We R Who We R
"We R Who We R" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha from her first extended play (EP), Cannibal_ (2010). The song single came out as a promotional single On December 3, 2009 then the us single came out In October 2010The song was released as the EP's lead single on October 22, 2010. It was written by Kesha, with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Ammo. Production of the song was completed by Dr. Luke, Blanco, and Ammo. In the wake of news that bullying had led to multiple suicides of gay youth, Kesha wrote the song in hopes that it would become a pride anthem. The song is intended to inspire people to be themselves, and as a celebration of anyone deemed quirky or eccentric.
Musically, the song is a dance-pop song that incorporates elements of electropop and trance pop; it uses a synth-infused beat as a backing with sounds interpreted as hand claps. Kesha's vocals have been described as a talk-singing style that use layered Auto-Tune in some parts. The song has been compared to her debut single "Tik Tok" (2009), as it has a similar musical structure. Reception of "We R Who We R" has been generally positive. Although it was criticized for not being particularly different from Kesha's previous work, reviewers felt that the song was a strong dance-pop number that combined a good rhythm with an inspiring message filled with genuine humor.
"We R Who We R" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the seventeenth song in the chart's history to do so. The song also reached number one in the United Kingdom, Kesha's first number one solo single there, and topped the charts in Australia for three weeks. It also attained top-five positions on the Canadian, Japanese, and New Zealand charts. The song became Kesha's fifth consecutive solo top ten hit in the United States, Canada, and Australia. As of March 2011, the song has sold over 3,804,000 digital copies in the United States.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Hype Williams and was filmed in downtown Los Angeles. The video is presented as an underground party and has been described as showcasing a darker and sexier side of Kesha compared to previous videos. The song has been performed in North America at the 2010 American Music Awards, and on her worldwide Get Sleazy Tour.
Writing and Inspiration[]
In mid-2010, there was a sudden surge in suicide rates amongst gay teenagers in the United States. In September 2010, at least six adolescents took their lives due to factors related to gay bullying. After reading about the surge of gay teen suicides, Kesha was inspired to write "We R Who We R", along with Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Ammo, and Jacob Kasher Hindlin. Production of the song was completed by Luke alongside Blanco and Ammo. After being nominated for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Kesha elaborated on the song's initial inspiration. She stated that she was concerned with today's society, criticizing the fact that people have to hide themselves and pretend to be someone other than who they are. Regarding her music she said that it was not for everyone, claiming that she is a misfit in society and not everyone understands her or what she stands for.
Kesha explained that she wanted the song to become a pride anthem; "I wanted to inspire people ... to be themselves. It's a celebration of any sort of quirks or eccentricities." She elaborated, "I was really affected by the suicides that have been happening, having been subject to very public hatred [myself]. I have absolutely no idea how these kids felt. What I'm going through is nothing compared to what they had to go through. Just know things do get better and you need to celebrate who you are. Every weird thing about you is beautiful and makes life interesting. Hopefully the song really captures that emotion of celebrating who you are ... I just felt like people hate because they don't understand or they're jealous, It's all coming from a very negative place and I really feel like people don't need to pay attention to that."
Music Video[]
The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams and was filmed in downtown Los Angeles. Filming of the video involved a partial closure of the 2nd Street Tunnel and part of downtown Los Angeles spread out over a 48-hour period. Kesha explained the idea behind the video as well as the experience during an interview with MTV News; she said that the video was different from her other videos, noting that it was going to show a sexier side of herself.
2nd Street Tunnel, as seen in the music video for "We R Who We R"
The music video for "We R Who We R" is presented as an underground party. The video starts off with futuristic flashing lights. Kesha, seen in a ponytail wearing gray and black makeup, chains, ripped stockings, and a sparkly one-piece leotard made of shards of broken glass, walks through the 2nd Street Tunnel with fellow partygoers. The scene features drag races and explosions in the background. Close-up shots of Kesha show her wearing studs in her eyebrows and her glittery eye makeup. As cars zoom by, the video transitions into a new location at a different party. Midway through the party Kesha changes outfits to an American-flag top and pink hot pants. As the song's hook kicks in, Kesha is seen standing on the edge of a building; the music stops and Kesha stage jumps backwards off of the building's rooftop. She is caught by the partygoers beneath her and the music resumes. The final scenes show Kesha dancing among fellow partygoers on a rooftop and smiling while singing "We R Who We R".
Ke$ha - We R Who We R
Ke$ha - We R Who We R
Jocelyn Vena from MTV News noted that the video makes a departure from Kesha's previous music videos, in which humor is usually present; she wrote the video shows a "darker and sexier" side of the songstress. Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly was positive in his review of the video. Stransky commented on the song's lyrical inspiration, noting the video does not follow the same message, saying "it doesn't so much inspire self esteem as much as it inspires just a plain ol', trashy, [Kesha]-ed out good time. Code word: party!"
Lyrics[]
Hot and dangerous
If you’re one of us, then roll with us
‘Cause we make the hipsters fall in love
And we've got our hot-pants on and up
And yes of course we does, we running this town just like a club
And no, you don’t wanna mess with us
Got Jesus on my necklace
I’ve got that glitter on my eyes
Stockings ripped all up the side
Looking sick and sexyfied
So let’s go-o-o (Let’s go!)
[Chorus:]
Tonight we’re going har har-har ha-ha-hard
Just like the world is our our-our our-our-ours
We’re tearin’ it apart part-part pa-pa-part
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!
We’re dancing like we’re dum dum-dum dum-dum-dumb
Our bodies go num num-num num-num-numb
We’ll be forever youn youn-youn youn-youn-young
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!
DJ turn it up
It’s about damn time to live it up
I’m so sick of being so serious
It’s making my brain delirious!
I’m just talkin’ truth
I’m telling you ’bout the shit we do
We’re sellin’ our clothes, sleepin’ in cars
Dressin’ it down, hittin’ on dudes (HARD!)
I’ve got that glitter on my eyes
Stockings ripped all up the side
Looking sick and sexyfied
So let’s go-o-o (Let’s go!)
[Chorus:]
Tonight we’re going har har-har ha-ha-hard
Just like the world is our our-our our-our-ours
We’re tearin’ it apart part-part pa-pa-part
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!
We’re dancing like we’re dum dum-dum dum-dum-dumb
Our bodies go num num-num num-num-numb
We’ll be forever youn youn-youn youn-youn-young
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!
DJ turn it up (up up up up up up)
DJ turn it up (up up up up up up)
DJ turn it up (up up up up up up)
DJ turn it up (up up up up up up uuuup)
[Chorus:]
Tonight we’re going har har-har ha-ha-hard
Just like the world is our our-our our-our-ours
We’re tearin’ it apart part-part pa-pa-part
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!
We’re dancing like we’re dum dum-dum dum-dum-dumb
Our bodies go num num-num num-num-numb
We’ll be forever youn youn-youn youn-youn-young
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!
Live Performances[]
"We R Who We R" was performed for the first time on the second season of The X Factor Australia on November 14, 2010. Prior to the performance a minor controversy was sparked when Kesha's male background dancers were seen wearing red armbands that had been supplied locally. Kesha was concerned they could be mistaken for a swastika symbol, so the armbands were removed. "We R Who We R" was performed live for the first time in North America on November 21, 2010, at the 2010 American Music Awards. The performance started off with Kesha opening with her previous single, "Take It Off", while playing on the keyboard; she soon transitioned into "We R Who We R". For the performance she wore a mirrored body suit and a black leather jacket. Male background dancers surrounded the stage throughout the performance. Confetti fell from the ceiling during the song's synth-filled finale and as the performance ended, Kesha played riffs on a guitar. She then turned the guitar around, revealing the word "hate" in black writing with a slash through it. She then smashed the guitar into pieces, ending the performance. In 2011, Kesha embarked on her first headlining tour, the Get Sleazy Tour, where she performed "We R Who We R" alongside a cover of Beastie Boys track "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)", as a part of the concert's encore. At the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards, Kesha performed a segment of "We R Who We R" and "C'Mon".
