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Song Stories

“California Gurls”

Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg | 2010

Katie Perry confessed to Rolling Stone her SoCal anthem “is not genius. It’s not my opus. But it’s catchy as f---, and it’s a great summertime song.” The pop princess explained that Jay-Z was one of several inspirations for this hit song. “It’s so great that 'Empire State of Mind' is huge and that everybody has the New York song, but what the f---? What about L.A.? What about California? And it’s been a minute since we’ve had a California song and especially from a girl’s perspective.”

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“Addicted to Drugs”
Kaiser Chiefs | 2008
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“We R Who We R”
Ke$ha | 2010

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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