Kiss (and tell?)

Currently listening to Cyndi Lauper (album: Bring ya to the brink)

Back in the 90s Jill Sobule sang about the fact that she kissed a girl:

Back then it still had a certain kind of innocence. Now, Katy Perry's single "I kissed a girl" isn't anything like Jill Sobule's cute, folksy song of the same name. At all. Whereas Jill's song was a lighthearted, sweet tune that could have been a coming-out song, Katy Perry's song is a bit more... Stereotypically bicurious.

AfterEllen's Malinda Lo wrote the following (and I concur):

The first time I heard this song (you can listen to it at Katy Perry's MySpace page), I was hooked. It's fun, it's kind of naughty, and Perry's self-confidence shines through in her bold voice. The chorus, "I kissed a girl and I liked it," repeats often enough that it gives the song a kind of (fake) Gay Pride feel. And then I read the lyrics:

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It's not what I'm used to
Just wanna try you on
I'm curious for you
Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry Chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it

No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
You're my experimental game
Just human nature
It's not what good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

In case you can't tell what's wrong with this song, let me elaborate.

• The girl has to be drunk first to kiss another girl, implying that kissing another girl is only something you'd do after you lose control of your decision-making faculties.
• "I hope my boyfriend don't mind it" not only means she's cheating on her boyfriend, but that she thinks he's going to find out and hopes he won't mind. After all, what straight guy would mind watching his girlfriend kiss another girl?
• "It's not what good girls do" clearly implies that lesbians are not good, and their behavior is wrong.

The one good thing about it is that the lyrics also say that kissing girls is "just human nature." Oh, who am I kidding? This song is for drunken straight girls fulfilling Real World-type stereotypes!

Katy's single has gotten a lot of airplay in The Netherlands the past week. Dutch morning DJ Giel (who used to be a shock DJ, but with more style and grace than Howard Stern in his younger days) wrote some Dutch lyrics to the music, recording his experience of kissing guys (he's straight) and called it "I kissed a boy". I think he actually got the point; he's lyrics are just as silly as Katy's. Watch and listen to it *HERE*. (It's in Dutch...)

Of course, there's a gay boy version on YouTube, too:

Noticed the "I kissed a boy and I liked it.. I hope my girlfriend don't mind it!" ? Heh.