Is Taylor Swift Preventing Katy Perry From Hitting No. 1? [Opinion]
The rift between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry is well known, and as the Inquisitr has discussed before, it has a lot to do with Katy Perry allegedly stealing dancers from Swift’s Red Tour in 2013. But now, Taylor Swift (or at least her record company) has decided to get revenge — or at least a lot of people on social media seem to think so.
On Friday morning, Katy Perry released her highly-anticipated new single, “Chained To The Rhythm,” which has been getting excellent reviews. Billboard says that Perry has embraced her “wokeness.”
“Katy Perry is now a political pop star! That’s what ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ — her highly anticipated new single released on Friday (Feb. 10), to be performed at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night — aims to declare with undisguised pride.”
The review praises the shimmering production and the lyrics that criticize us for being tone deaf. There certainly is a political message in the song that might go over the heads of casual listeners. Slant says “Chained To The Rhythm” is the type of song we need now.
“Rather than the stomping disco anthem the song’s title and inventive, albeit not always successful, pre-release promo might have suggested, ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ is a mid tempo — but no less beckoning — invitation to the dance floor,” says critic Sal Cinquemani, who praises the song’s Caribbean flavor and light political statement.
The song was expected to immediately rise to No. 1 on the iTunes Chart, but — as of this afternoon — it is being held back by Taylor Swift’s song “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from Fifty Shades Darker. However, Perry’s song is at regular price while Swift’s single has suddenly been discounted to 69 cents. With the discount, Swift is sitting strongly at No. 1 and could jump to No. 1 next week on Billboard‘s Hot 100.
While Perry’s song deserves good reviews, it doesn’t sound like an out-of-box hit. The retro sound would have been innovative in 2013, but not so much in 2017. It sounds a lot like recent songs from Daft Punk. Still, Perry’s playful vocals and Skip Marley’s rap make the song a definite earworm. If not a No. 1 single, it should at least make the top 10.
Most people on Twitter are praising Perry’s new hit.
Katy Perry is still a superstar, but she has a lot to prove these days. Perry’s most recent single, “Rise,” failed to hit the top 10 and a performance of it at the Democratic National Convention this summer didn’t help matters much. When a Britney Spears fan tweeted that her career was over after the song failed to perform, Perry answered back.
see you at my show 2K17?
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) September 18, 2016
Katy Perry’s last album, Prism, was a hit that launched two No. 1 singles, “Roar” and “Dark Horse.” However, it didn’t come close to the success of Teenage Dream, an album that spawned five No. 1 hits and turned Perry into the hottest pop star on the planet in 2011. Even though Katy Perry is still part of the cultural conversation, she no longer rules it.
Have you heard “Chained To The Rhythm”? What’s your opinion of Katy Perry’s latest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images]
