Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” Lyrics Meaning

Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” mainly details an experience she had while getting so drunk that she ended up kissing a girl she had met. In the song, Katy shares that though it was not a deliberate action, and typically against her moral upbringing, she actually enjoyed the experience.

The main cause of her action, she states was the drink which she must have consumed in excess. So much so that she felt brave and careless enough to try something new. It seems as though she found the girl attractive while she was drunk. However, the singer may have already thought about what it might feel like to make out with a female earlier on. She clearly states that it’s not something she’s used to and was a bit hesitant possibly because of the societal pressure to be heterosexual. Her curiosity took over when she lost control because of the alcohol.

Chorus

In the chorus, the singer reveals that she did not regret the incident, but rather liked it. She describes how she felt kissing female lips by mentioning cherry chap stick, which is a lipstick typically used by girls. Katy mentions her boyfriend not minding her actions, signifying that she is in fact heterosexual, but enjoyed it so much that there is a possibility she might try it again. Her conscience comes into play as well, as she ponders over the fact that it felt good and yet she knows it’s wrong. She denies being in love with the girl but admits that she enjoyed the kiss.

Apparently, the girl the singer kissed is not a known friend, but a girl she had just met that very night. It appears she doesn’t even know her name and only found her attractive enough to experiment with her. She goes on to express that it was not something she thought was entirely right, but it happened mainly because of her drunken state.

Bridge

She justifies her actions in the bridge as she confesses that girls are generally very appealing and irresistible, thus kissing the lady and liking it was not much of a big deal.

What Katy Perry has said about “I Kissed a Girl”

Katy who spoke about the inspiration behind the song in an interview with James Corden said the track was actually about a girl she met when she first moved to Los Angeles. She was 17 at that time. Katy denied that she kissed this particular girl, however she admitted kissing other girls.

Wrapping it up…..

“I Kissed a Girl” represents the trend of trivializing female sexuality. It portrays the tendency of women especially in the 21^st Century to experiment with their sexuality, against the commonly established culture of being heterosexual.

Release of “I Kissed a Girl”

This is the lead single from Katy Perry’s second album, “One of the Boys”. It came out about two months before the album itself, on 28 April 2018. And the label that put it out is Capitol Records.

Katy Perry’s first album, which goes by the title “Katy Hudson” (2001), actually featured Christian music and was released by an independent label specializing in such. And there were no singles released from that project. So in reality, “I Kissed a Girl” was the first single Perry ever dropped.

There were reservations amongst Perry and her label in terms of actually recording this song and putting it on the air. And the first radio station to give it airplay, due to it being directly promoted by Capitol Records’ execs, was one in Nashville, 107.5 The River.

Success

“I Kissed a Girl” scored a number 1 in 20 countries. In fact it topped the charts in twice as many countries as it didn’t. And this included dominating both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 (as well as the European Hot 100, Canadian Hot 100, etc.).

When this track did top the Hot 100, it earned the distinction of being the 1000^th song to do so in the Rock Era, which according to Billboard began in 1955.

“I Kissed a Girl” has also gone multi-Platinum in the following countries:

• Australia
• Canada
• Denmark
• United States

And in the United States, “I Kissed a Girl” went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009. Katy Perry was also the headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show in 2015, and this track was amongst the songs she performed. Indeed it is recognized as being a staple on her live setlists.

Controversy

Along with this track’s phenomenal success also came a considerable degree of controversy. For example, certain individuals accused Katy of misappropriating (i.e. unjustly stereotyping) lesbians. And of course there were others who argued that she was promoting homosexuality outright. Additionally Katy was criticized by members of the Christian community for basically transforming from a gospel artist to a less-reserved persona engaging in what are perceived as immoral activities (i.e. drinking and lesbianism).

Lyrics of “I Kissed a Girl” are autobiographical

Katy Perry has stated that this song is in fact based on one of her real-life experiences, which occurred during her teenage years. However, she has never revealed who she actually kissed, though it is known she was inspired to “I Kissed a Girl” by the lips of actress Scarlett Johansson. Moreover another prominent songstress, Miley Cyrus, has asserted that this track is actually about her.

Writing Credits of “I Kissed a Girl”

The song itself was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke.

And Dr. Luke also served as one of its co-writers along with the following:

• Cathy Dennis
• Max Martin
• Katy Perry (who originally conceptualized the tune)