My first introduction to Katy Perry didn't go so well. I heard her infamous song, "I Kissed a Girl," and was completely disappointed that people in our society were encouraging such behavior. I wasn't too keen on the next few songs that came out by her either, but by the time "California Girls" came around, her catchy tunes and energetic melodies had sucked me in. All that to say, I've been a closet Katy Perry fan for awhile now - mostly because I think her songs are fun and catchy, although I do admit they really don't have the best message most of the time. However, I heard a song not too long ago by her that really caught my attention. I remember sitting in my car, listening to it all the way through for the very first time, analyzing whether I liked it or not. It immediately grabbed my attention and set in me an almost uncontrollable desire to dance. I listened to the words and thought about how cheesy they were and wondered what in the world they actually meant.
A few months later, I came across this song once again. I don't even remember how, I just remember immediately being obsessed with it (I think it has something to do with that uncontrollable urge to dance every time I hear it!). I still didn't know what the words meant, but I thought the song was fantastic so I listened to it over and over and over.
It's called Firework. I'm sure you've heard it. And it became my theme song for my wild New Year's Eve when I found myself in a war zone of fireworks in the center of Rome.
After jamming out to that song on repeat for several days (accompanied by some really awesome dance parties - starring me), I decided to watch the music video online. It's absolutely amazing. I feel like I'm watching my lifelong dream unfold before my eyes while I'm watching that video. Katy Perry is standing in the middle of a palace square in Budapest, dancing her heart out with 250 other Europeans joining her, fireworks booming all around. Seeing it and thinking about it brings a complete rush of liberation and freedom; I can only imagine how incredible it must have been to be a part of such a neat experience - dancing with hundreds of other people in a piazza in Europe to one of the most exciting songs ever! I really can't even find the words to explain how cool I think that is and how badly I would love to be a part of something like that.
But that's not even why I am writing this blog. The reason I find this song worth writing about is because not only does its music inspire me and liberate me, but so do the words. After hearing the song dozens of times, I one day decided to listen to the words, and I was, once again, absolutely amazed. The song has absolutely nothing to do with sex, as one person warned me, or anything else crude or inappropriate. In fact, it is quite the opposite and has an unbelievably positive message. When you watch the music video, it's pretty clear what the song is all about: not letting the odds that are against you hold you down. The song is about people who have struggled and come up against obstacles, people have every reason to give up and let go and fall into failure. But it encourages people to be who they are, to get up again, to take a risk, to try something new, to be free - and when they do so, it is represented with a firework. They are letting their colors shine, they are becoming a spark for other people, an inspiration for those around them. The girl who is embarrassed about her body at a pool party finally learns to embrace herself and her own beauty. The children who have to constantly listen to their parents fight and hurt each other finally gain the courage and strength to stand up to them and put a stop to it. The little girl who is dying of cancer finally dares to walk beyond the hospital walls and finds life in a newborn baby and freedom through the energy and enthusiasm of youth running by. And everyone all comes together in an epic moment jumping, celebrating, dancing, sparking - fireworks shooting off in every direction because everyone has embraced their true selves and has overcome whatever obstacle was in their way.
Maybe you think this song is silly, but it totally inspires me. The words are simple, but yet I find myself constantly relating to them... "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?" At this point in my life, a college graduate with no professional work experience and no future career aspirations, I often find myself feeling like I'm just drifting through life, getting nowhere. But this song reminds me that there's still a chance for me, because I'm someone unique and I have something special to offer to this world that no one else can. I'm not a waste of space, I'm not unimportant, I'm not unoriginal, and I'm not just hidden in the shadows. Even when I feel like I can't achieve, I need to remember that I am uniquely created by God and have the ability through Him to overcome the obstacles that I will face in my life. Doors slam shut in my face... but no need to worry or be discouraged. It is God's wonderful way of leading me to the perfect road that He has designed for me, and I will find this path when He leads me to it.
I took some time to watch the Making-Of video for the Firework music video, and I'm even more encouraged now. Katy Perry put out a contest all over Europe to find the youth who have a "spark" - teens who have disabilities and overcame them, kids who have faced their fears, students who aren't afraid to be themselves, and hundreds of others who have similar inspiring stories. Two hundred and fifty of these inspirational youths got to join Katy on site at her music video and... you guessed it!... dance alongside Katy as "sparks" in her music video. Knowing who these people are just makes the video that much cooler - suddenly being aware that it's not just professional dancers or actors in the video, but youth who have actually made a difference, who have taken a risk, who have not been held down or discouraged by their trials. I'm completely inspired by these people who have made something of themselves, against all odds, and who have not given up even when they had every reason to.
So I have to bring myself to say it: Thank you, Katy Perry. You've created quite an inspiring, liberating, and encouraging song, not only musically but lyrically and thematically as well. I'm glad I can have a song like this as a reminder when I start to feel like I don't matter or that I'll never make it through. I can make it, I can do it, and I can be a spark. And you can too.
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe-awe-awe"
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
