Katy Perry Roared her way to the best halftime show in a long time...

 

Who knew that Katy Perry would come out roaring?

Okay so some of us may have guessed that she would open with “Roar,” but I certainly didn’t expect her to be riding atop a giant lion.

I was not always a fan of Katy Perry. “I Kissed a Girl” is most definitely not my favorite Perry song.

Still, there are many songs of hers that I love. And “Roar” is right at the top of that list.

I applaud her for the theatrics, but her ability to stay in it musically was most impressive.

Perry is a rockstar if there ever was one and she made that quite clear during her halftime performance at Super Bowl XLIX.

Outside of her songs from the performance that I love, which included “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls” (only made better by the dancing trees, sharks, waves, surfboards and beachballs), “Roar” (while riding the lion), and “Firework” (while flying around the stadium on a firework), I also love “Last Friday Night,” “The One That Got Away,” “Hot ‘n Cold,” “Part of Me,” “Waking Up in Vegas,” and “Wide Awake.”

And while some may say that Perry’s lyrics are chock full of clichés, I say they are catchy. And catchy trumps cliché, especially when she’s making bank.

Yet another thing I love about Perry is how she doesn’t try to be anyone but herself. Whether she’s wearing a fire dress designed by Lenny Kravitz (…just kidding about that last part) or a beautiful sparkling gown she wore during “Firework,” she’s not trying to be Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga or even Nicki Minaj. She is completely comfortable in her own skin.

Take, for example, her song, “I Kissed a Girl”: I may not like the song, but she made waves with the lyrics:

“I kissed a girl and I liked it… I kissed a girl just to try it… It felt so wrong, it felt so right, Don’t mean I’m in love tonight.”

The idea that she’s “experimenting” is so real, that you have to respect her honesty in songwriting. The words from the chorus of one of my favorite Perry songs are among my favorite lyrics of all time:

“In another life, I would be your girl, We keep all our promises, be us against the world, And in another life, I would make you stay, So I don’t have to say you were the one that got away.”

Yes, Perry’s “The One That Got Away” pairs truthfully sappy lyrics about best friends and a comparison to Johnny and June with a splash of regret. The final product is a sad but beautiful song that speaks volumes about Perry.

Her popularity has never waned despite never being in the spotlight as long as some of her other pop counterparts, but she will always be remembered for her cherry chapstick and stellar halftime show.