"Roar" - Katy Perry

Welcome back, Katy Perry.

Yes, it’s been about a year since Katy Perry’s had a hit! And after hit after hit throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, that break felt much-needed for both her and everybody else. But has Katy Perry done anything new after this relatively long break? Has she grown as an artist, a lyricist, or a performer? Well, let’s find out.

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely

You. You, miss “I Kissed a Girl”, are now “scared to rock the boat and make a mess”. Since when does this fit Katy Perry’s personality? She’s always been loud and proud about her emotions and songs, however vapid and shallow they may be. What’s going on here?

I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

Wow, Kelly Clarkson Katy Perry sure wrote a great song!

But seriously, this is taking a page right out of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger”-like vague bashing of a man that did her wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Kelly Clarkson. But “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” was probably one of her worst songs, and Katy Perry’s song is reminding me a lot of it right now. It’s just a little weak. “I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything”? I think that last part was already implied, thanks.

You held me down, but I got up

That was fast. “I fell for everything” followed directly by “You held me down, but I got up.” You know, if you’re going to write a “Stronger”-like song, why not just start out confident like her?

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone

At least Kelly Clarkson’s version packed a punch at the beginning, rather than encompassing two different states of mind in such a short period of time (which can work, but it doesn’t here).

The melody’s okay, I guess. Nothing much to say about the lyrics until the chorus.

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar

Yes, quite a catchy melody. *hums along*-wait a minute! Where have I heard this before?

That’s right, aspiring musicians! When you hear a melody you like, the best thing to do is just rip it off! Vanilla Ice did it, and look where he is no-oh my God. 

Okay, so maybe Katy Perry’s got a brighter future than that. But still, no excuse! I get that coincidences happen, I do. But this is juuust a little too similar for me to blow it off as simply that.

Well now, that’s ruined. How are the lyrics doing?

I got the eye of the tiger

Well, Katy Perry. How many people are you planning to rip off today?

Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes

Uh… Muhammad Ali? Really?

I went from zero, to my own hero

Okay, now that could be ripping off anybody, seeing as it’s a cliché that’s been awkwardly slightly reworded to make it not seem like one.

Screw this. What a waste of a comeback. This is just… boring and riddled with clichés. It’s like Katy Perry’s forgotten how to write her own material, and instead decided to just keep borrowing from other artists, whether it be thematically, lyrically, or melodically. Katy Perry tried to roar, but ended up sounding like a meek kitten.

Oh, and that tiger in the video needs to hand in its tiger badge.