Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl
Jill Sobule - I Kissed A Girl
Okay, here's the thing...I dig Katy Perry's tune. Sure, she's way too "wink, wink, nudge, nudge...aren't I cute when I push the boundaries", but, musically, the tune kicks ass. I didn't really realize it until I was out at Grant Park helping set up the AT&T stage the day before Lollapalooza began. The tune was playing over the PA system - loudly - when it dawned on me how fucking great it sounded.
Still, from a lyrical standpoint, the song irks me, as it seems to glamorize that whole "Girls Gone Wild" mindset where a girl gets a couple drinks in her and suddenly she's tongue-kissing her sorority sisters.
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 you on
I'm curious, for you
Caught my attention
Jill Sobule's song, which precedes Perry's by a good decade, never struck me as pandering the way Perry's version is convinced of it's own "taboo" factor. If anything, it is poignant in its honesty - matter-of-fact, like a diary entry never shared.
Jenny came over and told me 'bout Brad
"He's such a hairy behemoth," she said
"Dumb as a box of hammers
But he's such a handsome guy."
And I opened up and I told her 'bout Larry
And yesterday how he asked me to marry
And I'm not giving him an answer yet...
I think I can do better!
So we laughed
Compared notes
We had a drink
We had a smoke
She took off her overcoat...
I kissed a girl.
I kissed a girl.
Perry's version, by comparison, seems shouted from the rooftops, "Look At Me!", begging for acceptance from the cool kids.
It does rock, though.
1 comments:
Totally agree on all counts. Great points.
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