Following the single release of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” — which arrived on the heels of her previous four #1 hits off Teenage Dream — chart watchers have been wondering one thing: will the Smurfy songstress be the first artist to match Michael Jackson’s record streak of five consecutive Billboard Hot 100 #1s from one album (1987′s Bad)?
It’s looking that way: this week Perry’s latest radio staple inches up to #2 on the chart. Let’s take a closer look at what made “Dirty Diana,” Michael’s fifth Bad smash, tick, and decide if Katy’s has what it takes to repeat the late pop legend’s feat.
First of all, when Jackson’s Bad was released late in the summer of 1987, it hit music buyers with the strength of the singer’s Siedah Garrett duet “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” behind it. The tender love jam soared to #1, and it was followed by a steady flow of equally-successful tunes from the King Of Pop’s seventh studio album: “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man In The Mirror” and “Dirty Diana.”
Thus, Michael became the first artist in Hot 100 history to rack up five #1s off one album.
So just what amazing pop elements were mixed together to concoct MJ’s record-setting smash?
“DIRTY DIANA”
Writers: Michael Jackson
Producers: Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson
Type of song: Slinky, slow-grinding hard-rock ballad.
Lyrical theme: A wanton groupie wants to pounce on Michael and make him sha-moan! Can he resist her vixen charms? Eeeeeeeeee-HEEEEEEE!!!
Unique elements: Skull-crunching heavy metal guitar solo and recurring licks by Married To Rock star Steve Stevens.
Sample lyric: “She’s saying that’s okay, hey baby do what you want / I’ll be your night-lovin’ thing, I’ll be the freak you can taunt.”
Climate of #1 singles in 1988: The three chart-toppers that preceded “Dirty Diana” were George Michael’s ballad “One More Try,” Rick Astley’s high-octane pop confection “Together Forever” and Debbie Gibson’s somber tearjerker “Foolish Beat.”
Our two cents: Michael was firmly perched up high in his ’80s imperial phase by this point, but we’re not so sure the cheesy chintz of “Dirty Diana” holds up when compared to, say, the surprisingly-lower-charting “Smooth Criminal” (which peaked at #7 on the Hot 100).
Now let’s shift to Katy Perry’s follow-up to her string of four #1s (“California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Firework” and “E.T.”):
“LAST FRIDAY NIGHT (T.G.I.F.)”
Writers: Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald (aka Dr. Luke), Max Martin, Bonnie McKee
Producers: Dr. Luke, Max Martin
Type of song: No-holds-barred pop with dance and rock elements.
Lyrical theme: Uh-oh! Katy got way toasted at a rager and can’t remember exactly what or who she did — or how many! Someone needs a cold compress and a Bloody Mary ASAP.
Unique elements: Nostalgic sax solo by the Saturday Night Live Band’s Lenny Pickett.
Sample lyric: “Pictures of last night ended up online, I’m screwed, oh well / It’s a blacked-out blur but I’m pretty sure it ruled — DAMN!”
Climate of #1 singles in 2011: The last three #1s on the Hot 100 have been Adele’s juggernaut “Rolling In The Deep,” Pitbull’s lusty “Give Me Everything” and LMFAO’s global dance hit “Party Rock Anthem.”
Our two cents: Next to “Teenage Dream,” this is our fave cut on Perry’s album. The clever, John Hughes-esque video alone makes this a total hit in our eyes!
Now have your say:
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Michael’s death and life are surrounded by so much controversy even two years later. Our celebrity-worship goes too far in creating our own ideas of icons such as MJ, as to leave a warped dynasty of myth and legend. Who was The King of Pop beneath the different faces? Check out my surreal portrait of his changing looks in commemoration on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-memoriam-king-of-pop.html
she doesn’t even have an inch of talent to be put in the same headline as Michael Jackson, unless you are of course talking about her boobs
i totally agree one hundred percent
Shut the hell up, MJ had more talent in his pinky than Katy Perry has in her entire body (even her breast).
If MJ had been alive even today, then i’m damn sure that you guys would have benn votd for him….
BTW i voted for Katy Perry too
sorry, you dont have to be a non-katy perry fan to know that her latest song sucks. 25 yrs from now that song will be completely forgotten
This question must be a joke, right?
That someone like Katy Perry can “match” the chart record of Michael Jackson only highlights the sad state the music industry is now compared to the 80s. In the 80s we had Michael Jackson, Prince, lots of original and creative bands and solo artists. What do we have now? Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, oh and I forgot Lady Gaga who lives from ripping off 90s eurodance music and Madonna’s image.
This is a joke, right? who can wote for Katy Perry instead of Mike? Even the katy perry fans can’t say she’s better than Michael Jackson! gosh, this world is crazy…-.-
Is t his a joke? Is it IN to compare every new artist to Michael Jackson NOW??? Wtf? Dirty Diana is a classic. It is Cutting edge and Timeless. Last Friday Night is not even a catchy song.
Some ppl. are really in need of reality check… smh
L.o.v.e.
What you said! Plus, just look at his face in that photo. Fierce.
Michael was and is a icon, who is Katy? The comparison is ridiculous
Dirty Diana all the way just listened the other day! Micheal Jackson was at the height of his popularity, while Katy has just made a bunch of generic crowd pleasers (except for E.T. which is actually the best song from Teenage Dream).
why the hell ur callin lady gaga name in this?.. jerk!! this is abt katy perry and MJ
Michael Jackson’s music is a legend and it’s incomparable for me..
WTF!!?? hell no, MJ is the KING. Katy perry isnt that good & can never compare to the man himself. Hes a legend! what is wrong with you reporters putting up polls like this. Everyone knows MJ is untouchable.
Seriously? I can’t even believe these two songs are being compared, sorry but she is not even in the same league as Michael Jackson. To even mention these two songs in the same breath is ridiculous, IMO. I do love Smooth Criminal as well and agree with the author that it’s crazy it didn’t do as well as the others…he could have had 6 easily go #1 with that one!! All the same, I don’t agree that Dirty Diana is “cheesy chintz” as you put it, it still holds up so many years later as much of his music does AND most people know the song all these years later as well.
I actually like Katy Perry just fine but I find nothing remarkable about her music nor do I think it will hold up over time, much less be remembered as classics.
Michael Jackson has so many classics from childhood to throughout his adult life. Heck, no matter what age you are, if your artist is doing a tribute to MJ at their own concert, no matter what song is sung, everyone is able to sing along and know the words.
How many artists can claim that? A finite few I would dare say.
The evidence is available all over youtube as artists from practically every genre did tributes, singing their favorite Jackson song(s)…even opera singers. Yes, not kidding.
Now that is leaving a huge footprint and legacy. :)
ya ok
helo
um katy perry is good like MJ so w.e
“Dirty Diana” is only believable if you imagine the titular temptress as a four-year-old boy.
What the heck? How dare they compare her to Michael! Michael had a natural talent, and wrote Dirty Diana himself. Then you look at how many people helped write Last Friday Night? There’s four people who wrote that! AND IT’S TRASH!
Oh no she ain’t!
This shouldn’t even be a poll comparing Michael to Katy Perry. what is wrong with the media?
If anyone needs anymore proof that ‘Last Friday Night’ has NO place along side ‘Dirty Diana’, I’m 15 years old, and I’ve known about ‘Dirty Diana’ for a while now, and I’m JUST NOW hearing about ‘Last Friday Night’ as of a few hours ago.
P.S. Did anyone else notice that the picture of Michael Jackson on the top of the page is actually from ‘Come Together’, not ‘Dirty Diana’? Just saying.
Of course we did.But who knows less about music than these music sites??doh
First off, I’m not saying Katy Perry is better than Michael Jackson, but I would like for Katy to reach that record. Michael Jackson will forever be the King of Pop and nothing or nobody will change that. I have enjoyed almost every Katy Perry song I’ve heard and I don’t know why this is Katy Perry vs. Michael Jackson. Both talented artists with great songs who are loved or liked by many. Simple. I hope Last Friday Night becomes a #1.
I’ll have a heart attack if Last Friday Night reaches #1.
I’m laughing so hard right now.Who the hell is Kathy Perry ?
Umm..no comparison whatsoever. Can’t even come close to touching him. He wrote and composed most of his biggest hits and most people know them to this day. He became a part of our “dna”, not likely to happen to Katy Perry no matter how popular she may be now. I have nothing against her but I barely know any of her songs, some are catchy but I don’t seek her music out.
HELL NO! It’s an INSULT to me to compare these 2…. Michael is a KING…..KP’s not even a princess.
trash comparison….michael jackson was/is/forveer will be the god of music.a child prodigy who went on to conquer the world with his innovative dance/timeless music and left the world with an incomparable legacy.,the best selling artist of all time who broke barriers all around the world.
katy is just another trash white artist who’s cant sing or dance to save her life.seriously i know the media is desperate to dethrone michael jackson but katy perry?you guys are despicable for lettin this article even publish.lol!
look the way i see it, there both great songs by 2 great artists, both have an awesome image in the music industry and are special and talented in there own way, its like comparing billy joel to jessica simpson to metallica, all three are complaetly different but enjoyed by a vast audience, lets no compare lets just enjoy what we want to enjoy, music is for people to enjoy not argue about guys..
No comparison with the two. Watching MJ sing and dance is memorizing. He WOWED people with his music and dance. No one could come close to what he did. His dance moves is like work of Art, he just flowed through the song,and made them look like magic! This new stuff out there is no comparison to what he did. This is all we get now, and I’m sorry but it s/u/c/k/s. The music Industry now is focused on the teens, so if that’s what you like. Ish… Too bad we lost the King Of Pop. I can’t even imagine what he would be doing today if he was still with us, probably blow us all away with something new that we’ve never seen before. I miss him.
MJ IS THE KING!!! HE CAN NEVER BE COMPARED WITH KATY PERRY! HE IS SIMPLY THE BESTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!! MJ FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! <3 <3 <3
came on…have you heard KT sing live?
I rest my case.
MJ did is thing, even when it went awfuly wrong at the end, it was his music, his moves, his vision, his madness even…none of the artists nowdays can claim the same. People loved just to look at him performing, I think that’s called charisma.
Peace
You guys arent being very Michael Jackson about it. Im sure that he would be very pleased that Katy Perry sits beside him in the pop books. She obviously deserved what she has recieved or it wouldnt be that way what so ever.
Hopefully, so will michael Jackson’s
The only reason folks such as Katy Perry are selling so many records today is that more and more of them have black rappers behind them propping them up and masterminding their marketing. The rappers are writing the songs, coming up with the beats and then using AUTO-TUNE to make their puppets sound good. Folks sucking it up, bobbing to the beat monsters being mentally vaporized by the videoes as the rappers go hahahoing all the way to the bank. Michael Jackson alone wrote Dirty Diana and he co-produced it along with Quincy Jones. On the other hand, how many people helped Perry with her little ditty? Lady Gaga selling so many albums has Akon backing her up. Justin Bieber has Usher. Katy Perry has her group of black rappers holding her up. How ironic that the young record-buyers of today are making so many Rappers super RICH, LOL!!!! And how many of them are included in MJ’s share of the BEATLE CATALOG? He is DEAD in his grave and still making money for his children. FACT: If Michael Jackson were alive today the world still would be following his every move. He would have mesmerized everyone with the superiority of his THIS IS IT resdency and people ALL OVER THE WORLD, not just in America, would still be buzzing about it. Except that fans in other countries would have been more positive. Oh, and how many of today’s “artists” would have busted their butts trying to share the stage with him? He would be finishing up his world tour and looking toward setting up a residency in Las Vegas. Such wannabees as Katy Perry would have been sniffing his dust, hoping that he would have given them the time of day. Or more than likely, that he would have chosen THEM to mentor.
Unfortunately I have to agree with Tiffany. I personally believe that Michael Jackson is exponentially more talented Katy Perry. However, the charts do not measure talent. They measure the public’s response, whether good or bad, to the latest trend. The horrible truth is that there is so little talent and originality out there that a performer like Katy Perry can sneak up and tie a record like this. Shame on you public. Shame on you. What’s worse is that ,by commenting on this page, we are actively feeding the media frenzy surrounding this artist. So we are all to blame as well. I’m sure all of the Michael Jackson fans reading this article have now listened to one of Katy Perry’s songs, thus keeping her at the top of the charts. So tread lightly. We could end up causing her to beat the record. Yes. She might just “Beat It”.
I’m not sure some people are getting the point… MJ is way better by comparison, but we are kind of talking apples and oranges. Bad was released at the height of his career, but he was still young, and people are comparing MJ’s total career to Katy Perry only two mainstream albums in… of course she is going to lose! However, considering it is only her second mainstream album, this is quite an accomplishment and we are yet to see her next move. A MJ she will not be, but that doesn’t mean that she cannot make some okay music.
Katy Perry has achieved that which no other artist has five consecutive #1′s one album. It is pointless debating the relative worth. I like Katy’s vocal style and melodies. She did this Madonna never did, neither did any other pop icons like Cher etc. Her legacy is a long way from clear, what to me is clear is she has appeal and IMO a style to her music artistry. I believe she will continue to deliver mainstream hits and people can debate all they want she has a certan Joie de vivre. There is a relative difference in the industry musical standards are very diluted and this discussion is fairly meaningless.
who cares ? The 2 of them have complettely different styles, appeal to different audiences a generation apart. Is Michael Bolton in the same category ?
Make more categories.
R u serious
Katty Perry Topping Michael, if it wasnt for Michael she woudnt even be here, i mean really really….srry Katty but no.
oh and btw “Lyrical theme: A wanton groupie wants to pounce on Michael and make him sha-moan! Can he resist her vixen charms? Eeeeeeeeee-HEEEEEEE!!!”
LOOOVE IT “make him sha-moan” loove it Had a dirty thought thereXD
I find it really embarrassing that she now has tied with Michael. Seriously? I think it’s because more younger children are buying music today than adults like back in the 80′s and that’s why all these bubblegum pop singers (Katy, Miley, Kesha) are so popular. Katy can’t even sing live well and all of her songs are too kiddy like especially for age. I mean c’mon grow up a few years and whoever did this comparison how old are you? You say Dirty Diana is cheesy? Really? It’s an amazing song with great lyrics and super sexy guitar driven sound to it. KATY IS CHEESY ESPECIALLY LAST FRIDAY NIGHT. You must not know what cheesy is. Michael has the voice, the moves, fantastic songs that actally take talent to sing and write and Katy is just horrible in everyway. If kids didn’t buy music then she would be NOWHERE. I’m only 21 and I can’t even listen to her. I prefer 80′s and older music just because it’s sooo much better.
Dirty Diana is haunting. It is way better than TGIF. Katy Perry is talented, but not in the league of Michael Jackson.
NONONONO Michael Jackson IS the Best Singer and wtf Last Friday Night michael’s unreleased songs is better katty is a bitch so stop comparing michael to this stuoid as bitch
mj the best even katy perry cant compare to him
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┌┴─┴─┐-┘─┘
…│▒┌──┘▒▒▒│
♫Michael Jackson,
King Of Pop 4ever♫
└┐▒▒▒▒▒▒┌┘
♔ FORERVER MJ♛
afff
que bosta é essa???
Michael é incrivel cantor ,compositor,dançarino perfeito,esta no topo do mundo pop,nunca vai ser comparado com essa coisinha ai q nem escreve suas proprias letras sem conteúdo ,isso é ridiculo
A legend compared to A clown with boobs!