Why Britney Spears’ ‘Hold It Against Me’ Might’ve Worked Better For Katy Perry
Britney Spears‘ “Hold It Against Me” was initially intended for Katy Perry. The tune would have worked better in Perry’s hands for several reasons. Spears doesn’t ruin the song, but she sings it like she doesn’t understand the tone of its lyrics.
Katy Perry would have understood the humor of Britney Spears’ ‘Hold It Against Me’
Dr. Luke was behind Spears’ big comeback in 2011. During an interview that year with Rolling Stone, Dr. Luke revealed “Hold It Against Me” was intended for Perry. However, he decided it didn’t sound like Perry’s records. On one level, he was right. The tune is much more abrasive and experimental than Perry’s hits.
On another level, it’s very similar to Perry’s hits. Since “I Kissed a Girl” came out in 2008, there’s been a humorous burlesque element to Perry’s music. Stereogum reports that “Hold It Against Me” was inspired by a joke by vaudeville legend Groucho Marx. The tune would’ve worked extremely well in Perry’s hands because she would have understood its humor. Meanwhile, Spears sings “Hold It Against Me” like it should be taken completely seriously despite its juvenile lyrics.
On top of that, Perry would have benefited from making something more experimental. While “Hold It Against Me” has a pulsing dance beat and a dubstep breakdown that don’t sound like other Perry songs, it’s still a dance-pop song about sex. It’s not that far from Perry’s comfort zone. “Hold It Against Me” would have felt fresh coming from Perry without alienating her fans.
Katy Perry’s body inspired ‘Hold It Against Me’
In a 2013 Hollywood Reporter interview, songwriter Bonnie McKee, the mastermind behind Perry’s hits “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Roar,” explained how Perry inspired her to write “Hold It Against Me.”
“‘Hold It Against Me’ was a happy accident,” she recalled. “It was actually inspired by Katy because I was writing with her at the time and I went in the other room where I was working on Britney in between.”
McKee said that “Hold It Against Me” was inspired by a famous off-color joke. “She came into the room in some tight, sexy little dress and I jokingly said, ‘Damn, Katy if I told you you had a nice body would you hold it against me?'” the songwriter remembered. “I was like, ‘Bingo!’ and I wrote that song.”
Britney Spears’ music was designed to be ‘all sex, all day’
McKee explained her approach to writing songs for the Princess of Pop. “Britney Spears is just all sex, all day,” she said. “It’s like, how many sexual innuendos can I come up with?” While Spears has G-rated songs, she’s covered some very risque topics, including threesomes (“3”), sadomasochism (her remix of Rihanna’s “S&M”), and masturbation (“Touch of My Hand”).
While McKee played an important role in Spears’ career, she wasn’t close to the singer. “I never actually got to meet Britney when we worked on the album, which is funny because I’m singing a lot of it,” the songwriter revealed. “But she knows who I am, and she’s been really sweet about praising me.”
“Hold It Against Me” ultimately wasn’t a Perry song. However, it still has the California girl’s fingerprints all over it.
