One of the Boys [15th Anniversary Edition]

by Katy Perry

Overview

Listening to Katy Perry's litany of belched alphabets, fruity boyfriends, Vegas hangovers, and lesbian lip-locks on her debut, One of the Boys, it's easy to assume she'll do anything for attention, and a close read of her history proves that suspicion true. Prior to her transformation into a teen tart, Perry was a Christian singer operating under the name Katy Hudson -- an appellation a little bit too close to Kate Hudson, so she swapped last names and started working with big-name producer after big-name producer, cutting sessions with Glen Ballard and then the Matrix. That was enough to get buzz touting her as a next big thing in 2004, but not enough to actually get a record into the stores, a nicety that often proves invaluable for wannabe pop stars. Given this long line of botched starts, maybe it makes sense that the 24-year-old starlet is singing with the desperation of a fading burlesque star twice her age, yet Perry's shameless pandering on One of the Boys is startling, particularly as it comes in the form of some ungodly hybrid of Alanis Morissette's caterwauling and the cold calculation of Britney Spears in her prime. This fusion is no accident, as Perry works once again with Ballard, the producer behind Morissette's breakthrough Jagged Little Pill, and Max Martin, the writer/producer of "Baby One More Time" -- and that's just for starters. She also brings aboard Desmond Child to give "Waking Up in Vegas" an anonymous, anthemic pulse, Dave Stewart to give "I'm Still Breathing" a Euro sheen, and Butch Walker to amp up the amplifiers, giving her a different sound for every imaginable demographic. All the pros give One of the Boys a cross-platform appeal, but there's little question that its revolting personality is all down to Perry, who distills every reprehensible thing about the age of The Hills reality show into one pop album. She disses her boyfriend with gay-baiting; she makes out with a girl and she's doesn't even like girls; she brags to a suitor that he can't afford her, parties till she's face-down in the porcelain, drops brands as if they were weapons, curses casually, and trades under-the-table favors. In short, she's styled herself as a Montag monster. Perry is not untalented -- she writes like an ungarbled Morissette and has an eye for details, as when she tells her emo metrosexual boyfriend to hang himself with his H&M scarf on "Ur So Gay" -- but that only accentuates how her vile wild-child persona is artifice designed to get her the stardom she craves. Maybe if the music were as trashy as the style, she could get away with it, as it would have a junky thrill, but that's where all the high-thread-count producers actually work against One of the Boys. They flatten everything out, turning the stomping Gary Glitter beat of "I Kissed a Girl" into a leaden stumble and burying Perry's voice underneath Pro Tools overdubs so it all winds up as a faceless wash of sound designed to be placed in TV shows, movie trailers, and malls -- which is of course part of the plan, as this is music designed to be everywhere after Perry's taboo flirtations break down doors. The problem is not with Perry's gender-bending, it's that her heart isn't in it; she's just using it to get her places, so she sinks to crass, craven depths that turn One of the Boys into a grotesque emblem of all the wretched excesses of this decade. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2023
Label:	Capitol / Emi Records / Umr
UPC:	0602455741455
Rank:	3707

Tracks

1. One Of The Boys
2. I Kissed A Girl
3. Waking Up In Vegas
4. Thinking Of You
5. Mannequin
6. Ur So Gay
7. Hot N Cold
8. If You Can Afford Me
9. Lost
10. Self Inflicted
11. I'm Still Breathing
12. Fingerprints

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Katy Perry   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Whistle (Human)
Paul Bushnell   Bass,Bass (Vocal)
David Levita   Guitar
Matthew Thiessen   Guitar
Greg Wells   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Bass (Vocal)
Lance Morrison   Bass
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr.   Horn Section
Joe Zook   Guitar
Josh Freese   Drums
Jerry Hey   Horn,Horn Section
Josh Freeze   Drums
Max Martin   Guitar
Butch Walker   Guitar
Dan Higgins   Horn,Horn Section
Dave Stewart   Guitar
Steven Wolf   Drums
Gary Grant   Horn,Horn Section
Glen Ballard   Guitar,Keyboards
Darren Dodd   Drums
Benny Blanco   Drums
Scott Cutler   Guitar
Daniel Chase   Keyboards
Sean Gould   Guitar
Cathy Dennis   Vocals (Background)
Dr. Luke   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Dave Katz   Guitar
Bill Reichenbach   Horn
Dan Chase   Keyboards
Stephanie Kubiak   Conductor
David Katz   Guitar

Technical Credits

Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Paul David Hager   Engineer,Recording
Ted Bruner   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording
Sluggo   Producer
Andreas Carlsson   Composer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering Engineer
Matthew Thiessen   Composer
Greg Wells   Beats,Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Musician,Producer,Recording,Programming
Joe Zook   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
John Hanes   Mixing,Engineer
Desmond Child   Composer
Jerry Hey   Horn Arrangements
Max Martin   Composer
Ned Douglas   Engineer,Recording,Programming
Norman   Remixing
Butch Walker   Musician,Producer
Nick Banns   Engineer
Dave Stewart   Composer,Musician,Producer,Musical Producer
Anne Preven   Composer,Producer
Tim Roberts   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Mike Caffrey   Engineer
Glen Ballard   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming
Philip Larsen   Remixing,Programming
Bill Malina   Engineer,Recording
Benny Blanco   Producer,Programming
Doug Boehm   Engineer,Recording
David Katz   Composer,Composer,Programming
Jeff Bova   Programming
Sam Hollander   Composer,Engineer,Programming
Scott Cutler   Composer,Producer
Katy Perry   Composer,Producer
Mike Fennel   Drum Engineering
Daniel Chase   Programming
Sean Gould   Engineer,Recording
Cathy Dennis   Composer
Aniela Gottwald   Engineer
Emily Wright   Engineer
Tatiana Gottwald   Engineer
Samuel Falson   Composer
Attalia   Remixing
Chris Smith   Remixing,Programming
Drew Pearson   Engineer
Sam Gould   Engineer
Tina Kennedy   Engineer
SAM   Producer
Dr. Luke   Producer,Programming
S*A*M   Producer
Chris Anokute   A&R
Ben Goldwasser   Composer
Michael Elins   Photography
Dave Katz   Composer,Programming
Kitty Purry   Assistant
Shayne Ivy   Design,Illustrations
Angelica Cob-Baehler   A&R
Michael Caffery   Engineer,Drum Producer,Drum Engineering
Jesse Rogg   Composer
Luke Tozour   Engineer
Andrew VanWyngarden   Composer
S*A*M & Sluggo   Producer
Gary "G" Silver   Production Coordination
Dan Chase   Programming
Jolie Levine   Production Coordination
Angela Vicari   Production Coordination
Stephanie Kubiak   Coordination,Production Coordination
Ed Sherman   Art Direction
Scott Campbell   Recording
Liz Isik   A&R
Lukasz Gottwald   Composer
Bryce Bordone   Mixing Engineer