Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, sisters in the sorority of strange outfits and unusual forms of promotion, both have dueling singles out today. Katy Perry tried to get the attention by hiring an eye-sore of a gold truck to drive around Los Angeles in promotion for her upcoming album, Prism, but that was derailed when the 18-wheeler was hit by a drunk driver. Lady Gaga teamed up with famous performance artist Marina Abromovic to film a performance art video of herself yelling and rubbing crystals on her nude body. Both ladies had their singles leaked over the weekend, leading Gaga to tweet at Perry “Wanna grab some shovels and fuck up some hackers?” Potential murder spree aside, how do these two singles stack up?
Lyrically there’s not much to either of them. Perry’s song is about how some unspecified person encouraged her not to speak up and then she did speak up; though she speaks mostly in clichés. She roars and will continue to do so. Gaga’s song is about how she craves fame, doesn’t pay attention to critics, and how her music is art.
Gaga’s song drives forward with a pounding beat and cool synths reminiscent of 80’s synth during the bridges, leading into a high energy beat for the chorus. However, the song is pretty repetitive and outstays its welcome quickly. Perry’s single has a bouncy energy that recalls school yard chants. Like all of her music, the production is polished, but it’s not overwhelming. In the battle of the pop princesses, Katy Perry wins this round by having a song that’s just more fun. Congrats, Katy Perry! We hope your giant truck is out of the shop soon.
