Skip to main content

The best pop stars know how to surprise us with their music. One of Kesha’s songs shows that she’s more than the hard partier who gave us “Tik Tok.” Kesha revealed the tune was inspired by a real relationship. She even mentioned her former lover by name in the track.

1 Kesha song was about the only man she ever loved

Kesha became famous for her dance tunes. She started to show a different side of herself with the ballad “Animal,” but the track still has a happy meaning. Later, Kesha released her first sad ballad: “The Harold Song.”

During a 2010 interview with Spin, Kesha was asked about her ballad “The Harold Song.” “‘Harold’ is about the only guy I’ve ever been in love with — and our relationship didn’t work out, obviously,” the “Your Love Is My Drug” singer said. “When I went to write it, I locked myself in a room and cried like a little b****. I can’t even listen to it. But I wanted to do a vulnerable song because it’s a side of myself that people haven’t seen.”

Why Kesha put out her second record very quickly

Kesha was asked if the guy who inspired “The Harold Song” was actually named Harold. “Oh yeah,” the “We R Who We R” singer replied. “He’s not getting away with a fake name. All men that date me have to know that their name may end up in a pop song. It’s the best revenge: you can’t get arrested for it, and everyone knows about it. And I like to be specific — I don’t want any of the other losers I’ve dated to think the song was about them.”

Kesha released “The Harold Song” on the EP Cannibal, the followup to her debut record Animal. Kesha revealed the inspiration behind Cannibal, which came out a mere 10 months after Animal did. “With my first album, I only had enough material for an hour-long show, and I wanted enough for a two-hour dance party that’s gonna take over the planet,” she explained. “Plus, I wrote songs all throughout this crazy whirlwind experience of the past year.” Kesha wanted to put out a new record after her fans had become a huge part of her life since she spent so much time touring.

How ‘The Harold Song’ performed

“The Harold Song” was never a single and it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Maybe it was too different from Kesha’s usual style to connect with her casual fans. Eventually, she would release a hit ballad called “Prayer” in 2017. However, “Praying’ came out in a time that was far more amenable to ballads than 2010, the year Kesha released “The Harold Song.” 2010 was dominated by pumping dance beats and flashy music videos rather than the lowkey honesty of “The Harold Song.”

The track is one of the most unique tunes on the EP Cannibal. That EP reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 33 weeks. It remains one of the biggest records of Kesha’s career.

“The Harold Song” was not a hit but it was one of the first songs that proved there was more to Kesha than met the eye.

Best in Entertainment