Party Mu$ic

Good evening, readers. Today, we've got a new subject of discussion. Now, I don't mean 'subject' in the "predominant theme or topic" way, but rather the "person or thing that undergoes analysis" way. Because today, I want to go through a character study. Can you guess who?
If this blog post's picture and title aren't enough to clue you in, then let me give you another hint:
The Word of the Day is 'GLITTER'.

Glitter /'glitə/ v. 1. To reflect with a brilliant, sparkling luster; sparkle with reflecting light. 2. To make a brilliant show. ♦n. 3. A sparkling reflected light or luster; splendour. 4. Shiny ornamental metallic fragments, usually coloured, designed to be sprinkled onto some form of adhesive.

Surely by now you understand, I am talking about the musician, Ke$ha. Born Kesha Rose Sebert, the girl apparently became a singer around 2005, age 18. But in 2010, she stepped into the public eye after singing the second verse of the chorus of "Right Round" by Flo Rider. The lyrics were as enigmatic as they were poetic:
  You spin my head right round, right round,
  When you go down, when you go down down.

Truly, the next Shakespeare. Unsurprisingly, these two lines were the starting point she needed to begin her solo career as a singer, a songwriter and a rapper.
So why is the word of the day 'Glitter'? Two reasons. One because Ke$ha is OBSESSED with glitter. Not only does she wear it as make-up in most of her live appearances and on ALL of her album covers. But she also sings about it in the songs she writes:

  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.

  Blow
Dirt and glitter cover the floor.
We're pretty and sick
We're young and we're bored
[also . . .]
Go insane, go insane
Throw some glitter, make it rain on 'em.

  We R Who We R
I’ve got that glitter on my eyes,
Stockings ripped all up the side,
Looking sick and sexyfied.
So let’s go-o-o (Let’s go!)

I have never seen someone accessorize, lyricize and idolize glitter like Ke$ha does. But the second reason why I am talking about 'Glitter', is closely related to the first. You see, glitter on your face isn't a very classy look. You wouldn't wear it to a wedding, or when you go to the bookstore. Because it's not everyday makeup. It's party makeup. And that is the only thing Ke$ha sings about. Glitter, Partying, Drinking, Nightclubs and Boys.
And that is why I find her, and her music, fascinating.
Because, to me, Kesha's music does 'glitter', in the sense that it makes a brilliant show. I like her and her music. But the reason why is not so easily understood, or straightforward as 'I like the beat' or 'the lyrics are cool'. Because, as a rule of thumb, I hate party music. But this has to do with character.

A lot of people hate her music, for the same reason I hate most other party music: it's much too loud, much too repetitive and is usually devoid of deeper meaning. the lyrics are just empty words, insignificant compared to the beat.
Party music is all about the beat, so you can feel it and dance to the music amongst bright lights and other drunk people, even if you can't hear it. So the lyrics are usually just vapid bullshit about dancing, nightclubs, drinking and sex. Ke$ha's music isn't much better, mind you. She too sings about all that. But there's one key difference.

Unlike singers who 'dabble' in party music, she sings it exclusively. (Some others do, but I haven't paid attention to them, because I am not usually looking out for that kind of thing). Remember, I HATE party music.
But this relates to the fact that, because she sings party music almost exclusively, she has also crafted (and evokes) this particular persona: party girl.
You see, when I hear her music, I don't hear someone singing about partying. I hear someone living it. Someone whose WHOLE LIFE is partying.

So despite having no true depth to her, what I see is a character whose life goal is to be the quintessential party girl. Everything is designed to be a partygirl:
The Glitter? So her eyes catch the light in the nightclub.
The Bangles & Necklaces? All loose, so they dance with her.
The Hair? A tangled mess, from dancing all night.
Alcohol? Another way to loosen up.
Sex? Just another way to get your heart beating.
Boys? They are the audience, that watches her dance.
I see the anthropomorphic personification of Partygirl.

I imagine that if you could step into Ke$ha's brain, and walk through that mindscape, you would be walking across a dancefloor. It would be dark, a hardcore nightclub. Lasers, smoke and shadows all mingle through the air in an orchestra of light and dark. In the middle of the dancefloor Ke$ha's self, her stage personality and ego, would be in the spotlight, dancing. The figments of her imagination would be represented by dancing, half-naked women & posing men. Her desires and dreams would be held on the other side of the bar, bottled in liquid form. The barman, her Id, would ask you for your order, flexing his tattooed, sleeveless arms. All the while, the music would be played by the D.J. S-Ego, and the only music she would play is Ke$ha's discography, her entire musical canon, playing through her. As she dances . . .

That is how I understand this 'Ke$ha' persona. That is her life, and her perception. Don't get me wrong, it's not deep. She seems quite shallow, concerned only with the baser needs. But although she has no depth because to her, the surface is her paradise. She lives a carefree life of dance, drugs, dudes and drinking.

Perhaps one day, she will get older. Grow out of partying. Settle and grow to be an old woman, perhaps with regrets, no doubt with a million stories to tell.
But until that day, I would not deny her this paradise. I will listen to her songs, as the nightcall of the party animal. Like the lion's roar, or the swan's song, it is raw and true. It is her nature, of youth and wilderness. And she's going to live it like it's all she's got. So, while we still can . . .

Let's make the Most of the Night,
Like we're gonna Die Young . . .