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From:Katy Perry , Capitol ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#61 |
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22 of 47 customers found the following review helpful:
 Misandry (n.): Hatred of Men, 2008-07-16
Sometime, 20 years from now, when the teenage girls of today are in their mid-late 30s are single and jaded, with the marriage rate declining and divorces on the uprise, they will look back toward their youth and wonder what made the difference between their generation and those that came before. That the music of Katy Perry and the sentiments of misandry it pushed upon their young, impressionable minds will be no small part of it I have no doubt.
Although she is heavily aided by a bevy of experienced songwriters and producers, I will give Perry credit where it is due. This is some very catchy pseudo-rock (no matter how gritty the music may pose itself to be this is pop at its purest, but people are more likely to buy it if it's marketed as rock), and I have no doubt she has more than enough hand in these songs with their unshakable melodies and smart, sassy wordplay.
However, the sentiments they put forth are equally angering and saddening.
Take club hit "UR So Gay," for instance. While in the context of the song there is nothing directly homophobic, by using this slur as the title and centerpiece of her song she pits straight men and gay men against each other. How? By using an anti-gay slur to cripple a man's sense of masculinity (read: straightness, since in the contemporary woman's world straight men and gay men are always polar opposite stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, respectively), she therefore validates the fact that the term "UR So Gay" is indeed insulting. This will certainly not make straight men more accepting of their gay counterparts any time soon. The man behind this review doesn't care for the fact that she tries to emasculate the subject of her song for being a vegetarian, either. Here's wishing a nice bout of Mad Cow on you, Miss Perry. How low can you go?
The double standards this 23 year-old promotes are downright horrendous, and legitimize hostility toward men, keeping women safely sequestered from ever being able to truly understand the opposite sex. This makes Miss Perry the absolute, POLAR opposite of Alanis Morissette, whom she has been touted as the natural successor to. Morissette's talents as a songwriter are unprecedentedly eloquent, due in no small part to the fact that, while certainly a feminist icon, she realizes there are differences between men and women that she will never come to fully understand, and that men, like women, are responsible for much of what is good and harmonious in the world - it's not all black and white; Perry's sentiments are the stuff of a very simple mindset.
Whereas a song on Morissette's new album is titled "In Praise of the Vulnerable Man," Perry wields the proverbial ax at men in many of her songs such as "Hot 'N Cold" (You change your mind like a girl changes clothes/Yeah, you PMS like a bitch, I would know) only to proudly declare "I Kissed a Girl" and title her album "One of the Boys," wearing the very badge of semi-androgyny she denies her male counterparts, although she cops out on the title track.
These lyrics from "If You Can Afford Me" may be the most offensive here. Strongly holding men to outdated tenets of masculinity that reigned a half-century ago, at the same time Perry declares her right to break free from similar chains, all the while cheapening herself:
"If you want me you're gonna have to break the bank tonight/`Cuz some don't have the patience, some call me high-maintenance/But you pay the bill, cuz that's the deal/If you wanna ride, just name your price, don't play cheap with your heart/Don't make a bet if you can't write the check for me, for me/`Cuz I can be bought, but you'll pay the cost/If you can afford me."
She later goes on to stipulate that one thing will be free - "a lovin' me." Of course, love only arrives after the wallet has been taken out. How convenient.
If young women continue to have sentiments like these bombarded into their consciousness by popular culture, they will never find intimacy with men, and why would any man want to put up with such double standards? More and more women will wonder why they never found the right man, and men will remain bachelors for their whole lives, never allowing themselves to be vulnerable to women beyond one-night stands. Furthermore, sentiments like these are mighty egotistical and self-aggrandizing. Feminists from groups like the AAUW argue that girls these days still suffer from intense insecurity and are "shortchanged," but if Perry and her music are any example, what they really need is a good dose of modesty.
It may sound like a lot of pressure to put on a pop music album, but that lyrics like Perry's have been accepted with open arms and little scrutiny sure says a lot about current culture's hostility toward men. As a man, I consider myself a feminist, but this is surely the most convoluted, unfair feminism I have witnessed on a mass scale.
Indeed, as she puts forth on the emotionally weighty conclusion "Fingerprints," which shows her great songwriting potential, "I'm leaving my fingerprints on you/Representing you and me/Don't you wanna go down in history?" Indeed, she is leaving her fingerprints on the minds of young listeners and representing their generation. How it will all go down in history, however, is not something to be lauded if my predictions are grounded in truth.
6 of 6 customers found the following review helpful:
 Love the music! , 2008-07-14
I love her music! Very original. My only complaint about the CD is that I didn't realise it was going to be edited when I bought it. Of course, I think there is only one or two words edited out of the whole CD so its not a big deal.
13 of 13 customers found the following review helpful:
It sounds like the girl is a bit confused...., 2008-07-13
...but somehow you get the idea that it's all in fun. This pop/rock recording makes for a fine debut. Katy does seem to have a bit of gender dysphoria...she kisses girls when drunk [and enjoys it], sometimes she feels like "one of the boys", and "ur so gay" and "hot n cold" depict her boyfriend has having some confusion of his own {PMS, indeed}. The lyrics, though are clean...well, there is a line in "if you can afford me" about not being a piece of a**...and I, at least, was left with the impression that she doesn't really mean it, and is just having a good time with us. "i kissed a girl" is not only not offensive, it's my favorite song on the album...really catchy.
Katy is a pretty girl, with a clear, strong, voice...she should go far. The album is well recorded, and presented, with great artwork. The recording may be a bit more "rock" than I like, but only a bit. She manages to take themes which some could use to gross us out, and make a real "feel good" album...that's an accomplishment, right there. You go, girl...
Addendum: I liked it when I first got it, but this is a record that actually IMPROVES with repeated listening...Very high recommendation. Six stars, at least.
2 of 5 customers found the following review helpful:
 Bubble Gum Pop, 2008-07-12
She's a great singer! Perry has big real pipes. The music is fun too.
6 of 6 customers found the following review helpful:
 ...We've been dead for a while (4.5), 2008-07-11
Hands down, the best thing about Katy Perry--and One of the Boys--is that she doesn't take herself too seriously. Every song is based in reality and makes its point clear, but there's also a tongue-in-cheek aspect to each track as well. Yes, this is pop in every single aspect, but it's also not trying to be anything else. If you're buying this CD in hopes of hearing something that's never been done before, well, I'm sorry but you'll be sorely disappointed. One of the Boys is simply a fun CD to put on and let play.
I'm sure most everyone was drawn to Katy Perry from her single, I Kissed A Girl, I know I was. Word has it though (and by 'word' I mean Amazon's product description) is that Katy found popularity with the digital release of Ur So Gay...but that's only hear-say. Whatever the case is, whichever song you heard first, this CD basically follows suit. Full of mostly upbeat, danceable songs, its really quite hard not to like this if you give it an unbiased listen.
Immediate hits, for those of you unwilling to sit down and listen to the entire disc, include (of course) I Kissed A Girl, Waking Up In Vegas, Ur So Gay, and Hot n Cold. For those who will actually give this CD some attention, Thinking of You, Self-Inflicted, I'm Still Breathing, and Fingerprints are all slower songs that beg for noteriety.
My favorite songs are I Kissed A Girl, Waking Up In Vegas, Thinking of You, Ur So Gay, and I'm Still Breathing. One of the Boys was everything I expected. I expected a fun romp through the pop genre...I got that. I expected some interestingly coy lyrics...got that. I expected to hear some great vocals...I also got that. I wasn't planning on being blown away or anything like that, so I came out insanely happy with what I was given. Pretty sure if you did the same you'd come out pleased as well. Enjoy!
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