On Nov. 22 the pop artist Ke$ha, best known for taking song lyrics that would’ve been much handsomer (or at least less butchered) in the voice of another artist, will release her second studio album Cannibal. It will feature the single “We R Who We R,” and it’s being shopped around as a song for bullied kids. “I feel like I’m creating this hopefully very youthful and irreverent movement of the kids, of, like, adolescence,” she says. “I feel like the parents don’t get it, but the kids get it. And they deserve to have more good, positive music.” If kids find a message in the lyrics (“DJ turn it up / It’s about damn time to live it up / I’m so sick of being so serious / It’s making my brain delirious!”) then that’s fantastic. But I’ve got a hard time believing Ke$ha, who is credited with writing the song, turned this one out as an anthem for tormented youth, as she claims to Entertainment Weekly (or at Entertainment Weekly infers). Because the publicized bullycides took place last month, and it generally takes more than a couple weeks to write a song, record it, produce and master it, get the OK from the label, and slap it on an album. It’s great if any song, even a Ke$sha one, uplifts young people; let’s just not pretend it was produced with these kids in mind.
Viral
Not to make light of the situation, but does this chick really think looking and sounding like the real world equivalent of Oscar the Grouch gonna make gays NOT wanna kill themselves…
Kammm
Ke$ha and this song actually do make me feel more uplifted. I love the song and I love Ke$ha. As a 20-year-old gay man who longs for love, but hasn’t got it due to looks or personality or whatever, IDK, Ke$ha at least gives me hope to continue with her music. Not just her, but Gaga definitely.
Matthew
We can’t discredit her so easily, I mean didn’t Kanye West write, record, produce and master his song for the 2008 VMA’s in 10 days? Besides she never said this song was created in light of the bullycides so don’t get ahead of yourself.
Sam
Wait, you’re saying she couldn’t have written this for/about bullied kids because no gay kids were EVER bullied until a month ago? Seriously?!?
Steve
Look, the lyrics are fairly simple and conventional for Kesha. The lyrical structure is also the same: a rap verse, a sing-songy bridge followed by an Auto-Tuned chorus. So as far as writing goes, I love this new song, but lyrics were easily written within one day. Next, she recorded all of the vocals – all final takes and junk takes – within two weeks – that averages out to almost 2 songs a day, if she put in weekend hours. Then she also has critically acclaimed producers Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Max Martin for a mere 8 tracks, and you can be certain they didn’t wait to start other production until all of her vocals were done. If this song was completely written within 2 days, recorded in two more days, and then mixed and mastered since, two weeks is more than enough time for one polished single to be pushed out into the mainstream.
So while this song may not have been written for these specific bully victims, it is actually completely reasonable that this song was completely produced between then and now.
Kev C
It sounds like modern hillbilly music. Someone should do a mashup of Square Dancing to this shit.
the crustybastard
You gotta admit she’s got one of the more distinctive voices in pop music, whether you like it or not.
By using her upcoming single to call attention to bullying issue, you also gotta admit this young lady’s got more balls and integrity than the chickenshit closeted gay adult in the blind item a few articles over.
Good on you, Ke$ha.
Mikey
@the crustybastard:
Distinctive voice? Really??? It’s called autotune and too much of it causes one’s voice to sound distorted, computerized. I’m not quite sure how her real voice sounds like. I would like her to go away or at least learn to put together a proper sentence without sounding like a fake crack whore. If you believe that she put the song together for bullying, then I got a bridge to sell you! I suppose you also belive that Gaga originally wrote “Alejandro” with gays and DADT in mind.
Ignorance is bliss.
the crustybastard
@Mikey:
I don’t go out of my way to listen to pop music, yet I think it’s easy to accurately identify a Ke$ha song. How pathetic you must be for that observation to cause you to fly into a tizzy.
Calm down and RMFP. I didn’t say anything about believing somebody wrote anything for anybody, and I’m not sure how any of this makes me ignorant, dumbass.
Clint
Soooo it sounds just like all her other songs??? Oh ok, yeah.
Chris
@Viral: i love you
Chris
@the crustybastard: we dont have to admit she has a distinctive voice because she doesnt. it’s all autotune…
Tonic
I confess I’ve sometimes eaten the pop-crack pure sugar that she puts out, but did I miss how this song could/would be a gay anthem? Listening to the lyrics, I didn’t see the connection.
the crustybastard
@Chris:
Try not to let it ruin your day.
Chris
@Tonic:
I’m with you. This song is depressing and has only a slight mention of being yourself, mostly in the title line. But, the song is not really uplifting and it’s stereotyping every gay person as a mindless party animal. I don’t really see how this song would make many people feel better.
karissa
REALLY!? i love the bullying going on in all of you guys’ comments. seriously? GROW UP!