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Blah Blah Blah (Kesha song)

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"Blah Blah Blah"
Song

"Blah Blah Blah" is a song by American recording artist Kesha from her debut album, Animal (2010). Produced by Benny Blanco, and co-written by Kesha, Blanco, Neon Hitch and Sean Foreman, it was released as the album's second single on February 19, 2010, and features 3OH!3. Initial writing of the song took place when Kesha, Blanco, Hitch and Foreman were discussing which sex talked more and which one was more "obnoxious." The song is a midtempo electropop song that speaks of men in the same way that they have talked about women in the music industry. The lyrics depict a woman who would rather have sex than listen to a man speak and features blatant come-ons throughout the song.

Critical reception of the song has been mixed. The song's lyrics were met with mixed reaction by critics, some felt that Kesha's vocal delivery was effective and brash, while other critics dismissed them as trashy. A common complaint amongst critics was the appearance of 3OH!3 stating it was "superfluous". The single achieved commercial success by reaching the top five in Australia and Canada, whilst charting within the top ten in the United States and New Zealand. The song became Kesha's second top ten single in Australia, Canada and the United States. It has gone on to sell over two million copies in the United States as well as being certified two times platinum in Canada.

The music video for "Blah Blah Blah" was directed by Brendan Malloy. The video follows similar suit to the song's lyrics. It depicts Kesha getting hit on by a variety of different men and she continually rejects them. Kesha and 3OH!3 performed the song on ninth season of American Idol to promote the single.

Writing and inspiration

"Blah Blah Blah" was written by Kesha alongside Neon Hitch, Sean Foreman and Benny Blanco who also produced the song. Kesha said that the song originated from a discussion they had in the studio on the politics of female-male relationships which Kesha later explained, "The song came about when the people that wrote it — me, Benny Blanco, Neon Hitch and [3OH!3's] Sean Foreman — all got in a room, and they were talking about how chicks talk too much," [...] "And me and Neon were like, 'No, no, no, guys talk too much," [...] "So, we had this war of who were more obnoxious, chicks or dudes. And the song kind of came around from that conversation. I think I make a pretty fair point both in this video and in the song, that dudes are way more annoying."[1]

Composition

"Blah Blah Blah"
"Blah Blah Blah" is a midtempo electropop song composed in D minor. Its lyrics depict a woman that would rather have sex than talk and featured blatant come-ons.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Blah Blah Blah" is a midtempo electropop song;[2] the song utilizes synthesizers and drum machines in its production. According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing, the single is set in compound time with a moderate beat rate of 120 beats per minute. It is written in the key of D minor and Kesha's vocal range in the song spans from the note of D3 to the note of D5.[3] The breakdown is set in the key of A minor.

Lyrically, "Blah Blah Blah" depicts a woman who would rather have sex than listen to a man speak as the singer finds talkative men annoying; blatant come-ons such as "show me where your dick's at" and "I wanna be naked" leave this literal meaning unambiguous. Kesha herself has been frank about this straightforward interpretation of the lyrics.[1] The lyrics have been interpreted as a shot at the way men objectify women by speaking about them the way that they do in the music industry. "[1] Andrew Burgess of MusicOMH felt that the line "I don't really care where you live at, just turn around boy, let me hit that. Don't be a little bitch with your chit-chat; just show me where your dick's at" was a way of belittling her male peers.[4] Fraser McAlpine of BBC noted that it was cultural progress that a woman can now "sing a song[...] as dirty [...] as her male peers".[5]

Critical reception

Critics were divided over the pairing of Kesha and 3OH!3 (pictured), with some calling 3OH!3's appearance superfluous and noting she out performed them.

"Blah Blah Blah" received mixed reviews from most music critics. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC was impressed with the song saying "it's a sign of cultural progress that a modern pop lass can sing a song which is exactly as dirty as the kind of song her male peers would risk." He compared Kesha's vocal delivery to that of Eminem, he also compared the hook, "you tah-tah-tawkin' that Blah Blah Blah" to "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, stating that the song was a "rural, farm-girl spin" of it.[5] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News stated that the track "could become the 'whatever' anthem of the season."[6] It was described by the Winnipeg Free Press as a "hard pop-hop cut with pogo-worthy beats."[7] Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix thought that Kesha "intone[d] in a lusty, disturbingly carefree tone" on the song.[8]

Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times said that "Blah Blah Blah" was one of those "moments on Animal that are nearly as experimental as an Animal Collective record, but instead of some wistful, Brian Wilson-loving artiste at the song's center, there's this girl, rolling her eyes and snapping her gum."[9] Melanie Bertoldi from Billboard magazine also thought that the verse by 3OH!3 "severely slow[ed] down the momentum and never quite gel[ed] with Kesha's catty, aggressive delivery," but praised the song for its "danceability".[10] Andrew Burgess of MusicOMH said that while "3OH!3 makes a lame attempt to assert the case for male equality [on the song], Kesha comes off as so infectiously dominating, it's hard to take [3OH!3] seriously."[4] Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy gave the song two out of five stars, stating that it was not as catchy as her debut, slamming the lyrics for being "thick" and adding that she failed to deliver on many lines, calling them "faux-outrageous, faux-feminist trash".[11] Melinda Newman of HitFix criticized the song, calling 3OH!3 "slumming" and "wretched."[12]

Chart performance

Kesha performing "Blah Blah Blah" at the Get Sleazy Tour

In the United States, "Blah Blah Blah" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at position seven, and on the Hot Digital Songs chart at number two, selling a total of 206,000 downloads, both chartings would become the songs' peaks.[13] On Billboard's Pop chart, the song reached a peak of eleven.[14] The song has received Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 1,000,000 units and as of February 2011, the song has sold more than two million digital copies in the United States alone.[15] as of June 2011, the song has sold 2,132,000 copies in the United States.[16] In Canada, "Blah Blah Blah" debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at position three, which became its peak.[17] In March 2010 the single was certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) for sales of 160,000 units.[18]

In Australia, "Blah Blah Blah" entered the Australian chart at position seven on the week of January 24, 2010.[19] The following week the song moved to position four, where it held the spot for three consecutive weeks. On the song's fifth week on the chart, it reached its peak at position three where it held the spot for one week.[19] The song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 70,000 units.[20] In New Zealand, the song debuted and peaked at position seven. It later went on to receive gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for sales of 7,500 units.[21] "Blah Blah Blah" made its debut onto the UK Singles Chart at number eleven on the issue dated February 7, 2010[22] with sales of 27,161.[23]

Music video

Kesha in the music video, duct taping a man's mouth closed in response to his attempt to hit on her.

The music video for the song was directed by Brendan Malloy.[24] It premiered on February 23, 2010, on Vevo.[25] Both members of 3OH!3 make an appearance in the video.[26] Kesha told MTV that the video primarily involves men (described as "douchey") hitting on Kesha, while she declines their advances. "At one point," Kesha says "I get to be strapped to this harness and bouncing around everywhere, and it was really cool [...] The whole concept of the video was a bunch of douche-y guys macking on me as usual, and me making them eat their toupees or other various items".[1] Melanie Bertoldi of Billboard said that the clip was "thoroughly entertaining".[27]

In the first scene, outside of a club, Kesha is hit on by comedian Bret Ernst. He tries to convince Kesha that they would make a good couple, meanwhile Kesha texts someone, describing the man as a "major douchemaster". The next scene has Kesha at a bar playing pool near a man, where she duct-tapes him, later pulling down his pants, after describing him as a "tool bag" in a text message. In an arcade, Kesha pushes a man away who is making conversation with her. The third suitor attempts to serenade Kesha with a guitar, to which Kesha replies by stuffing paper in his mouth. In the final sequence, a man tries to talk to Kesha in a bowling alley. She loses interest when his toupée falls off his head and she shoves the hairpiece into his mouth, in vein of the previous arcade scene. The video ends with Kesha and 3OH!3 singing and dancing together in the bowling lanes.[27][28]

Live performances

The song was first performed live for MTV Push, a program broadcast by MTV Networks worldwide.[29][30] It was also performed on January 18, 2010, at MuchOnDemand, broadcast on Canadian cable music channel, MuchMusic.[31] Kesha performed for the first time a heavily censored version of the song on the ninth season of American Idol with 3OH!3 on March 17, 2010.[32] In the United Kingdom, Kesha made two appearances to perform the song. The first was on February 18, 2010, Alan Carr: Chatty Man.[33] It was followed by a performance on breakfast television show GMTV, on February 19.[34] She also performed the song in a set for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend,[35] as well as Willkommen Bei Mario Barth Live in Germany and So You Think You Can Dance in Australia.[36]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

  • Songwriting – Kesha Sebert, Benny Blanco, Neon Hitch, Sean Foreman
  • Production – Benny Blanco
  • Instruments and programming – Benny Blanco
  • Recording – Benny Blanco
  • Engineering – Benny Blanco

Source [40]

Charts and certifications

Radio date and release history

Region Date Format
United States February 2, 2010 Rhythmic[65]
Australia[37][38] February 19, 2010 CD single
Digital download
South Korea February 26, 2010[66]
United Kingdom February 28, 2010[39]
March 1, 2010[67] CD single
Germany[68] April 23, 2010

References

  1. ^ a b c d Vena, Jocelyn (2010-02-08). "Kesha Gets Into Battle Of The Sexes With 3Oh!3 For 'Blah Blah Blah' Video". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). Retrieved 2010-02-10.
  2. ^ Skripnokov, Iyla (2010-03-18). "Ke$ha Gives 'Blah' Performance on 'Idol'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  3. ^ "Kesha, 'Blah Blah Blah' – Composition Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. ^ a b Burgess, Andrew (2010-02-01). "Kesha – Animal". MusicOMH. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  5. ^ a b McAlpine, Fraser (2010-02-03). "BBC – Chart Blog: Ke$ha ft 3Oh3! – 'Blah Blah Blah'". BBC Chart Blog. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  6. ^ Farber, Jim (2010-01-05). "Kesha, 'Animal'". Daily News. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  7. ^ "Kesha – Animal (RCA)". Winnipeg Free Press. FP Canadian Newspapers. 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  8. ^ Brockman, Daniel (2010-01-08). "Kesha | Animal". The Phoenix. Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  9. ^ Powers, Ann (2010-01-05). "Kesha is a wisecracking 'Animal'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  10. ^ Bertoldi, Melanie (2010-02-26). "Kesha Blah Blah Blah on Billboard". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  11. ^ Nissim, Mayer (2010-03-01). "Ke$ha ft. 3OH!3: 'Blah Blah Blah'". Digital Spy. (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  12. ^ Newman, Melinda (2010-01-04). "Album review: Ke$ha's 'Animal' aims straight for the party girls". HitFix. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  13. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio (2010-01-13). "Kesha Holds On Hot 100; Doubles Down On Digital Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  14. ^ a b "Ke$ha Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  15. ^ Grein, Paul (2011-02-23). ""Blah, Blah, Blah" (featuring 3OH!3) (2,074,000)". Yahoo Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  16. ^ Grein, Paul (2011-05-15). "Week Ending June 12, 2011. Songs: The Odd Couples". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  17. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Week of January 23, 2010". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 2010-01-23. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  18. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum certifications". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  19. ^ a b c "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  20. ^ a b "ARIA Charts — Accreditations – 2010 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
  21. ^ a b "May 2, 2010: Radio Scope". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  22. ^ "Chart Stats – Singles Chart For 13/02/2010". Chartstats.com. Chart Stats. Retrieved 2010-05-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ Jones, Alan (2010-02-08). "Album sales jump as Alicia tops the charts". Music Week (United Business Media)
  24. ^ "Kesha – "Blah Blah Blah"". MTV Networks. (MTV). Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  25. ^ "Kesha Blah Blah Blah Music Video Debut". Vevo.
  26. ^ Messer, Lesley (2010-02-03). "First Look at Ke$ha's Latest Video Shoot". People magazine. Time Inc. Retrieved 2010-02-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  27. ^ a b Bertoldi, Melaine (2010-02-24). "Ke$ha Crushes Men's Hearts In 'Blah Blah Blah' Video o". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  28. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2010-02-24). "Ke$ha Teaches Boys A Lesson (Or Four) In 'Blah Blah Blah' Video". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  29. ^ "Watch Ke$ha on MTV Push!". columbia.com. Columbia Records. Retrieved 2009-11-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  30. ^ "MTV NETWORKS INTERNATIONAL ROLLS-OUT MTV WORLD STAGE & MTV PUSH". MTV Networks. Viacom. Archived from the original (Press release) on 2010-06-23. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  31. ^ "Ke$ha – Jan 18, 10'". MuchMusic. CTVglobemedia. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  32. ^ Roberts, Soraya (2010-03-18). "Ke$ha performing on American Idol". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  33. ^ "Series 3 | Episode 3 | Alan Carr: Chatty Man". Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Channel 4. 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  34. ^ "KE$ha Television Appearance | What's on GMTV". GMTV. ITV. 2010-02-12. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  35. ^ "BBC – Radio 1's Big Weekend – Ke$ha". BBC. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  36. ^ Cameron (2010-02-09). "Ke$ha to perform on 'So You Think You Can Dance Australia'". TV Central. Archived from the original on 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  37. ^ a b "Blah Blah Blah – Kesha (Australia CD Single)". JB Hi-Fi. jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  38. ^ a b "Kesha (Australia Digital Download Release)". bandit.fm. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  39. ^ a b "Ke$ha: Blah Blah Blah (feat. 3OH!3) (United Kingdom EP)". Apple Inc. iTunes Store. Retrieved 2010-03-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  40. ^ Animal digital album booklet via iTunes. RCA (Media notes).
  41. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  42. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  43. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  44. ^ "Ke$ha Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  45. ^ "Ke$ha – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Ke$ha. Retrieved 2010-06-03. [dead link‍]
  46. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  47. ^ "Chart Track: Week 10, 2010". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  48. ^ "Ke$ha - Char History - Luxembourg". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  49. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 10, 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  50. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  51. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-04-30.
  52. ^ "Gaon Digital Chart". Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  53. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  54. ^ "Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  55. ^ "Kesha: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  56. ^ "Ke$ha Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  57. ^ "Ke$ha Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  58. ^ "Ke$ha Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  59. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  60. ^ "Best Of 2010 Canadian Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  61. ^ "End Of Year Charts: 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  62. ^ "Best Of 2010 Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  63. ^ "Sverigetopplistan: Kesha - Blah Blah Blah" (To access certification, one must search (Sök) for "Blah Blah Blah" or "Kesha Blah Blah Blah" and click the "Visa" button.) (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Grammofonleverantörernas förening. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  64. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Kesha Singles and Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  65. ^ "Available For Airplay: 2/2 Rhythm Crossover". FMQB. Friday Morning Quarterback. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  66. ^ "Blah Blah Blah (Single)". Sony Star (in Korean). Sony Music Entertainment Korea Inc. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  67. ^ "Kesha – Blah Blah Blah (United Kingdom CD Release)". HMV Group. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
  68. ^ Amazon Mp3. "Blah Blah Blah (German Cd Release)". Amazon.de. Amazon. Retrieved 2010-04-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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