Know Who's A Genius?

Ke$ha.

I'm serious.

Check this out:



Here. Read the lyrics:

When the dark of the night
Comes around that's the time
That the animal comes alive
Looking for something wild

N-now we lookin' like pimps in my gold Trans-Am
Got a water bottle full of whiskey in my handbag
Got my drunk text on, I'll regret it in the mornin'
But tonight, I don't give a, I don't give a, I don't give a

Chorus:

There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around
It's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all
And they turn me on, when they take it off
When they take it off, everybody take it off

There's a place I know if you're looking for a show
Where they go hardcore and there's glitter on the floor
And they turn me on, when they take it off
When they take it off, everybody take it off

Lose your mind, lose it now
Lose your clothes in the crowd
We're delirious, tear it down
'Til the sun comes back around

Now we're getting so smashed, knocking over trash cans
E'erbody breaking bottles it's a filthy hot mess
Gonna get faded, I'm not the designated driver
So I don't give a, I don't give a, I don't give a

[Chorus]

Oh, oh, oh
Everybody take it off
Oh, oh, oh
Everybody take it off

Right now, take it off
Right now, take it off
Right now, take it off
Oh

Right now, take it off
Right now, take it off
Right now, take it off
Everybody take it off

[Chorus]

Note that the portion of the chorus "There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around/It's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all" is set to the tune of "There's A Place In France".

Now. Tell me that isn't a work of genius.

Ke$ha is, I am convinced, an extended performace art piece on the nature of consumable pop personalities, manufactured music, and sex as commodity. Every auto-tuned note, every pop culture reference in the lyrics, the oversatured, over-the-top video, the childish sing-song melody: it is all a brilliant critique skewering the American celebrity machine: the machine that strives to make young women (like Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift or Rihanna) into consumer goods, and then disposes of them when we, the audience, have had our fill.

Watch the video, with it's beautiful young men and women frolicking, pulling each others' clothes off, exploding into wisps of colored smoke and glitter, watch it and tell me that's not what's being said.