Ke$ha's Tik Tok has been heard by almost every teenager. It has remained in the iTunes top ten for over twelve weeks. And ironically (as you can most likely see from the video) this 22-year old is what many would call white trash. In all of her most popular songs Ke$ha has alluded to drinking, drugs and sex. I was very surprised to find that she apparently had amazing SAT scores and was a very studious teenager: the image she tries to give off is one of young, pretty and wild.
I think that the ideas behind this song indicate how far popular American music has fallen. Years ago the teenagers were listening to rock and roll tunes. Today we listen to Auto-Tuned, barely sung songs with the same beat. The people who voice these songs are stereotypically young and crazy one hit wonders. They go out and party and get drunk, and no one cares-- the bigger the scandal the better.
Personally I like this song. I think that its fun and upbeat, and when she sings and gives interviews she does it herself: Ke$ha knows what she wants and knows how to attain what she wants. I think that the fact that she has a "different" personality than what people are used to that opens us youngsters to a different lifestyle. But her story is also typical: was dirt poor when she caught a break and now has money and is famous.
Overall, I think that Tik Tok as a song is a perfect one for a slumber or dance party. But while the message behind it may not be so perfect, the fact that Ke$ha can talk about going out and partying every night shows how much music has changed. The party don't stop.
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First off, I am just as surprised as you that Ke$ha is actually a very smart teenager, because she comes off VERY trashy.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I also like this song, it is one of my favorites. Thinking about why I enjoy it so much, I have come to the conclusion that I like her singing and the beats that go with it. It's a song that creates energy and liveliness in a room that is almost impossible to resist. I agree, the lyrics to the song are quite trashy, but I think everyone enjoys them because they are simply so rediculous. With lyrics like "Wake up in the morning feelin' like P Diddy" and "Leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack [Daniels]", it's hard not to laugh.
But I definetly agree, Jordan, our culture keeps slowly getting trashier. Today, songs can't be popular in less they discuss sex or drinking,(Bonus points if both are mentioned). If you watch TV today, you'll often hear commercial's about erectile disfunction, enlarged prostates, tampons, push up bras. I can't help but chuckle when I saw an hour paid-advertisement for "Booty Pop", underwear that has padding to make a female's bottom look larger. Some of these things should just not be on television. Many teens today cannot have fun unless they get drunk, high, or do something stupid. Parents are slowly getting less involved in their children's life and decisions, giving their teens the freedom to do something they might regret. I predict that parents will continue to comprimise and allow their kids more unmonitered freedom. Eventually, our culture is going to become more vulgar and trashy to the point where it will be ok to drink and smoke in 5th grade.
I have to say, I disagree with you about the disintegration of popular music. When Elvis first became popular, parents thought that his music encouraged sex and hip thrusting and all of those forms of evil. The forms of evil that are focused on are what has changed. Since our society has become more accepting of open sexuality, this is where popular music has turned. I get your point about autotune, but it has almost turned into its own instrument, which I actually think is cool.
ReplyDeleteI was also suprised to find out about Ke$ha's intelligence, as she does portray herself differently. (I think my reaction was "omgwtfpolarbear?!") But hey, at least that means that it was her concious choice to make music like this knowing that she COULD make something else, rather than her lifestyle being actually dictated around waking up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy. I'm sure her dentist doesn't appreciate her hygene habits :)
I also have to disagree. I don't think that American pop music has "fallen" per say. I think that it has changed along with the times. Of course, people aren't singing with one mic and an old guitar about the sunflowers anymore because our society isn't like that anymore. Our technology is way advanced and, like Meghana said, we are now open to more open sexuality. Ergo, our music is more about sexuality. And, on the subject of the sounds being "dubbed" and such. I quite like the beat of the song, it's modern. The music of the 18th century is totally different than that of the 17th century or 16th century, and so on. Same with the music of the 2000s and the 1960s. In fact, if it wasn't different, I would worry. Our music shows the changes in our world and how we are progressing. If our music was the same, we wouldn't be progressing...
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