By Poorva Rajaram
Needless to say, the internet has exploded with thumbs-up and thumbs-downish posts about Katy Perry’s new Ancient Egypt themed video Dark Horse.
We, however, write with one simple mission. Katy Perry has always inspired a deep ambivalence in us. We are here to announce — drumroll — a lesser degree of ambivalence toward her. She jumped into our universe in the most inauspicious way: by inaugurating the accursed Katy Perry lesbian — a cultural phenomenon that involves being lesbian for the duration of a music video. Then, there was the rather unfortunate (and unreconstructed) metrosexual backlash.
There was, as far as we can count, half a (or was it one?) notable video since then. Her songs have always inspired mehgnetism. They are there, chorusing away, sometimes creating mild irritation, but generally lacking in serious emotional-resonance anthem potential. (Incidentally, Perry sings only anthems, but none of them have a jot of feeling). Dark Horse isn’t a particularly good song, but its hammy enough + with this video, you might not even notice the meaning-deprived lyrics.
It’s just a little outrageous — rapping sarcophagi and all. Might we add that the colour scheme is rather perfect. The last half-decade spate of nightclub videos has made us especially glad for a well-lit video (yes, we don’t mind sounding that old). So let’s take a moment out to congratulate the blinding, eye-poking, technicolor saturation of Dark Horse. Now that we think about it, all her videos transport us to this dayglo world.
PS: The kitchsy theme video is a Perry speciality, example 1 and example 2, but there is nothing in these to really counteract mehgnetism.