Katy Perry's Dark Horse: Promotes New Religion [?]
American Popular Culture
The concern that I will further discuss in this paper is about the potential power of music video to shape people's mind attitude. To support this idea i take Katy Perry's music video since she is one of influential American artists--especially to her fans, and she is so popular her appearances in her performances both on stages or in music videos that her personal style will attract people to have the same one. As she always appears uniquely her Dark Horse video is somehow provocative and represents something mystical and magical that some people may not know what message lies within and may just embrace it.
I employ several approaches including pop culture approach and semiotic approach. Understanding American culture can be started by recognizing its cultural artifact like music in particular. Music can be a representation of American way of life. When it is consumed and accepted by many we may consider it as popular culture. Popular culture contributes to people’s changing lifestyle. Ryan (2010:108) in A Cultural Studies: A Practical introduction states that music is something people consciously choose to experience in certain contexts, e.g. concerts, dances and ceremonial events to something pervades our everyday life. Music for human agents contributes to persuade us to think and to act in particular ways—unconsciously follow our idol way of thinking and lifestyle. Semiotics in this paper contributes to share meaning of the sign that we can notice and observe in the Katy Perry’s Dark Horse— through image and lyric. Since many will consume (watch) her video not to deny that the video concept maker represents and promotes of his ideology. It is important employing semiotics approach because to study pop culture is to study meaning of cultural products as well.
Discussion
A.
Katy
Perry’s Popular Songs
People may have a crush on Katy Perry. Not only her lovely
and unique appearances and performances she also comes up with songs which are
loveable and sung by many whether or not they are fan. Her songs are received
mostly positive reviews from music critics, with some noting its catchy melody
and the song was commercially successful. The power of globalization, like the
courtesy of youtube, has played the biggest part to satisfy many people around
the world creating her music popular and become global taste displacing
national border. Her music has somehow gained transnationality in many places. Storey,
in his book Cultural Theory and Popular
Culture 5th Edition: An Introduction elaborates Ray William
concept of pop culture. “An obvious
starting point in any attempt to define popular culture is to say that popular
culture is simply culture that is widely favoured or well liked by many people.
I would say that
opinion above says it all since Katy Perry is one of American singers who
becomes the first female artist to produce five number-one Billboard Hot 100
(an American music industry standard popularity
chart for singles
issued weekly by Billboard
magazine in which the chart rankings based on radio play, streaming online, and
sales).
This achievement makes her the second overall after Michael
Jackson's Bad
(1987) for her third album, Teenage Dream
(2010) "California Gurls"
and "Teenage Dream",
"Firework",
"E.T.", and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".
In March 2012, she re-released the album as Teenage Dream: The
Complete Confection, which produces the number-one
single "Part of Me".
Her fourth album Prism (2013)
launches two number-one singles “Roar” and “Dark Horse”.
B. Presenting
and Promoting New World Order
In Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” music
video, she plays the role as Katy-Patra, an evil, greedy, Pharaoh (Queen) with
the magical powers who lives in Memphis, Egypt. The video appears colorful and takes
place in Egypt. The video unfolds like a story, beginning with the
video’s trailer. It tells us about the legend of Katy-Patra giving us
memory about Cleopatra. Katy-Patra best portrays an elite who wants to conquer
everything. The elite—to the concept maker, love to put “messages of ideology”
in their productions. They use symbols to communicate their plans while
hiding them in plain sight and counting on the masses to be none the wiser
while they sing along.
The elite seem planning something. They like to display those plans within their media productions, including music videos. This video is a way provoking. Once you’re mine (join the elite and play with magic) you can conquer the world. Magic is typically perpetuated by the Occult and forbidden by God but what really stands out here is her use of the phrase “dark horse“. In some articles dark horse refers to black horse like in Bible. Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. And a voice from among the four living beings said, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day’s pay and don’t waste the olive oil and wine” (Revelation 6:5-6) the rider of this black horse is said will bring world-wide famine. This could be caused by world war and economic collapse as result of the elite’s manipulation. A food shortage that spans the globe is a perfect storm (figure 7) that would welcome a false savior, the Antichrist, as the solution for mankind. Does this mean the elite’s goal to claim the world’s wealth and resources? Is the “perfect storm” portrayed in the video represent they (The elite or Freemasonry) are promoting their plan to use to set the stage for their new world order occult religion?
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| Figure 2 |
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| Figure 3 |
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| Figure 4 |
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| Figure 6 |
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| Figure 7 |
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| Figure 8 |
The
main story features Katy-Patra is visited by men and kings who bring her gifts to
win her heart . But she ends up killing them all by shooting
magic electric beams and turning them into red dust. In the video, the
first man offers a giant diamond. Katy-Patra checks the diamond with her zoom
lens in form of Horus-eye which is actually not transparent. (Figure 2) So she
prefers seeing it with an eye of Horus representing greedy of elite. She
destroys the first man. (Figure 3 and figure 4). The second man gives
Katy-Patra some meals like from harvest representing a poor nation who offers
their natural resources to the elite. (Figure 5) But Katy-Patra tastes it too
hot so she destroys again the second man. The third man appears so appealing to
her (Figure 6). He gives a power by presenting her a great gold and shiny pyramid (Figure
7) turning her more powerful and ready to create a new world order. (Figure 8)
But unfortunately she turns the last man into Chihuahua dog. The video ends
with all people worship her as a ruler.
Before
concluding the issue represented let’s take a look on its lyrics. They are
somehow written in a way supporting the image that we have observed before.
Here are the lyrics of the song:
I knew you were, you were gonna come
to me & here you are. But you better choose carefully. Cause I…I’m capable
of anything, of anything, & everything. Make me your Aphrodite. Make
me your one and only, But don’t make me your enemy, your enemy, your enemy. So
you wanna play with magic. Boy you should know what you’re fallin’ for Baby
do you dare to do this Cause I’m comin’ at you like a dark horse. Are
you ready for Ready for A perfect storm Perfect storm? Cause once
you’re mine. Once you’re mine, there’s no goin’ back. Mark my words. This love will make you levitate like a bird like
a bird without a cage we’re down to earth If you choose to walk away Don’t walk
away
The elite seem planning something. They like to display those plans within their media productions, including music videos. This video is a way provoking. Once you’re mine (join the elite and play with magic) you can conquer the world. Magic is typically perpetuated by the Occult and forbidden by God but what really stands out here is her use of the phrase “dark horse“. In some articles dark horse refers to black horse like in Bible. Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. And a voice from among the four living beings said, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley for a day’s pay and don’t waste the olive oil and wine” (Revelation 6:5-6) the rider of this black horse is said will bring world-wide famine. This could be caused by world war and economic collapse as result of the elite’s manipulation. A food shortage that spans the globe is a perfect storm (figure 7) that would welcome a false savior, the Antichrist, as the solution for mankind. Does this mean the elite’s goal to claim the world’s wealth and resources? Is the “perfect storm” portrayed in the video represent they (The elite or Freemasonry) are promoting their plan to use to set the stage for their new world order occult religion?
Conclusion
Katy
Perry’s Dark Horse music video story in my opinion is somehow provocative and
represents something mystical and magical that some people may not understand
what it means and may just embrace it. What I focus in this discussion is how
cultural product like music video in particular can appear very attractive and
become a global taste that many will embrace it without acknowledging the
message that the elite may put in their production. Potential impact that is
displayed is there are possibly women fan base that look on this video in a way
how woman can make their choice. They probably unaware that symbols promoted in
this video are well disposed to occultism—learning black magic. Or how many
people will embrace symbols displayed by buying things associated with those
symbols. Since Katy Perry’s popular songs are globalized and watched by many we
may not understand the message but a mere entertainment. Sometimes it can be a
comical how people say on behalf of enjoying music released by the elite while
in fact that music are familiarizing them to consume their products and
familiarizing them to embrace about magical practices way of life that is
typically opposes many people’s belief.
Reference
Storey, John.
1993. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
A Reader Second Edition. The University of Georgia Press: Athen
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katy_Perry accessed
on June, 22 2014 11.48 a.m.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100 accessed
on June, 22 2014 11.52 a.m.
http://www.themountainflame.com/2013/12/28/the-occult-meaning-behind-katy-perrys-dark-horse/ accessed on June, 15 2014
7.20 a.m.
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