"Blow" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, from her first extended play (EP), Cannibal. The song was released as the EP's second and final single on February 8, 2011. It was written by Kesha, along with Klas Åhlund, Lukasz Gottwald, Allan Grigg, Benjamin Levin and Max Martin, with production done by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Benny Blanco and Kool Kojak. According to Kesha the song's lyrics are representative of herself and her fans. "Blow" is dominantly an electropop and dance-pop song and is described as a party anthem as it portrays a simple message of having a desire to have a good time at a club.
Critical reception of "Blow" has been generally positive, with most critics praising the song's hook, opening, and party anthem vibe, though some found the chorus uninspiring and ordinary. Kesha's vocal work throughout the song was met with mixed reaction: some critics felt that she was both sassy and brash, while other critics felt that her personality was missing from the song. Commercially, "Blow" reached the top ten in the United States and Australia, becoming her sixth consecutive top-ten hit in both countries as a solo artist. The song also reached the top ten in New Zealand, and the top twenty in Canada.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero and was released February 25, 2011. The video co-stars actor James Van Der Beek, who plays Kesha's nemesis. Piliero and Kesha came up with the video's concept and is intended to be simplistic, a video that is cool and random. Reception of the video by critics was positive, with the mid-video dialogue scene's humor being highlighted.
Music Video[]
The music video for "Blow" was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero. The video was released on February 25, 2011. Kesha wanted the video to be "different, a video that was cool and random". The director, Piliero, came up with the idea for the video's mythological aspect saying, "I had this idea running in my head with just the idea of unicorns, If I massacred unicorns, they could bleed rainbows. I'm a fan of violence and I'm always trying to find a way to make it OK." While being interviewed Piliero spoke of the collaboration with Kesha, explaining her point of view on the video, "Before we started filming, we had quite a few talks. She was adamant you can't back away from the crazy; everything about the idea she loved and she enforced the fact that she wanted to embrace every aspect of it and really go for it, On set, she was having fun. She was like, 'I want to lick a unicorn.' It was rad working with her because there definitely wasn't a sense of her feeling awkward about stuff or detached; no ego. It felt like we had worked together before.
Opening with the disclaimer "No mythological creatures were harmed in the making of this video", Kesha appears sitting next to two unicorns pouring champagne while having a conversation on how she was elected to the parliament of Uzbekistan, "So I grabbed the bear by the throat and I looked him right in the eyes, and I said, 'Bear, you have till the count of zero to put some pants on and apologize to the president.'" The music begins and Kesha makes eyes at James Van Der Beek. After the eye contact Kesha grabs one of the unicorns and kisses him then removes her bra and throws it across the room, Van Der Beek then does the same with his bra, puzzling Kesha as to why he was wearing a bra. The music fades in the background as the two then make their way to the center of the dance floor and exchange words ("Well, well, well. If it isn’t James Van Der Douche.", "I don't appreciate you slander-Beeking my name, Ke dollar sign ha.") before engaging in a gun fight. They begin shooting lasers at one another, killing multiple unicorns. Van Der Beek gets hit in the shoulder and falls. Kesha steps on his arm to stop him from reaching for his gun, as he begs for mercy, which Kesha denies. At the end of the video, it is revealed that Kesha killed Van Der Beek and that she has mounted his head on her wall with the plaque reading, "James Van Der Dead", as she sits with two unicorns laughing. She then frowns at the camera and it switches to Van Der Beek one more time before the screen goes black.
Ke$ha - Blow
Willa Paskin from New York Magazine opened her review of the video writing, "Maybe it’s exhaustion, maybe it’s acquiescence, maybe it's just time, but Ke$ha and her whole glam-wasted shtick are starting to charm us." Paskin felt that Kesha had a great "functioning sense of humor" writing that she "enjoyed her new video". Peter Gaston from Spin, referring to Kesha, wrote that he was able to "continually find something massively entertaining about this tartlet" and wrote that the video was "provocative". Rolling Stone's Matthew Perpetua wrote "You know you're in for a great video when the very first thing you see is a disclaimer reading "No mythological creatures were harmed in the making of this video." Perpetua wrote that "Blow" had it all, from unicorns to James Van der Beek and laser gun battles. Becky Bain of Idolator said the video included "the best mid-video dialogue scene in all of music video history." About.com's Bill Lamb wrote that "Blow" contained "some of the funniest spoken word dialogue in recent memory in a music clip."
Lamb called the video charming writing, "videos like this are another sign Ke$ha is here to stay for a while. Just try to keep from being charmed."
Remix[]
American rapper B.o.B is featured on an official remix of "Blow" that was released to iTunes on May 17, 2011. B.o.B opens the track with a minute-long rapped verse about himself then adds to the song's dominant party theme, rapping: "Night starts out at the ATM / It probably won’t end til 8 am." Following this verse Kesha proclaims "We are taking over", before the track resumes as it normally would without B.o.B's addition. Scott Shetler from PopCrush criticized the remix for not technically being a remix, rather being just the original song with added verses. Shetler wrote "the term 'remix' makes us imagine all the ways the song could be creatively re-arranged. And a fun song like ‘Blow,’ with its brash lyrics and skittering beat, holds endless remix possibilities. But this version doesn’t substantially improve the original." He went on to give the song three and a half stars out of a possible five.
- Ke$ha released an official remix featuring B.o.B. This version was released on May 17, 2011.
Ke$ha Featuring B.o.B. - Blow Remix (Audio)
Ke$ha Featuring B.o.B -Blow Remix (Audio)
Lyrics[]
Dance! Backdoor cracked, we don't need a key We get in for free, no VIP sleaze Drink that Kool-Aid, follow my lead Now you're one of us, you're coming with me It's time to kill the lights and shut the DJ down (This place about to!) Tonight we're taking over, no one's getting out
This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! (This place about to!)
Now what? We're taking control We get what we want, we do what you don't Dirt and glitter cover the floor We're pretty and sick, we're young and we're bored It's time to lose your mind and let the crazy out (This place about to!) Tonight we're taking names, 'cause we don't mess around
This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! (This place about to!)
Go, go, go, go insane, go insane Throw some glitter, make it rain on And let me see them hands, let me, let me see them hands Go insane, go insane Throw some glitter, make it rain on And let me see them hands, let me, let me see them hands We’re taking over Get used to it
This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! This place about to blow! Blow! (This place about to!) Blow....
Image Gallery[]
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