A Few Gripes About the Artist Known as "Ke$ha"
I've been thinking a lot about Kesha lately. (I refuse to use the "official" spelling of her name -- Ke$ha -- outside of griping about it, because it's just plain stupid. What's the pronunciation of such a name? "Ke- dollar sign -ha"? "Ke-money-ha?") I've been thinking about Kesha because her song "Tik Tok" has been stuck in my head. And I realize that I actually like it. Heck, I admit it, I like it a lot. The lyrics are fun because they're an unintentional satire of the very party culture they celebrate, and the music is fun because it's simply a catchy, dance-friendly beat.
Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who, for the most part, views the Kesha culture and its music with a mixture of alienation, confusion, and disdain. Sorry if that offends you, but I feel safe in making this confession, since very, very few people reading this would be a passionate defender of party culture.
My biggest beef with Kesha -- and there are quite a few -- but my biggest beef with her is the song "Blah Blah Blah," probably because that one song encapsulates almost every complaint I have about party culture and its music. Unlike the lyrics to "Tik Tok" (written by Kesha Sebert, Lukasz Gottwald, and Benjamin Levin), which use (intentionally or unintentionally, not sure) comical exaggeration in describing party culture, and fit into a discernible musical structure, "Blah Blah Blah" similarly celebrates party culture but without any sense of irony or self-examination. The "music," if that's what it can be called, is a discordant, unpleasant mess of disorganized notes, and the lyrics (written by Kesha, Levin, Neon Hitch, and Sean Foreman) alternate between a chorus that is the pinnacle of lazy songwriting and verses that explicitly (in both senses of the word) endorse the idea that sex is best if it's with someone who has no personality and keeps his or her mouth shut. The chorus and title of the song are a reference to the singer's argument that men should just shut up and put out, because when men open their mouths to speak, Kesha loses interest; he may have something to say, but all Kesha hears is "blah blah blah."
My problems with this song are two-fold. First of all, online music critic Todd Nathanson (a.k.a. "Todd in the Shadows") rightly points out that the chorus and title are a perfect summary of how techno-pop music in general is viewed by people who, like me, generally hate techno-pop music. (If you're interested in the link for Todd's rather amusing review, it's http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/tis/tpsr/20736-ep-01-kesha-blahblahblah) It's as if Kesha and her co-writers said, "oh, you think our music is bad, well we'll show you just how bad it can be!" Now, I might -- emphasis on "might" -- forgive or maybe even appreciate such an attitude if, as I noted before, I could detect some sort of irony or at least self-awareness. I cannot. Maybe you like Kesha and her song "Blah Blah Blah," maybe you don't, but let's at least be honest, does she really present herself as a musical or social satirist?
Beyond the obnoxious non-music of the song, the lyrics are nothing short of offensive. Now, I've read many comments online -- from both casual listeners and music critics -- that have argued that it's okay, and even admirable, for Kesha to sing about men as worthless for anything other than sex, because this is how men have been talking about and treating women since the dawn of creation. "Blah Blah Blah," this argument posits, is actually a feminist triumph of gender equality. This argument is, frankly, very, very stupid. I have three responses to it.
First of all, gender equality, hip hip hooray, I'm all for it, yeah, but no matter how you slice it, this argument is basically that if men can act like pigs, women can too. Which is true, yes, but do we really want to go there, where the argument is basically that "yes, we acknowledge that this is disgusting behavior, but disgusting behavior is acceptable as long as everybody's equally disgusting"? That's the argument defenders of the song are making, and to me it seems a course perversion of the righteous goals of feminism.
Second of all, and I admit I'm getting more personal here, but I for one do not approve of treating women with disrespect, so the argument "why is this behavior alright for a man, and not alright for a woman?" is really lost on me. This behavior is not alright for a man, I never thought it was. I am holding men and women up to the same standard here.
Furthermore, I would point out that, while I admit to being somewhat out of touch with modern music, I am unaware of any mainstream song that so blatantly sends the message Kesha's song is allegedly a response to, that women are good for fucking and nothing else. Yes, some rap music can be embarrassingly misogynistic, but with "Blah Blah Blah," we're talking about something a lot more mainstream, we're talking about something that young people are dancing to en masse.
For me, the bottom line is that we would be offended by a song whose message is to treat women like shit -- and so we should also be offended by a song whose message to to treat men like shit. It's not "okay" just because it allegedly balances the scales.
In summary, I find Kesha's lyrics, message, and music to be equally reprehensible, and the success of "Blah Blah Blah" to be a blatant sign of pop culture's continuing moral degradation.
That Tik-Tok song is pretty good though.
Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who, for the most part, views the Kesha culture and its music with a mixture of alienation, confusion, and disdain. Sorry if that offends you, but I feel safe in making this confession, since very, very few people reading this would be a passionate defender of party culture.
My biggest beef with Kesha -- and there are quite a few -- but my biggest beef with her is the song "Blah Blah Blah," probably because that one song encapsulates almost every complaint I have about party culture and its music. Unlike the lyrics to "Tik Tok" (written by Kesha Sebert, Lukasz Gottwald, and Benjamin Levin), which use (intentionally or unintentionally, not sure) comical exaggeration in describing party culture, and fit into a discernible musical structure, "Blah Blah Blah" similarly celebrates party culture but without any sense of irony or self-examination. The "music," if that's what it can be called, is a discordant, unpleasant mess of disorganized notes, and the lyrics (written by Kesha, Levin, Neon Hitch, and Sean Foreman) alternate between a chorus that is the pinnacle of lazy songwriting and verses that explicitly (in both senses of the word) endorse the idea that sex is best if it's with someone who has no personality and keeps his or her mouth shut. The chorus and title of the song are a reference to the singer's argument that men should just shut up and put out, because when men open their mouths to speak, Kesha loses interest; he may have something to say, but all Kesha hears is "blah blah blah."
My problems with this song are two-fold. First of all, online music critic Todd Nathanson (a.k.a. "Todd in the Shadows") rightly points out that the chorus and title are a perfect summary of how techno-pop music in general is viewed by people who, like me, generally hate techno-pop music. (If you're interested in the link for Todd's rather amusing review, it's http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/tis/tpsr/20736-ep-01-kesha-blahblahblah) It's as if Kesha and her co-writers said, "oh, you think our music is bad, well we'll show you just how bad it can be!" Now, I might -- emphasis on "might" -- forgive or maybe even appreciate such an attitude if, as I noted before, I could detect some sort of irony or at least self-awareness. I cannot. Maybe you like Kesha and her song "Blah Blah Blah," maybe you don't, but let's at least be honest, does she really present herself as a musical or social satirist?
Beyond the obnoxious non-music of the song, the lyrics are nothing short of offensive. Now, I've read many comments online -- from both casual listeners and music critics -- that have argued that it's okay, and even admirable, for Kesha to sing about men as worthless for anything other than sex, because this is how men have been talking about and treating women since the dawn of creation. "Blah Blah Blah," this argument posits, is actually a feminist triumph of gender equality. This argument is, frankly, very, very stupid. I have three responses to it.
First of all, gender equality, hip hip hooray, I'm all for it, yeah, but no matter how you slice it, this argument is basically that if men can act like pigs, women can too. Which is true, yes, but do we really want to go there, where the argument is basically that "yes, we acknowledge that this is disgusting behavior, but disgusting behavior is acceptable as long as everybody's equally disgusting"? That's the argument defenders of the song are making, and to me it seems a course perversion of the righteous goals of feminism.
Second of all, and I admit I'm getting more personal here, but I for one do not approve of treating women with disrespect, so the argument "why is this behavior alright for a man, and not alright for a woman?" is really lost on me. This behavior is not alright for a man, I never thought it was. I am holding men and women up to the same standard here.
Furthermore, I would point out that, while I admit to being somewhat out of touch with modern music, I am unaware of any mainstream song that so blatantly sends the message Kesha's song is allegedly a response to, that women are good for fucking and nothing else. Yes, some rap music can be embarrassingly misogynistic, but with "Blah Blah Blah," we're talking about something a lot more mainstream, we're talking about something that young people are dancing to en masse.
For me, the bottom line is that we would be offended by a song whose message is to treat women like shit -- and so we should also be offended by a song whose message to to treat men like shit. It's not "okay" just because it allegedly balances the scales.
In summary, I find Kesha's lyrics, message, and music to be equally reprehensible, and the success of "Blah Blah Blah" to be a blatant sign of pop culture's continuing moral degradation.
That Tik-Tok song is pretty good though.
posted by Movie Man at
11:04 AM
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