Song of the Day #2,118: ‘Hello Kitty’ – Avril Lavigne

avril_lavigne_hello_kittyThis is shaping up to be an unofficial theme week on controversial videos by female artists.

Our next entry is ‘Hello Kitty’ by Avril Lavigne, which has been criticized for its use of Japanese cultural motifs. Fans and critics have labelled the Canadian singer racist for employing a quartet of stoic Japanese background dancers and parading through a series of exaggerated colorful sets.

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Song of the Day #2,117: ‘Sheezus’ – Lily Allen

lily_allen_sheezusLily Allen releases her third full-length album next month, more than five years after her sophomore effort, It’s Not Me, It’s You.

During that period she announced she was quitting the music business, had a couple of kids, changed her professional name to Lily Rose Cooper, sang backup on a Pink song, changed her name back to Lily Allen and went back to the studio to record the new album, Sheezus.

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Song of the Day #2,116: ‘Birthday’ – Katy Perry

katy_perry_birthdayYou have to give Katy Perry credit for trying.

Whether or not you like her music, the woman sure works hard to entertain. In the video for her latest single, ‘Birthday,’ she convincingly disguises herself as an elderly stripper, a Jewish comedian, a clown, a grizzled animal trainer and a princess and crashes the birthday parties of unsuspecting victims.

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Song of the Day #2,115: ‘Stuck Like Glue’ – Sugarland

sugarland2I was really into Sugarland for the span of one album.

That record was 2008’s Love On the Inside, and it remains a solid and entertaining effort from start to finish.

But the band’s follow-up record, The Incredible Machine, was a bit of a train wreck. And as far as I know, that was the last time anybody heard from them.

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