You’ll notice the title of this post is a statement, not a question. That’s because what I’m about to assert is beyond dispute. Really.
Tik Tok by Ke$ha is this year’s best pop record by a country mile.
Yes, others might be subtler, more sophisticated, less crass. But is that what we want in our pop music? No, it is not.
We want trashy lyrics about booze, boys and clubbing. We want shameless audio gimmicks galore. We want thumping choruses topped with a vocal that could strip paint. And if those choruses are underpinned by dirty analogue synthesizers, then that just about completes my Christmas list.
The acid test of any pop record is this: how would it sound at a nighttime fairground, PA cranked up to 11, accompanied by flashing lights and the smell of onions? I bet this would sound fan-frickin-tastic.
