TiK ToK on the Clock of Decency How Ke$ha’s Lyrics...

As we clustered around a dining room table laden with steaming dishes and the fancy holiday flatware from Pier One Imports, my cousins and I had one goal in mind: avoid sitting next to crumpled-up Uncle Joe and his half-fabricated recollections of the good ol’ days. Unfortunately for us teens, he typically transformed these reminiscences into accusations aimed directly at our generation. He generally cited our â€Å"disregard for the quality of a good conversation† and a supposed inability to â€Å"maintain a respectable romantic relationship without all that sex and whatnot.† Normally, I would take my time next to Uncle Joe as an opportunity to focus on eating, occasionally mumbling a semi-interested â€Å"uh huh† or tipping my head in a pseudo-nod. For†¦show more content†¦Some critics get right to the point and label the song â€Å"tra$h† (Exton). Others elaborate and claim, â€Å"[It] makes me cry....its so horrible† (YouTube). I n general, criticism of â€Å"TiK ToK† has centered around made-to-sell lyrics that foretell a bleak, talentless future for the music industry. However, this criticism does nothing more than graze the surface of the pool of know-ledge Ke$ha hides beneath a faà §ade of drunkeness and partying. In fact, based on her statement that she wants her â€Å"music to be fun, unapologetic†¦and interesting, but with substance behind it,† Ke$ha presents justification for literary exploration of her lyrics rather than simple face-value acceptance (â€Å"Bio $tuff†). For instance, Ke$ha’s dedication to the environment manifests itself in the line, â€Å"Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack† (Gottwald, Levin, and Sebert). As an artist with deeply emotional lyrics, Ke$ha would never suggest that we brush our teeth with 750 mililiters of Jack Daniels whiskey purely for the sake of drunkenness. On the contrary, following the precedent of the fro ntiersmen of the 1800s, Ke$ha merely suggests that we conserve water by replacing it with whiskey whenever possible. In fact, simple color symbolism in â€Å"TiK ToK†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s music video illustrates Ke$ha’s environmental consciousness. Fumbling through three toothbrushes, Ke$ha passes over the pink and yellow