Katy Perry is "a terrible detective with limited to no self-respect"

Darren Dirt · July 09, 2012, 05:02:02 PM

according to a line by line analysis of "Last Friday Night" (i.e. what most sane people think when they finally decide to really pay attention to the lyrics)

http://www.vice.com/read/take-a-stroll-with-rob-delaney-dear-katy-perry

funny cuz it's true, and also sad.

Quote
Uh oh, I think we?re arriving at why this song is not just awful, but is in fact dangerous. You are playing a character in this song! A character based on the young female demographic you target your music at: young women who do have jobs and bosses and mothers and fathers and necks and vaginas which sure as hell will be damaged and violated if they subscribe to the ideas you foist on them with your songs and the confusing ?goofy slut? persona you?ve created.

ouch. but no argument from this guy.

Lazybones · July 09, 2012, 06:01:17 PM

I think I have lost count of pop songs that sound catchy but describe awful things.

I instead investigate songs with nerdy lyrics like Ramble On.

Mr. Analog · July 09, 2012, 09:52:16 PM

Quote from: Lazybones on July 09, 2012, 06:01:17 PM
I think I have lost count of pop songs that sound catchy but describe awful things.

I instead investigate songs with nerdy lyrics like Ramble On.

Brock Sampson: "It's about love and... hobbits!"

Awesome stuff

Darren Dirt · July 10, 2012, 12:12:25 AM

Classic rock, even 25+ years later, is still presssssshhhhhhusssssss.

Thorin · July 10, 2012, 10:52:19 AM

Darren, you should pick apart "Down With The Sickness" by Disturbed. It's a fascinating delve into mental sickness and at first I thought, "Wow, the writer of this song had a horrible childhood", but then I found out it was just a fake story. And yet kids listen to it and take it seriously.

Or pretty much anything by Eminem (yeah he had some problems in his life, no they weren't nearly as bad as his raps make it sound).

By the way, we can complain all we want about what pop stars "push" into our kids' heads, but you know, free speech and all. The same right that lets this guy complain about what they say. A much better alternative to trying to silence the bad messages is to teach kids to be skeptical so they see through such lyrics, and to understand that actions have consequences.

Tom · July 10, 2012, 01:51:23 PM

Quote from: Thorin on July 10, 2012, 10:52:19 AM
Darren, you should pick apart "Down With The Sickness" by Disturbed. It's a fascinating delve into mental sickness and at first I thought, "Wow, the writer of this song had a horrible childhood", but then I found out it was just a fake story. And yet kids listen to it and take it seriously.

Or pretty much anything by Eminem (yeah he had some problems in his life, no they weren't nearly as bad as his raps make it sound).

By the way, we can complain all we want about what pop stars "push" into our kids' heads, but you know, free speech and all. The same right that lets this guy complain about what they say. A much better alternative to trying to silence the bad messages is to teach kids to be skeptical so they see through such lyrics, and to understand that actions have consequences.

Ever listened to the lyrics for Adam's Song (by Blink 182)? First time I did I immediately connected it to my brother :-x

Lazybones · July 10, 2012, 01:55:41 PM

I can think several songs by Live that are very disturbing... Or other current songs like Pumped Up Kicks that are much more up beat than the content of the lyrics.

Mr. Analog · July 10, 2012, 01:58:33 PM

The Lyrics to Star Trek: TOS scarred me for life (j/k)

Thorin · July 10, 2012, 02:22:10 PM

Maybe we should all just focus on being Ready To Roll (Flashlight Brown, not Jet Black Stare).

As for disturbing, in the 90s there was a niche sub-genre of rap called "death rap" (nowadays named horrorcore). It was absolutely _filled_ with disturbing images, like necrophilia and worse (I don't even want to describe it). And it used to play on the weekends, about 3am, on the university radio station, CJSR.

Tom · July 10, 2012, 05:58:48 PM

Quote from: Thorin on July 10, 2012, 02:22:10 PM
Maybe we should all just focus on being Ready To Roll (Flashlight Brown, not Jet Black Stare).

As for disturbing, in the 90s there was a niche sub-genre of rap called "death rap" (nowadays named horrorcore). It was absolutely _filled_ with disturbing images, like necrophilia and worse (I don't even want to describe it). And it used to play on the weekends, about 3am, on the university radio station, CJSR.

Something somoene came up with a while ago (can't remember who): Pyronecrophiliabeastiality?

It was actually longer than that, but those are the only bits I remember

and I think god for that.

Darren Dirt · July 11, 2012, 08:09:29 AM

Quote from: Thorin on July 10, 2012, 10:52:19 AM
Darren, you should pick apart "Down With The Sickness" by Disturbed. It's a fascinating delve into mental sickness and at first I thought, "Wow, the writer of this song had a horrible childhood", but then I found out it was just a fake story. And yet kids listen to it and take it seriously.

Or pretty much anything by Eminem (yeah he had some problems in his life, no they weren't nearly as bad as his raps make it sound).

Hey it ain't ME that is picking apart anything ... just found the linked "analysis" and enjoyed it for pure amusement value -- it is obviously meant to MOCK the horrifying meaning of the lyrics which are buried behind happy/innocent-sounding pop music ... it's like I remember someone singing along to "Tainted Love" and not realizing what the song was about, it's a common thing to do once the hook is lodged inside your brain.

With Katy Perry she is obviously not as sweet/innocent as some of her younger fans might think, regardless of her simple-fun-pop sound, and these kind of "based on her real life experiences" lyrics confirm it. "For the children", maybe "Do not follow this person as a model for your life" should be blinking in a text scroller for videos like this

Mr. Analog · July 11, 2012, 08:53:34 AM

Half the time I can't hear the lyrics, then when I read them later I'm like "oh".

Darren Dirt · July 11, 2012, 12:24:29 PM

Quote from: Mr. Analog on July 11, 2012, 08:53:34 AM
Half the time I can't hear the lyrics, then when I read them later I'm like "oh".

It's the Purple Haze Syndrome!
http://www.amazon.com/Scuse-While-Kiss-This-Guy/dp/B0028N73KM

Thorin · July 11, 2012, 12:32:37 PM

What? Someone didn't realize what Tainted Love was about? How hard is _that_ one to figure out? Doesn't seem the subject matter is any different than the title and the constantly-repeated refrain would suggest.

Songs that can be interpreted incorrectly really easily:
- Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man (Dylan said it's not about drugs / everyone thought it was)
- The Police's Every Breath You Take (HOLY STALKER LYRICS / everyone played it at their weddings because they thought it was a loving love song)
- Bryan Adams' Summer of 69 (about his favourite sexual position and a summer full of it / everyone thought it described an actual year in his life)
- Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA (critical of the US and its involvement in Vietnam / everyone thinks it's patriotic)
- The Cure's Killing An Arab (actually about a book discussing relativistic morality / everyone thinks it's a xenophobic expression of hate)
- Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U, covered and made famous by Sinead O'Connor (about Prince's father dying / most people thought it was about a couple splitting up)

Darren Dirt · July 11, 2012, 12:55:04 PM

Quote from: Thorin on July 11, 2012, 12:32:37 PM
What? Someone didn't realize what Tainted Love was about? How hard is _that_ one to figure out? Doesn't seem the subject matter is any different than the title and the constantly-repeated refrain would suggest.

When the jam is pumpin' at a volume of 11 in da club and you been drinkin' it ain't gonna easily break the ear-brain barrier, yo.