I seriously hate pop music. Maybe I have a different definition of pop, but anything that has super-produced vocals and synthetic instruments is too poppy for me. I think it’s only for 13 year olds and the young 20-somethings that still think they’re 13. It’s dance-y and sugary and too Barbie-world for me.
The new breakout summer hit by Katy Perry has been playing almost every hour, it seems, for the last few weeks. Whenever it comes on, my 30-something coworker turns up her radio and starts singing. Sometimes, she does it when I’m on the phone with a customer, which is awesome. Anyway, this song proves my point that the masses don’t listen to the words of the song. They like a fun hook, and a song that makes them want to move, but they don’t care how uncreative, stupid or foul the lyrics are. I’m going to share some of the lyrics to this song, just so you can feel my misery; but be warned: your IQ may go down a few dozen points.
This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It’s not what
I’m used to
Just wanna try u on
I’m curious for you
Caught my attention
I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don’t mean I’m in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it
No I don’t even know your name
It doesn’t matter
You’re my experimental game
Just human nature
It’s not what
Good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets
So confused
Hard to obey
Us girls we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain’t no big deal, it’s innocent
I kid you not. This is what they’re playing on the radio station that almost all teens are listening to, even some Christians. Little kids are listening to this! My coworker sings this song every time it comes on and talks about it being so “catchy” and “fun” and “summery”. But this morning, light dawned on yonder peak, when she overheard her 3 year old girl singing it. It’s foul! And kids are going to grow up with words like this running through their head, and thinking that experimenting is normal and that it may even be another right of passage that comes with your teen years. It’s still not stopping her from singing it here, but she said she’ll be more careful with her daughter.
I know a couple of young Christian teenagers that aren’t allowed to listen to this station at all, but as soon as they’re home alone, they’ll turn it on and start dancing. When I asked them what they liked about this music, it was the music that they liked. It was much more grown up than “Radio Disney”. They said they didn’t even listen to the words. But later in the day, you’ll hear them singing the song - the exact words that they don’t realize they’re memorizing. This is such a huge cultural problem - this is how brainwashing happens, seriously. It’s a head fake. You’re fed one thing that you enjoy and keep coming back for, but you don’t realize that you’re actually being fed poison until the poison has completely taken over your world view.
Listen to the words, people!! Even if dance-y music that someone makes from a production room is what you enjoy, you can’t honestly say that you want to hear a girl talking about tasting another girls’ cherry chapstick.
What a lost, lost world.