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Ke$ha ft 3Oh!3 - 'Blah Blah Blah'

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Fraser McAlpine | 12:10 UK time, Wednesday, 3 February 2010

Ke$ha

In the early years of the 20th Century - the heyday of the music hall - singers would often try and titillate their audience with songs about sex, nakedness and general sauce. These were extraordinarily popular, as the people then were much like people now - always in favour of a mucky laugh set to music. Of course, they had no 'say anything' internet, no sweary films, no rock 'n' roll and a media whose view of public disgracefulness of this sort was close to that of the strictest headmaster in the world.

So, without using any of the words, the way entertainers got their message across was to use innuendo. They'd write a song about, say, a yoyo. or a stick of rock, and with nothing but a cheeky wink, and the clear impression that nobody would bother to write about something that silly unless it had a hidden meaning, a very clean sort of filthy song would ensue.

Ke$ha, it's fair to say, does not feel the need to hide behind such tricks.

Mostly, it's a sign of cultural progress that a modern pop lass can sing a song which is exactly as dirty as the kind of song her male peers would risk. And you don't have to strain to hard to work out which male peers either, seeing as Keesh's delivery is pure Eminem. One line winds upwards, the next winds down, each one doing a little dance on the borderline between cheeky and just-plain-gross.

And the hook, that drunken howl of "you tah-tah-tawkin' that BLAH BLAH BLAH" is particularly nowadaysy too. It's like a rural, farm-girl spin on GaGa's 'Bad Romance' frosty gibberish breakdown.

What's interesting is that, once upon a time, the bit of this song which deliberately avoids the right words to describe what it is talking about would have been the bit which refers to items of human intimacy. Now it refers to the moment where someone is attempting to communicate using words, like a big swot or something.

Ke$ha, being a bright girl, will no doubt be VERY aware of this cultural shift. Heck, she might even be playing with it on purpose (wahay! etc etc).

Not that I'm saying one state of affairs is better than another, you understand. It's pop music, it's not supposed to be GOOD for you.

Four starsDownload: Out now
CD Released: February 8th

Â鶹Éç Music page

(Fraser McAlpine)

PS: In reading up on Keesh, I came across my favourite sentence of the entire internet, and it is this: "She also had the opportunity to sing background for Paris Hilton's single, 'Nothing in This World', which led to an incident later where she vomited in Hilton's closet."

Something we can all empathise with there...

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    After Tik Tok, which was fun and entertaining, this is a real step backwards it just sounds immature and 3oh!3's bit is rubbish.
    2 stars at best.

  • Comment number 2.

    It´s mind-boggling! I mean the way they´ve managed to cut the composer (ask an older relative) out of the music making process these days. All that is required to make hits is a lovely machine that makes bleeping noises and marching rhythm patterns. It´s such a relief! Meddling tunesmiths are the last thing we need when we can have lots of "words" and random sounds to catch our attention. There. I´ve snapped. Can I have my TiK TaKs bak now?

  • Comment number 3.

    Don't mean to be anal (no hidden meaning implied) Fraser but I noticed that you've given Ke$ha the nickname of Keesh. You do know her name is pronounced Kesh (as in rhymes with mesh) a rather than how you've pronounced it: Keesha!

  • Comment number 4.

    That's two out of two hits that you've made reference to "Jack" (I'm guessing the whisky...?). Doesn't have the same flare second time round.

  • Comment number 5.

    Oh God. Got some friends obsessed with this track. Every now and then they just burst into "WOT TATATATACHA TALIN' BOUT?!? BLAH BLAH BLAH" or whatever it is. God it's awful isn't it?

    I loved Tik Tok. Infact I'd probably like this song if it wasn't for the "hook". It makes me want to vomit on her face, forget the closet.

    The 3OH3! bit is completely pointless. It simply adds weight to the title. They are pretty much in the same genre as her. Silly pop about the opposite sex with sounds and some electronic bits thrown in if you're lucky, but more likely inane noises like wolf whistles.

    I'm all for the girls being able to write songs about the opposite sex etc, but it's just that corus. Argh. TATATATATA TALKIN BOUT!! BLAH BLAH BLAH.

  • Comment number 6.

    Yes, it´s sooo bad. And already in the Itunes top 10, naturally. What´s wrong with people?

  • Comment number 7.

    OH NOOOO! She´s at number 4 on itunes today. And Timbaland´s taken over the number 2 spot from Jed. I honestly don´t know what´s going on.

    Is there a whole new generation that rules the market all of a sudden? Thousands of 8-year-olds downloading anything bleepy and shouty they can get their sweaty hands on? In that case there´s just no hope...

    Can someone say something comforting?

    Anything?

  • Comment number 8.

    Paolo has the number 1 album. This is comforting.

  • Comment number 9.

    ...to mums across the land.

  • Comment number 10.

    Hey Curtains, hope you´ve seen that Fraser handed you the gold watch on the Jed thread, and it didn´t seem cheap either!

    I agree Liam, Paolo´s success is comforting in the light of things.

    But I´m not really an albums type, and it´s the singles situation I worry about. Maybe I shouldn´t, and just leave the top 40 to the kids. BUT I CAN´T! IT HURTS!

  • Comment number 11.

    Paolo isnt just for Mums, shurrup. Infact, mine doesn't like him! He's effing brilliant.

  • Comment number 12.

    George Formby for instance: his songs include:

    With my Little stick of blackpool rock
    With my little ukelele in my hand
    When I'm cleaning windows
    The wash house at the back (don't ask.)

    I could go on, but I think I need a bath.

  • Comment number 13.

    Liam, if I had friends that liked this song, I wouldn't have friends that liked this song.

  • Comment number 14.

    best song from the album is stephen, dinosaur makes me laugh, this record will be at least in the top 5. if it isn't already.

  • Comment number 15.

    I think TiK ToK was an electropop master-piece, a really unique act looked likely to storm the charts over the following year... but this song is awful, and the fact that its just immature and the constant use of vocoder makes you wonder whether Ke$ha really has any vocal talent.

    I'm lucky though, I've seen her live and she's actually quite good, so I find it confusing as to why she feels the need to put that horrible squeak on every note she sings.

    1 star from me: the second single should've been Party At A Rich Dude's House.

  • Comment number 16.

    It was a very nice idea! Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader.[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

  • Comment number 17.

    ^
    can we all write like that from now on please, including Fraser...

  • Comment number 18.

    Thanks to is Jonesy, just continue writing this kind of post!

  • Comment number 19.

    Thranjax , I will be your loyal reader. xxx

  • Comment number 20.

    When I said that this was Kesha's next single , way back on the Tik Tok thread , I stated that it wasn't one of the better tracks on the album .

    My choice for next single was Party At A Rich Dude's House .

    However , there is no denying the power of Blah , Blah , Blah as a commercial proposition .
    The 3OH!3 effect , and the fact that this song sounds so 2010 , and so in yer face and stands out on the radio .
    Thousands of people are gonna love this song, thousands will hate it !
    It's a marmite track.

    Huge !

  • Comment number 21.

    I really dislike BLAH BLAH BLAH. I wanna see her release Your Love Is My Drug which is rumoured to be the third single from ANIMAL.

  • Comment number 22.

    Only problem with Your Love Is My Drug is that it sounds a lot like Tik Tok

  • Comment number 23.

    From a chart point of view, that isn't a problem. The theory of this is that when a song is a hit, the artist tries to permanently maintain the presence of the song in people's consciousness by releasing one or two similar songs. I vaguely remember studying this sort of thing at Uni. Long long ago.

  • Comment number 24.

    Scouting For Girls must be familiar with this theory

  • Comment number 25.

    There is also, of course, a law of diminishing returns. Too many similar songs and you're stuffed. Scouting for Girls must be familiar with this theory.

  • Comment number 26.

    Maybe they should read what you've just said Thranjax, their new song sounds just like the rest and I doubt the trick will work again.

  • Comment number 27.

    Yeah , it isn't like the first Scouting For Girls album sold over 1 million copies is it ?

    Oh hold on . . .

  • Comment number 28.

    "It's not about you..." Is an absolutely fantastic song. Simply brilliant. It was the first Scoting for Girls song I heard and I instantly fell in love. It was before they got big (not trying to sound cool, there's nothing cool about loving SFG let's be honest) on the Scott Mills show or something.

    Every track they have done since hasn't been as good and sounds the same. But that song is brilliant. Because it is brilliant, I quite like most of their other stuff. Because it sounds similar!

    I'm not a musician. but apparently it is literally the same arrangement etc for nearly every track.

  • Comment number 29.

    I totally disagree with you guys. I love this song! and 3OH!3's BIT IS NOT POINTLESS! As u do no that they helped write this song lol. u should really do more research before judging a song and so what if the lyrics are not great or anything that meaningful or amazin who even cares? people can sing and listen to what they want, u cant deny thats it's catchy. but i agree that she should realease party at a rich dude's house. love that song

  • Comment number 30.

    'Party At A Rich Dude's House' should've been the second single imo. As is the opinion of most people posting here.

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