You know that song that finds its way in to your head and just won’t go away? You sing it for hours, days — maybe even weeks — and then finally you look it up and listen to it. What is it about that song that haunts you? It is good PR, my friend. Sure, the lyrics may be catchy and the tune may be easy to hum but what puts it in your head in the first place? You hear it on the radio, see a video advertised on YouTube or maybe the lyrics show up on one of your friends Facebook statuses. Then out of nowhere the song is everywhere and it lands itself right into your every waking thought. Maybe it’s controversial like this summer’s most popular song on the Billboards Hot 100, “Blurred Lines,” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell. The upbeat dance song sparked much controversy among feminists and women’s rights activists everywhere because of its derogatory language and “slut shaming.” Not too long after, the number one song on Billboards Hot 100 was Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” featuring rapper Juicy J. What does this hit have in common with “Blurred Lines” and so many other viral songs? All the trouble it’s causing, of course. A Muslim man named Shazad Iqbal is petitioning to have the song’s music video taken down from YouTube. In the video Perry portrays an Egyptian princess who turns suitors she doesn’t like into sand. One of the suitors is wearing an Allah pendant and displeases Perry, so naturally she turns him to dust. Iqbal claims the destruction of the pendant is blasphemy. In the midst of this controversy, “Dark Horse” has risen to Number one on both iTunes and the Billboard Hot 100. Perry’s PR team has released no response to the controversy, which had over 36 million views in only six days. However, the song didn’t become such a sensation on its own. Katy Perry’s Twitter account, which has 51.9 million followers, had been filled with Tweets regarding the release of the song and video days before it came out. Perry even had a contest that allowed her fans to take pictures with her “DarkHorseCam” which they were to download and then upload their pictures to Twitter where she would select and repost her favorites. This kind of fan interaction is what drives success in the entertainment industry. As a song makes its journey from lyrics and music on a page to number one on iTunes, it has significant support from PR. Social media accounts, contests and controversy are just a few aids that make a catchy little tune into a viral sensation. Edited by Melanie Ford, Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief 2013-2014
20 Comments
|
Archives
May 2021
Categories
All
|