I love listening to pop music. I have ever since I was little. Now, whenever I turn on the radio, I hear a Katy Perry song. She dominates Top 40 radio stations. Doesn’t matter if you like her or hate her, you can’t escape her.
I went to her Prismatic concert last night and had a great time. It was incredibly entertaining! The costumes were out of this world and it felt like I was at a Cirque du Soleil show instead of a concert. There were lots of young girls in the audience and that mad me think about whether Katy Perry’s songs were appropriate for children and if they were sending a positive message.
Something I found fascinating is that the same artist can perform songs inappropriate for children like “E.T.” but then also inspirational female-empowering anthems like “Roar.” How can she have such polar opposite songs?
The lyrics of “E.T.” are quite straightforward and troubling:
Then, Kanye West chimes into the song:
I like this song but it always pains me to sing along because I know what that the lyrics are basically condoning rape. I don’t know why Katy Perry or Kanye West didn’t get more criticism for these appalling lyrics. I disagree with the claim that the song is about “falling in love with a foreigner.” It’s not about falling in love, it’s about sexual assault.
So there you have “E.T.” from 2011 Fast forward three years to 2014 when “Roar” debuted. Check out these lyrics:
