It's been a long time since I've done a review...
So, even though this song was released in 2009, I think a lot about it.
In my opinion, Katy Perry's Firework cannot be reviewed solely on musicality; One must also look at the literary content within the infectous beat and soaring vocals. One must analyze the message of the music video combined with the uplifting lyrics.
"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?" It doesn't take to much thought to realize that the lyrics are trying to tell the listener(s) that they are worth something to society. The song goes on to say "You don't have to feel like a waste of space. You're orginal, cannot be replaced." Frankly, I think that these words are meant to remove a feeling of hopelessness and depresssion from the listener.
Now, I'd like to examine the music video. The video, which I will post below, is a series of stories told through silent film, with Firework playing over it. A young cancer survivor in a ward, a depressed homosexual youth, a bullied magician, an overweight teen, and a victim of domestic abuse. These are situations that, typically, leave those involved hopeless, hurt, and lost. However, in all of these cases, the characters somehow manage through, and, become stronger.
The cancer survivor sees a women giving birth and, we can infer, realizes that life is worth something. The young homosexual decides to take a chance and confront his fears of "coming out" by kissing his love interest, who returns his kiss. The magician is bullied in an alleyway, and decides to take out his tricks and amazes his attackers. The overweight girl is very shy and hides from attention; she chooses to remove her clothing, revealing her bikini, and leaps into a pool. The domestic abuse victim is, in my opinion, the most touching. The young boy, (maybe 10?), witnesses his father abusing his mother, and hides from it. As his mother falls, he stands up and confronts his father, pushing him back.
In all these cases, the music perfectly correlates to what is going on.
Finally, the music! The chorus is absolutely stunning. Katy Perry excells at soaring and penetrating vocals. This suits the song well. Unfortunately, however inspirational the text, the melody of the verses is somewhat lacking. However, the lower register and uninteresting melody of the verse contrasts well with the high register and melodic interest in the chorus. The bridge, (Boom, boom, boom, even brighter than the moon, moon, moon...), is very interesting. Combining the onomatopoeia, Boom!, of a firework and the uplifting message of "It's always been inside of you, it's time to let it through...", it does well to connect the two thoughts of explosives and personal image.
So, as you can probably tell, this is my longest review, due to my interest in the message. However, I still would give it four and a half stars due to the content and beautiful portrayal, but not five because of the uninteresting melodic lines of the verses.
Katy Perry-Firework
