Behind the Meaning of Katy Perry’s Eye-Opening “Chained to the Rhythm”

For a while, Katy Perry was not known as an artist who delved into politically-charged material. She wrote songs tailor made for a good time. That all changed in 2017 when she released “Chained to the Rhythm.” Uncover the meaning behind this eye-opening track, below.

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Behind the Meaning of Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm”

Are we crazy?
Living our lives through a lens
Trapped in our white-picket fence
Like ornaments

Perry decided to hold a mirror up to society in “Chained to the Rhythm”–specifically our use of technology. Is living our lives through a lens healthy? She asks that troublesome question in this hit. She masks that potentially heady question with an insatiable beat, mirroring the issue at hand. When technology is so fun to use and riddled with entertainment value, do we notice how dangerous it can be?

So comfortable, we’re livin’ in a bubble, a bubble
So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, the trouble

Aren’t you lonely up there in Utopia?
Where nothing will ever be enough
Happily numb

She likens life in modern times to living in a bubble, middle-manned by technology. It makes us, as she puts it, happily numb. She doesn’t necessarily urge the listener to break free of that comfortable mold, but she makes us reckon with the idea of it.

So comfortable, we’re livin’ in a bubble, a bubble
So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, the trouble (aha)

So put your rose-colored glasses on
And party on

Like a good beat, our reliance on technology is sometimes mind numbing. It’s unquestioned. You can’t help but dance along to it when it feels this easy. But, if you’re not careful, you might find yourself Stumbling around like a wasted zombie.

This track is both introspective and a commentary on the world. Perry likely struggles with the wall of technology that we all put around ourselves from time to time. Why else would she feel inclined to write this track? But, because it’s so universal, it speaks to our culture as a whole. Revisit this track, below.

Turn it up, it’s your favorite song
Dance, dance, dance to the distortion
Turn it up, keep it on repeat
Stumbling around like a wasted zombie

Yeah, we think we’re free
Drink, this one’s on me
We’re all chained to the rhythm
To the rhythm, to the rhythm