One Of The Boys; Katy Perry

Many people make a debut into the ever populated music industry every year, yet only a hand few manage to get it right from day one. Katy Perry happens to be one of them. Her album was one of the most anticipated one of 2008 after the release of it’s first single “I Kissed A Girl”. Perry herself was very excited about this album since she was breaking away from her root of Christian music which led to a lot of trouble. The album was dropped previously twice because the producers were not sure of it’s success. Way to prove to them, girl!

Perry had been developing the concept behind her recent effort for almost five years before it materialized in front of her. Perry adopted a more commercial approach to her album by setting it around the pop rock genre and it certainly paid off well. The very colorful album went platinum after selling nearly over a million copies all over the world.

The album picks of with the track One of the Boys. The album is under the same title incidentally. The song is written by Perry herself and is regarding her growing up years where she was a typical tom-girl. The track is catchy but the tracks succeeding it are far better.

The second track and a personal favorite among many Perry fans is I Kissed A Girl. The song is written by Perry in collaboration with Max Martin and Dr. Luke who have previously contributed to artists like Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and P!NK. The track is super addictive, hence it was the perfect promotional single for the album. Also it generated a pretty good hype in the LGBT circles labeling Perry as a herald while others put her down for promoting homosexuality. Perry defended herself by stating that;

“Everyone takes the song and relates it to their situation, they can see it however they want to see it. Love it, hate it, for me it was about us girls. When we're young we're very touchy-feely. We have slumber party sing-alongs, we make up dance routines in our pajamas. We’re a lot more intimate in a friendship than guys can be. It’s not perverse but just sweet, that's what the song is about.”

The track is also accompanied a video which last year was one of the most viewed on YouTube, which also lead to many spin-off parodies of it. I tried to scourge YouTube to get some but apparently they’ve been disabled in my country.

The third track from the record is Waking Up In Vegas will be the fifth single off the album, it’s being released on 21^st April and you’ll probably be seeing it on the side bar soon enough. The track is in alliance with Desmond Child who has previously contributed to Bon Jovi and definitely carries the touch a rock to it. The track tells the story of a couple who struck it rich in Vegas and then ran into a spot of trouble. Perry is really excited about it and will be promoting it on American Idol on 13^th May.

Thinking Of You is the fourth track, fourth single and the first ballad off the album. This track happens to be my favorite off the album but failed to garner much attention when released as a single. It’s a solo effort of Perry, and has been described by her as on the closest to my heart. The video in my opinion is one of the worst I’ve ever seen, speaking with honesty I believe even I could have done a better job. The song is a master piece in it’s own right, and probably the best ballad off the album. Although it had been a critic’s favorite earning to the fact that Perry’s vocal are displayed to perfection her without any tweaking but the fans prefer her naughty side more.

On the fifth spot, we have another fast number Mannequin is another solo effort of Perry. This track was rumored to be the fourth single but was later scrapped in favor of Thinking Of You. It’s a cheery track in which Perry describes her futile efforts in getting a response from her lover. A funny incidence regarding this took place in one of our classes when a few girls started playing this track in regard to the professor who doesn’t stop with his lectures even after the dismissal bell has rung and that too despite our best efforts to make him realize that it’s time to let us go. Sadly it didn’t have any effect on him!

The sixth track is the second single from the album Ur So Gay. It’s a team effort of Greg Wells and Perry, these two later also got together to pen down Clarkson’s I Do Not Hook Up along with Kara DioGuardi. This track gave me a good set of giggles; I pity the fellow who inspired this song. Yeah, that’s actually true! Perry stated that she wrote this on after one of her ex-boyfriends. Although it’s not anywhere near any of my favorite tracks off the album but just for the heck of funny lyrical content it’s one my play list for a very long time. Being the court jester me and my friends are, we had decided to play it on a certain friend’s birthday but his girlfriend made us change it. Boo!

The next track is a dance favorite of mine, Hot N Cold is the third single off the album. It’s the second collaboration effort of Perry, Dr. Luke and Max Martin. The video accompanying this song is bloody awesome. Perry makes one very cute bride. And that’s probably one of the facts that it became a world-wide success. It’s spunky! It’s naughty! It makes you dance! What more could one what?!

The eighth track off the record is If You Can Afford Me. It’s another fast number which is pretty much established given that only one of the past seven tracks was a slow number. Perry has collaborated with Dave Katz and Sam Hollander. It’s nice but the previous two tracks over-shadow is pretty much, leaving nothing special about it to give it a second hear.

Lost is the ninth track off the album. It’s a team effort of Perry along with Ted Burner. It’s the second slow number from the album. Perry describes the downs off the fast lane of fame and fortune and how she wished she could have her normal life back without any hub of tinsel mania, but fails in doing so. It’s a good track but not great, I’d listen to Thinking Of You instead any day.

On the tenth spot we have Self Inflicted. I was hoping she would chart this off as the fifth single but beggars can’t be choosers?! The track is just like the fast tracks preceding it. It’s addictive. Perry talks about how she finds it impossible to get over her past love interest.

The eleventh track is I’m Still Breathing, it’s a team effort of Perry with David Stewart. It’s the last ballad from the album, and is slightly faster than the other two. It didn’t have any particular effect on me, the album could been without and I wouldn’t care less. Perry describes her flaws leading to her break up and how she misses him. The theme is over-done and there’s nothing there in it that made me go back.

On the last spot, we have Fingerprints which is a collaboration of Perry and Greg Wells who previously paired up with her during Ur So Gay. This is a truly funny track and it’s title certainly lives up to it’s name. But that’s more due to the over-all album rather than this one track. It’s good but not my favorite.

For a major-label debut, Perry did an amazing job on her album. It’s one of the two favorite albums from a female vocalist released in 2008. Another thing which Perry has established with her album is her place as a song writer, she has contributed two tracks to Kelly Clarkson’s fourth studio album All I Ever Wanted. Way to go, girl! I know it hasn’t even been a year since she released this but I can’t wait for her sophomore effort.

Copyright © Saad Khan 2009 (Karachi, Pakistan; mailto:saadikk87@hotmail.com)