BEST: 4) We Found Love - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
This song has been a pretty major hit, both in the UK and the US, and like it or not it's easy to see why. Even on his stuff I hate, Calvin Harris knows how to create an awesome dance beat, and judging by the success of some his contemporaries you only need to half-ass a dance beat to have a hit song. But this goes way beyond just the awesome dance beat. This is, as far as I'm concerned, a wonderfully crafted dark mood piece. For me it captures the same energy as something like Just Dance, that feeling of absolute desperation. However, We Found Love manages to simultaneously be both more intimate and more wide-reaching than Just Dance. At the risk of sounding like a colossal tool, listening to the song is almost like a journey through the song. Video suits it perfectly too.
WORST: 4) Last Friday Night - Katy Perry
Full video is incredibly stupid, so I linked a lyrics video instead.
I cannot stand Katy Perry. She's the quintessential stupid bint of music. She can't sing, she can't dance, she looks like she'd give you an STD if she licked your arm... WHY IS SHE POPULAR??
Personally, I've liked exactly 2 Katy Perry songs (Hot & Cold and ET) and tolerated one more (Firework). Of those the only one I really like is ET, and that's because it makes a conscious decision not to do the usual Katy Perry thing. As far as I'm concerned, the song does a great job presenting her as a kind of... contemptible slut. The stuttering vocals, the thudding percussion, the grungey guitar in the chorus, it's all just singing from the same hymnbook and works perfectly. It's just filthy. Whereas with this one (and other past Katy Perry songs), it's like the song isn't in on it. It's presenting her in some idealised way when she's still just singing about she got a hangover and can't remember if she made out with a guy or got punched. This is, like, a song for teenage girls - ones that want to go out partying but aren't old enough yet, and still think "tee hee hangovers are cool" when what they are, literally and metaphorically, is a pain in the head. It doesn't help that musically this is incredibly basic, too - it's basically a lite version of Blur's Coffee and TV. And I do not like Blur's Coffee and TV. I suppose objectively this song isn't terrible, but it just pisses me off every time I hear it, and if it were up to me I'd never have to hear it again.
Oh, and also, just how old is the narrator of this meant to be? She has a car and a boss (and a propensity for sex) but she's still like totally bummed if pictures end up online and she goes skinny dipping like a teenager? Meh, whatever, the song commits worse crimes.
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James - Board 8's Resident Warm And Safe, Slipper-Wearing User
& The Cream of Porcupine Tree Fanboyism