The backlash against Perry’s thoughtless “comeback” single has been overwhelming. So why is this song still at the top of playlists? Delete it and save everyone the pain.
July 16, 2024, 6:00 AM(Has been updated 6:02AM)
Hello girlboss! Live, laugh, love! This is what it means to be a feminist! Slay, queen!
Those aren’t the lyrics of Katy Perry’s new song, “Woman’s World,” but they might as well be. The saccharine pop tune sounds like it was written by an AI version of Pokemon’s “Gigly Girly Puff” or the Spice Girls, but it was actually co-written by five other adults (including industry pariah Dr. Luke) and describes women in the broadest, most condescending terms possible: “Sexy, confident and super intelligent!” Hooray, I’m the flower and the thorn!
It doesn’t get any better from there: the lyric “She’s my sister and my mother” has the unfortunate ring of a public figure accused of something unsavory trying to prove his respect for women by using his closeness to them, while “So Soft, So Strong” sounds more like a toilet paper ad than an empowerment anthem.
Since its release on Friday, “Woman’s World” has faced some of the most vitriolic backlash in memory. Some have protested what they say is an antiquated, weak feminism; others have objected to an infuriatingly repetitive beat that sounds like “Demo” pressed on GarageBand. And yet the song remains on Radio 2’s A-list, ringing in the nation’s ears with brutal frequency. (I’ve been listening to it on repeat as I write this, and I can practically feel my brain cells atrophying.)
Look, the last thing I want is to join the Perry pile-on. The poor woman clearly tried to do something cool and failed, but failure is part of making art, and I hope she bounces back before making a quick return to the pop world. In the meantime, it would be kind to all involved if we just quietly let this song fade into oblivion. The internet has written “Woman’s World” off the hook like bullies ganging up on a kid in tacky clothes on the first day of school. It’s time to bury this song and get DJs across the country to follow suit. Please, enough is enough.
I’m on the verge of tears. I wish they’d stop this song, but its ubiquity makes me question what radio is for. If radio was meant to test new music, its moment is over. People want to speak up, and get “Woman’s World” out there. History. If radio is the place to play “good” or “liked” music, then “women’s world” is will never be played again. But this song continues to ring in my dreams, as well as every time I get in a taxi or enter the supermarket. It’s only been three days. Just think of what state we’ll be in when August arrives.
This will be the first release since the 2020 album. smile“Woman’s World” is not just a song, it’s the vehicle Perry has chosen to (unfortunately) make her comeback after her previous single, “The Great Passage,” failed to make much of an impact. The single is “the first piece of music I’ve dedicated to since becoming a mother and feeling truly connected to my feminine deity,” she said in a statement. But just because the pop star wants to chart again, does that mean we should all offer our ears at her altar?
Oh, and our eyes too. We haven’t even mentioned the music video yet, which somehow feels surreal (the anvil, the robotic horse legs) and bland (the sexy Rosie the Riveter, the peppy dance moves) all at the same time. After receiving criticism and laughs, Perry claimed it was satire, posting a video clip of herself on set stating her thoughts (it’s well-known that, like all the best jokes, satire gets funnier the more you explain it). Oh, and the close-up of Perry’s chest is poking fun at the male gaze, not pandering to it! A total misinformation.
Perhaps, with time and space to heal, we can explain how this tragedy happened in the first place. For too long, radio has been tied to big name artists and slick PR campaigns, with or without any interesting results. The remains of Woman’s World, And the extent of the damage it has caused should serve as a lesson: having a bad song played over and over again is bad for anyone, but especially bad for the artist (especially me). Never again” we say (pleading). Radio 2, we’re looking at you.