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Pitchfork Review – Katy Perry: Waking Up in Vegas
Score: 7.9 (Best New Hangover)
If Hunter S. Thompson had written Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a sugar-coated rom-com, Waking Up in Vegas would be the soundtrack. Katy Perry delivers a glitter-fuelled ode to bad decisions, late-stage capitalism, and the kind of hangover that makes you question both your life choices and whether you’re wearing someone else’s pants.
The production is a strange hybrid of ‘80s arena rock bombast and Disney Channel pep rally — Max Martin and co. essentially weaponise cymbal crashes and four-on-the-floor drums until you feel like you’ve just mainlined a slot machine jackpot. Perry’s vocals bounce between faux-indignant girlfriend and motivational speaker who’s had three vodka Red Bulls for breakfast.
Lyrically, it’s a manifesto for the YOLO generation before YOLO was a thing. Lines like "Why are these lights so bright?” and "That’s what you get for waking up in Vegas" feel less like pop hooks and more like your friend’s drunken Instagram captions from 2010. This is not a song about Vegas so much as it’s a song about waking up anywhere with glitter in your teeth and an inexplicable hotel charge.
When Perry shouts “Shut up and put your money where your mouth is”, it’s not just a chorus — it’s a philosophy. The song is basically a musical dare, telling you to make the bad choice, own the bad choice, and then write a three-minute pop banger about it.
By the end, you’re not sure if you’ve listened to a breakup song, a pro-gambling PSA, or a piece of subtle anti-tourism propaganda from the Nevada Health Department. But like a $4.99 all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet, it’s cheap, loud, and will haunt you for days.
Verdict: The perfect soundtrack to putting $50 on black at 3am, losing, and telling yourself it was “part of the experience.”
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