Photo credit: Michael Elins / Capitol Records
8/10
Project Information:
Release Date: 06/17/08
Genre: Pop
Label: Capitol Records
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On June 17, 2008, Katy Perry released what has become known as her debut album One of The Boys. The world was never quite the same after it, fifteen years on we are going to review the album to see if it stood the test of time.
Katy’s ‘debut’ album was technically a Christian album under a different name, but, we aren’t going to talk about that. As far as we are concerned One of The Boys is Katy’s debut. Katy’s debut has a marred story that dates back to 2005.
You’d rather myspace instead…
It all started in November 2007 when Katy released the promotional single ‘Ur So Gay‘. Listening to this song in 2023, is problematic, to say the least, but it remains a bop. Katy took to the press by saying “[The song] wasn’t meant to be a big single or show what the album is going to be all about. That was for my Internet bloggers, so I’m not coming out of nowhere“. The track was released as an EP featuring the track and a cover of the track “Use Your Love” and the track “Lost”.
This was never the way I planned…
But oh, Katy isn’t it? In April of 2008, we got our first taste of Katy’s ‘proper’ debut with “I Kissed A Girl“. Katy got the world’s biggest songwriters including Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cathy Dennis to pen the track with her, and it took the world by storm. The song hit #1 in 22 countries around the world. It has sold more than 4,800,000 copies in the United States being certified 6x platinum.
Like ‘Ur So Gay’ before it, ‘I Kissed A Girl’ was problematic with the lyrics, but it’s okay, Katy exclaims she would rewrite the lyrics if written and released today stating: “If I had to write that song again, I probably would make an edit on it. Lyrically, it has a couple of stereotypes in it. Your mind changes so much in 10 years, and you grow so much. What’s true for you can evolve.“.
I wanna smell like roses, not a baseball team…
The album, “One of the Boys”, explores various themes, including love, relationships, empowerment, and self-discovery. Perry’s songwriting often revolves around themes of young adulthood and female empowerment, creating a relatable and anthemic atmosphere for her listeners. Tracks like “Hot n Cold” and “Waking Up in Vegas” display Perry’s playful and charismatic approach to pop music, while songs like “Thinking of You” and “I’m Still Breathing” delve into more emotional and introspective territory.
All’s well that ends well…
While ‘One of The Boys’ is filled with back-to-back bops (seriously, I could see each of these songs being a single on its own) there are several songs that were excluded from it’s release. Some of the tracks intended for the release were passed along to other artists. Notably Katy passed along the songs “Long Shot” and “I Do Not Hookup” to Kelly Clarkson for her 2008 album ‘All I Ever Wanted’. Tracks “Wish You The Worst”, “I Can”, and “Agree to Disagree” were recorded by American Idol finalist Kady Malloy, and “Breakout” and “The Driveway” were recorded by Miley Cyrus.
Crazy how she has so many ties to the television franchise ‘American Idol’ (keep in mind, she is a current judge on the ABC iteration of the popular television series).
15 Years later…
One Of The Boys is an album that defines portion of my coming-of-age story. If my life were to appear as a movie this album would certainly have a prominent place in 2008-era-Dale. The recent 2015 re-release of the song features the bonus tracks “I Think I’m Ready”, “Fingerprints” and “A Cup of Coffee” which were released on various editions throughout the world. The album certainly stood the test of time. In the years that follow, Katy released some equally spectacular albums, she also released some… not so good albums.
