April 1, 2012

If I Were 14 instead of 41




"...I would be a Katy Perry wanna be the way I was a Madonna wanna be back in the day. The expression "wanna be" came as an accessory to the Boy-Toy rubber bracelets clad, lace gloved, perm hair sulfurous blond Madonna, on the cover of Time magazine in 1982.


I showed my mother the picture of Katy Perry on random magazines covers while queuing at the cashier of the supermarket. "Will she last?" My mom asked. I was convinced she would. "Like Madonna she will last. If I were 14, I would follow her. I love her and I am 41."


Katy Perry sings of crazy parties. The atmosphere is like the book Palo Alto by James Franco. The kids are pretty much out of hand. While I denounce drunken teenage parties, I think that her songs are parodies of it. She describes the atmosphere so well that its almost mocking them. Her song tone is playful and churpie.


Katy Perry is also empowering to listen to. The lyrics of her na-na-na songs are always about women who will eventually make it, no matter how abandoned or mislead they are. She may sing about regret, or admit that she is broken, but she always claims she has the spirit to survive, to shine. Her songs are up-beat. They can make you cry out loud or smile in silence. I encourage my children to listen up.


"Should have told you what you meant to me" Katy Perry




3 comments:

  1. I must admit I was first hesitant at liking Katy Perry's music. Was she just another bubble gum starlet? But the more I listend to her, the more she grew on me. I now endorse her!

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  2. Katy Perry is talented like Madonna, Lady Gaga....she's not afraid of pushing boundaries, being a trendsetter, and her music does resonate with a very large audience. I love listening to her in the car, or in spin class,she boosts my mood even if she sings of breakups and regrets, because her reponse to setbacks is to find strength! That message is great for teenage girls today, who live in an increasingly complicated world, where boys are dismissive and have the upper hand, and girls are often expected to be pretty and discreet. Women like Madonna and Katy Perry have the skill to show that strong women are what we should aspire to be....

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