Aug 25, 2010
59 notes

I wish I could have liked the discussion this sparked at nearly every stage of its evolutionary process, and you should click the reblog to read it all, but this is the nut, here:

screwrocknroll:

To a lot of folks, the accusation that Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Miley Cyrus are all singing the same song is a compelling one because it fits into all kinds of narratives about pop music being indistinguishable, factory-made, not really artistic, etc. And it’s very compelling to apply these arguments to artists like Perry, Cyrus and Ke$ha, because they present as the exact opposite of what smart, creative people are supposed to be: they’re women, not men; they’re playful, not serious; they’re professional, not amateurish; they work collaboratively, not (apparently) solo.

You can’t fight arguments like that, because they’re not about an attempt to see the correct creator credited (if it were, a quick look at this video would shut everyone up). It’s just about saying “Katy Perry is bad,” or “Miley Cyrus is bad” or “Red Hot Chili Peppers are bad.”

The problem is, as it so often is, people using anything but their ears when evaluating a song.

I would add to that only this: Interpret art however you wish—apply the backstory, appreciate the sociocultural context, denigrate the artist, defend the derivation—but remember that you interpreting it and receiving it means that it cannot be objective. (Unless, I guess, you’re using music theory or something.)

Also, remember that music is, mostly, for hearing.

  1. corny-bradley reblogged this from cureforbedbugs
  2. jonathanbogart reblogged this from screwrocknroll and added:
    an explicit point...reference when they talk...conversation...
  3. andyhutchins reblogged this from screwrocknroll and added:
    only this: Interpret art however you wish—apply...backstory, appreciate
  4. epistrophy reblogged this from tomewing and added:
    this idea a lot but it does seem most apt...certain contexts like
  5. screwrocknroll reblogged this from cureforbedbugs and added:
    we really don’t need...pop, and that, if it...question, it’s...
  6. andrewtsks reblogged this from jonathanbogart and added:
    I totally see your point, and the whole rockist slant hadn’t occurred to me, especially its sexist implications. I don’t...
  7. agrammar said: I was just writing something about Perry and defaulted to that superhero metaphor — the pop star as a narrative/character the singer’s responsible for acting out. (It’s just as true for folks in rock bands who aren’t driving the band’s ideas/style!)
  8. cureforbedbugs reblogged this from tomewing and added:
    Also important to realize that co-writing became a pretty complicated issue in pop and teenpop in the 00’s. Katy Perry...
  9. tomewing reblogged this from jonathanbogart and added:
    Yeah. This -the question of agency in pop - is always a thorny one (partly because there’s so much we just don’t know...
  10. jonathanbogart reblogged this from andrewtsks and added:
    Of course, a focus on the producers like this easily plays into certain rockist (and not incidentally sexist) paradigms...
  11. andrewtsks reblogged this from maura and added:
    might be an argument for crediting...producer rather than
  12. dayan reblogged this from maura and added:
    Apropos of, uh, something or other: Amanda Latona...“International Federation of...
  13. thisisareallybadidea reblogged this from maura and added:
    I’d add “Dynamite” (Dr. Luke’s crowning achievement)...songs that sound
  14. brandon4serious reblogged this from maura and added:
    As always, Maura...totally on-point....point out how late...
  15. richaod reblogged this from maura and added:
    In my experience, no non-music nerd/critic has EVER looked up...pop songwriting credit....
  16. trenuttinnickle reblogged this from maura
  17. musedamused reblogged this from maura and added:
    last paragraph: WHICH GUY FROM THE POSIES? I feel...my once-favorite band got
  18. daveholmes said: I got “Hey Now Now” stuck in my head a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t know why, but now I do: I am tumblrpsychic.
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