Katy Perry: This Is How We Do
Details
Pros:
Cheery feelgood vibrations, summertime happiness, Perry's "California Gurls" pop art trademark are victories for Perry's summer anthem campaign.Cons:
The song isn't exactly Perry's strongest record, particularly with the chorus sounding like a bubblegum write-off of "Blame It On the Alcohol"Katy Perry’s latest attempt at summertime dominance looks promising in new concept video
Katy Perry’s latest attempt at summertime dominance looks promising in new concept video
Every summer, pop superstar Katy Perry whips out her concoction for best summer anthem. Since breaking out the gate, she’s been on a roll: “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream” easily won our hearts back in 2010. “Last Friday Night,” released as a single the following year in June, also kept our ears on lock. Probably the only person touching MJ’s pop domination, Perry hasn’t failed to produce a number one hit with each passing year (2012’s “Part of Me and 2013’s “Dark Horse” are the others). But so far she’s losing the fight in 2014. “Birthday,” a forced hit and still a potential summer anthem, only peaked at number 17. But she’s leaning on “This Is How We Do,” a feelgood R&B-teased workout, to win the race. The song itself is cute, radio-ready and sneaks in a little bit of everything current (Ariana Grande sass, Iggy sass, throwback contemporary R&B), but when compared with lightning rod hits of Perry’s past, it hardly stacks up. Lyrically it has its cases of faux pas (“Getting our nails did/All Japanese-y”).
Thanks to the concept video, Perry gives a good song a bigger and better marketing campaign. First of all, she works in everything that sums up all the adjectives that best describe the perfect summer. There’s vintage Disney-like cartoons, floating popsicles, ice cream trucks, animated ocean waves and Pee-Wee Herman dressed dancers. And there’s also Perry’s dress code that brings back memories of her “California Gurls” video. Fun images of a ego-tripping Mariah Carey and Aretha’s infamous helicopter hat with “Respect” hovering over it are also added to the montage of clips. Added to the video’s fun factor is knowing that each line of the song is giving its own segment. When Perry chats about Chanel bags, grabbing tacos or playing ping-pong, the cute images appear. This attention to detail is probably reminiscent of the work of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” or Michael Jackson’s “Leave Me Alone.” And if the powers of the concept video have its way (just think “Blurred Lines”), Perry may be eyeing down a number one hit in the very near future.
