The world went into a frenzy when Capitol Records launched the promotion for one of its most popular contracted artists, Katy Perry, and her new single "Chained To The Rhythm." The reps for the artist placed mirror balls all over the globe - from London to Los Angeles - where fans had a chance to plug in some earphones and preview the tune before its official February 10 release date.
Those lucky fans had nothing but good things to say about the first song that Perry has released since the flopped Olympic Games theme called "Rise." And after the song premiered officially around the world, the positivity directed at the song has only increased.
The song begins with a muted beat that almost sounds like the beginning theme of a cop show from the 1980s, but the retro beat clarifies when Perry begins singing. The carefree beat makes you want to bob your head, roll the windows down and cruise, or maybe even head to the roller rink and recreate the 80s in the most modern way possible.
"Turn it up, it's your favorite song / Dance, dance, dance to the distortion," sings Perry in the first lines of the chorus in the Max Martin-produced track. The rest of the lyrics follow a similar pattern, talking about much different topics than the usual parties and craziness that fill Perry's songs. It seems as though the singer decided to act more political on this particular tune, but disguised it behind the kind of poppy beat that the radios and music-listeners will eat up. Just take a listen to the first lines, "Are we crazy? / Living life through a lens," and others that tell us that we are far too "comfortable living in a bubble." Turns out "rhythm" does not mean "beat," in this song, but rather the routines that life has cultured us in to.
With Perry's talent, wonderful production, and a great feature from Bob Marley's grandson, Skip Marley, "Chained To The Rhythm" is bound to be one of those songs that is played well into the summer, despite the winter release. And as the first single off of Perry's highly-anticipated fourth album - the first full-length album since the 2013 release of "Prism" - it is under a lot of pressure. But that should be no issue for Perry who is a professional when it comes to picking singles that turn into number one hits.
Listen to "Chained To The Rhythm" below!