Nothing Is Original About Katy Perry

A little less than two weeks ago Katy Perry became the first artist in history to be in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for a full year. 

Sorry guys.

It was around 2008 when Katy Perry first rose to prominence, and I remember that I couldn’t help but think that’d she’d be a one-hit wonder and fall into obscurity; only later to have a reality show on VH1.

"Who Let the Dogs Back In?" Coming this fall!

Somehow Katy Perry has managed to succeed expectations using the same trick that countless pop acts have done before: not being original. Not only has Katy Perry done this through her music – her entire entity is unoriginal.

 Katy Perry was born Katheryn Hudson – and even performed as Katy Hudson on her eponymous album Katy Hudson. You’ve probably never heard of this album. It was released way back in 2001 when Katy Perry was a Christian rock singer (yes the same girl who appears in music videos wearing whipped cream bikinis was once a Christian singer), and we all know Christian rock never reaches the mainstream. 

Unless you're the worst band in the world.

Perry soon dropped the “Hudson” as she did not want to be confused with actress Kate Hudson. Smart move on Katy’s part, too bad she would wind up being confused with the infinitely more talented Zooey Deschanel.

Fuck it. Let's just call the blog, "Why Is Zooey Deschanel Doing this?"

So her name is unoriginal, as are her looks. But what about her music? 

Katy Perry’s first big hit was “I Kissed a Girl”. The song launched Perry into the spotlight for a generation of teens who never thought a girl could get away with singing about such things. Only problem: a girl got away with singing about such things over a decade ago. Jill Sobule released “I Kissed a Girl” 13 years earlier. And guess what? It’s way better.

Where Perry’s version is an anthem to wild child party girls who drink heavily and make out with their friends, Sobule’s actually discusses the taboo and intimacy of a lesbian relationship. The reason you don’t remember Sobule’s version? Well, probably because she looks like this.

Eh...  um... yeah.

This goes for all of Perry’s big hits. The Beach Boys and David Lee Roth rocked out to “California Girls” before it was “California Gurls” (because there’s a huge difference between girls and gurls).

But I think what I’ve noticed most about Perry’s unoriginality can be seen in the video for her latest single “E.T.” 

I wasn’t sure if it was just me the first time I heard “E.T.” it sounded oddly reminiscent of the faux-lesbian-Russian group t.A.T.u’s hit, “All the Things She Said” only this time with Kanye West. Turns out I wasn’t the only person who noticed.

t.A.T.u.: My "Teenage Dream".

  

I don’t believe I’ve shed enough light on this issue. In order to further prove my point, I’m going to critically break down the video for “E.T.”

         Left: Alien from "E.T." video            Right: Alien from Independence Day

 

 

 

 

Left: Red alien Katy Perry         Right: A redlion fish

                Left: White alien Katy Perry                  Right: Proto-Gaga French singer Klaus Nomi

 

Left: Kanye West                Right: Puff Daddy

 So as you can see the video for "E.T." proves that Katy Perry has made a career off of ripping people off. I mean the fucking song is named after a world renowned movie. Not only that but I think Russel Brand needs to look into Katy Perry as a concern. I'm pretty sure redlion fish are venomous.