Every summer seems to have its "song," be it The Police's "Every Breath You Take" in 1983 or (gulp) Sugar Ray's "I Just Wanna Fly" in 1997. Unfortunately for Nickelback, this year it's not "This Afternoon" (though I, surprisingly, sort of like that song from everyone's favorite feather-haired grunge-lite gods). Katy Perry's "California Gurls" turned out to be the unofficial anthem of summer 2010 thanks to its no-holds-barred summertime subject matter and the production of (big surprise) Dr. Luke and Max Martin who, like the California gurl in the song, are "undeniable," at mining pop music's bag of hooks, that is.
"California Gurls" might have been a hit in 1977 or 1997. This song's got early Prince written all over it, from the slap-bassline to the slinky guitar riff in the chorus more-than-reminiscent of the Artist's "I Wanna Be Your Lover." Perry's trimmed Daft Punk's electropop sound down to fit into a "bikini on top," as she puts it. Snoop Dogg's presence seems extraneous - former G-funk rapper turned pop-starlet hype man? - but I suppose it makes sense due to Snoop's career trajectory and the purpose of this song: to kick off parties from New York to "the Golden Coast." He's more laid-back than ever; sippin' on grandma's sweet tea is more like it.
Lyrically, the song's a pastiche of ghettofab catchphrases ("Westcoast represent," really?) and palm tree cliches, meaning it's exactly what record label ordered, lyrics your average tween-to-20something party girl could relate to. The song's chorus is so catchy it's all that anyone really needs to know. A staccato melody meets goofy fun lyrics like "Sun-kissed skin so hot, we'll met your popsicle. We're supposed to assume she meant an actual popsicle, right? The Cyndi Lauper-esque "oh ohs" at the tail end complete the song' descent into mindless summertime fun and pop gold.
All in all, this song scores points in my book for being no-nonsense fun. It doesn't feign Bible Belt scandal ("I Kissed a Girl"), nor trip over itself in cliche ("Waking Up In Vegas,"). Score, Katy! What's next, "Rhode Island Hos?"
No comments:
Post a Comment