio Express), "Suzy Is A Headbanger" ({{(Ramones}}), "Bag" (Music/ShonenKnife), "Bloodstains" (Agent Orange), "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (DeadKennedys), "Cherry Bomb" (Music/TheRunaways), "Hanging On The Telephone" (The Nerves, but [[CoveredUp better known by]] {{Music/Blondie}}), "Three Days" (WillieNelson), and "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" (BlueOysterCult).

* Demetra Plakas - drums, vocals (1988-2000)

In 1995, the band played as the supporting band for a version of [[HidetoMatsumoto hide]]'s single "Oblaat." This clip is on Youtube, and occasionally known for inducing ViewerGenderConfusion on a massive scale.

After recording two albums that showcased their punk-grunge-metal sound but didn't really go anywhere, L7 really shot to public attention by organising the first Rock for Choice benefit concert in 1991, which not only attracted support from the AlternativeRock scene (Music/{{Nirvana}}, Music/PearlJam, RageAgainstTheMachine, JoanJett, BikiniKill and the RedHotChiliPeppers all played at it), but helped galvanize the RiotGrrrl movement then forming in Washington. While the band did sport an angry, heavy sound and lyrics frequently dealing with criticisms of society, they never self-identified with the RiotGrrrl movement.

L7 then started changing their sound, removing their punk influences in favour of a straightforward grunge/alt-metal sound. While the first album after this change, ''Hungry for Stink'', did pretty well (one of its songs, "Fuel My Fire", was later covered by TheProdigy), their next two albums performed worse and worse commercially and the band suffered from lineup instability. They have been on what they call an "indefinite hiatus" since 2001 but have, for all intents and purposes, disbanded.

After recording two albums that showcased their punk-grunge-metal sound but didn't really go anywhere, L7 really shot to public attention by organising the first Rock for Choice benefit concert in 1991, which not only attracted support from the AlternativeRock scene ({{Nirvana}}, PearlJam, RageAgainstTheMachine, JoanJett, BikiniKill and the RedHotChiliPeppers all played at it), but helped galvanize the RiotGrrrl movement then forming in Washington. While the band did sport an angry, heavy sound and lyrics frequently dealing with criticisms of society, they never self-identified with the RiotGrrrl movement.