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I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry

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Katy Perry’s rebellious cutting edge record about testing the waters of same sex affection.

Concept
A topical lyric about the singer daring to cross a societal barrier to same sex affection and the inherent inner stimulation, conflict and rationalizations it provided.   

Lyric
A night out with the girls leads the singer to experiment with flirting and a bit more with another girl. It was never the way I planned, not my intention I got so brave, drink in hand, lost my discretion It’s not what I’m used to, just wanna try you on I’m curious, for you caught my attention I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chapstick I kissed a girl just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it It felt so wrong, it felt so right, don’t mean I’m in love tonight I kissed a girl and I liked it, I liked it

Groove
An uptempo shuffle groove over a strong quarter-note beat with triplet fills.

Melody
Two well contrasted repetitive melodic sections in minor scale that are easily recognized and memorable hooks. The bridge adds a third melody as well.

Harmony
Minor diatonic triads with some substitute major triads that remain in the key. The dark minor ambience accentuates the “bad girl” feel. i bIII iv bVI (loop) i bIII IV bVI (variant later in chorus)

Structure
Easy structure to follow. A B A B C B verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus

Signature
No signature.

Production
Produced cleanly, crisply and rhythmically with both a modern and retro sound at the same time.

Performance
Perry sings with naughty abandon giving even the sultry teasing Madonna a run for her money.

Predicted Longevity
A shock pop-rock record that makes a bold statement for 2008, which is not as easy as it used to be. As to whether this will remain popular over time is anyone’s guess. I imagine it will always have a certain appeal to those who are undergoing stretching their turf into the unknown.