Chained To The Rhythm, By Katy Perry

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WE’RE ALL CHAINED TO GLOBAL POP
Katy Perry’s newest song reminds us that we are not only chained to the rhythm of society, but also to the rhythm of pop music.

On February 21, 2017, the famous American pop singer Katy Perry released a song named “Chained to the Rhythm” on her YouTube VEVO channel . Appearing to be a cheerful anthem to many viewers, it was actually laden with political motives and criticism of the current way of life that is observable in America, as well as in many parts of the world. For example, some scenes in the song targeted our people’s obsession with social media, our ignorance to pollution and water safety, and gender inequality. The white fence in the music video symbolises President Trump's idea of erecting a …show more content…

Tracing back to the 1960s and 70s, famous pop stars Bob Dylan and John Lennon have written songs with a political purpose, such as Lennon’s well-known song “Imagine” that advocates for world peace. In the late 70s, the British punk rock band Sex Pistols released the song “God Save the Queen”, which is one of the first pop songs with a radical protest message. The song targeted the royalty system of the U.K. More recently, we have seen songs like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” as an anthem for LGBTQ+ rightists. Politics have been married with songs since 50 years ago.

“Chained to the Rhythm” was special in the sense that it was one of the purposeful pop songs that made it to the top 10 positions of billboard music, alongside others like Gaga’s “Born This Way” or Lorde’s “Royals”. The highest position it reached was the 4th position. Pop music is ubiquitous in our daily lives –kids and teenagers listen to an average of 108 minutes of pop music per day. With political songs like these that are able to reach staggering popularity and affect an enormous Internet audience, it is worth asking: how can global pop music, especially those with social or political implications, affect us? Whether “us” is the citizens in the U.S. or citizens in Hong Kong. And, how can we expect the global music industry to continue to …show more content…

Or the way you speak? Or, introduce you to a new hobby? When I reflect on how global pop has ever infiltrated into my childhood, I think of examples such as “Gangnam Style” that really drove me and my friends to “do” something. Perhaps you too would remember seeing people from your city shooting videos of them dancing to pop songs, or saying jokes with lyrics from such music. These examples demonstrate that global pop music can have a trendsetting effect.

Global pop can ignite temporary trends for local cultures. Take Pharrell Williams’ addictive song “Happy” as an example. The song was released in 2013, and it had the purpose of encouraging viewers to practise being happy, even in the saddest of times. On top of its light, catchy tune and its positivist message that impressed viewers of all age groups, the dance, featured in its music video, was able to transcend national borders and became a popular dance style in worldwide locales , such as Paris, Tunisia, Dublin etc. In Hong Kong, teenagers also woke to the trend and danced with their friends in front of cameras . I remember a video of the same dance being shot inside my own secondary

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