Katy Perry is back – blonde and better than ever…or at least I think so.
I heard Grimmy (BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw) playing Katy Perry’s new song, ‘Chained to the rhythm’ one morning and I bopped along. Classic pop tune I thought, nothing spectacular but it’ll definitely get stuck in my head. However, the more I hear it the more I actually really, really like it.
It is a lot more than just a ‘Teenage Dream’, and although Katy is no stranger to being a bit controversial she is really making a statement with her new song. Unless you’re a bit sad like me then you probably won’t get the lyrics up on Google and analyse them (I study English Lit, it’s a force of habit). You will however, gets the gist just by somewhat ironically singing along to the chorus and getting ‘caught in the rhythm’. Katy sings about how we’re all ‘too comfortable we’re living in a bubble bubble’ ‘dance dance dance to the distortion’ and it’s pretty self-explanatory. She’s calling for people to stop for a minute and look around, to actually pay attention to the current world climate.
I don’t think Katy has been given enough credit for this tune. ‘Legitimate’ news sites such as Hollywood Life have been broadcasting that this song MUST be a rebuttal to Taylor Swifts ‘Bad Blood’ and that she’d lashing out at her old friend and new enemy Taylor. But I think it’s a lot more than that, she’s way above Taylor and her girl gang. I don’t think Katy needs to be chained to this ridiculous Taylor feud any longer. People should take a step back and realise it’s actually ringing out political messages, a new (old) wave of pop shall we say?
The music video for ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ was released a few days ago and is set in a futuristic theme park – Oblivia- fun and games you may think…but just wait. The theme park feels very ‘Stepford Wives’, signs preaching ‘The American Dream’, houses with white picket fences are dotted around and customers at the park all move in sync while dressed in near identical outfits. It’s a visual representation of a stereotypical American utopia until the dystopian ride throws people to their deaths. A prominent point in the video for me is when a black couple are directed away from an area with a sign post reading ‘there’s no place like home’. Katy’s satirical video and song are doing little to disguise their commentary on the current American political climate. To use a phrase favoured by Katy herself the theme park acts as a metaphor for the wolf in sheep’s clothing that is Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um7pMggPnug
However, what really brought Katy up in my books was her performance at the Brit awards. On the stage with her were two skeleton marionettes, one dressed as Trump and one as Theresa May. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out what she’s trying to say here. She was also surrounded by little white houses (WHITE HOUSES) dancing around her (one fell off the stage and it was hilarious but at least it broke free of the bubble…)!
However, that’s what the news has been about; the house that fell off the stage has stolen the show and the political message has been lost. Perhaps this rings true of the current climate and the message of the song, people don’t want to be told, it’s easy to miss what’s right in front of you.
Katy hasn’t been at all quiet about her political intentions she reportedly said ‘we gonna call this era purposeful pop’ and why not, I totally support people using their platform to express their views and she’s not doing it in a patronising preaching way, she’s just telling people what is already right in front of them.
You go gal. Katy Perry’s new no.1 fan over here.
Image 1- http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=WRuWgGur&id=DD0AAB3…
Image 3- http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=%2fnzvasRL&id=C7415…