Throwback Thursday
In today’s throwback, we revisit Katy Perry’s 2008 album “One of the Boys,” which holds a special place in my heart as the first CD I ever bought and loved. This album marked a significant success for Katy Perry in the 2000s, featuring popular songs like “I Kissed A Girl,” “Hot and Cold,” and “Ur So Gay.” While I still cherish this album for the nostalgia it brings, listening to it now makes me realize how much time has passed since 2008. Many of the songs and lyrics that once seemed rebellious back then would hardly raise an eyebrow in 2021.
Take, for example, the hit song “I Kissed A Girl.” In 2008, it amazed many people with its lyrics and Katy Perry’s apparent “bravery” to confess such a thing, particularly with the “and I liked it” line. The song even won the “People’s Choice Award” for “Favorite Pop Song.” However, in 2021, the revelation that a woman enjoys kissing another woman is no longer a shocking revelation for most. Perhaps the world of pop music needed songs like “I Kissed A Girl” in the early and mid-2000s to pave the way for more explicit tracks like “WAP” by Cardi B (2020) and “Slumber Party” by Ashnikko (2021) in the 2020s.
As we look ahead to future songs, I genuinely hope that lyrics like those in Katy’s infamous “Ur So Gay” remain firmly in the past, where they belong. Calling a man “gay” when he supposedly “doesn’t even like boys” and suggesting he might “hang himself with his H&M scarf” is something we should leave behind.
