Katy Perry taunts a man who she deems too effeminate in her track “Ur So Gay.” This raises an interesting question: Was the central character of “Ur So Gay” based on an actual guy? And, if so, why did Perry feel comfortable making jokes about his gender presentation? Here’s what Perry and her producer had to say — and why her producer feels the song is misunderstood.
Katy Perry wanted listeners to understand the ‘context’ of ‘Ur So Gay’
During an interview with The Star Scoop, Perry said most of the inspiration for her songs came from moments in her life. In addition, she revealed she generally writes about relationships and tries to inject humor into her tracks. Afterward, she discussed the origin of “Ur So Gay,” a song that’s trying to be darkly humorous.
“Every time I play that song, everybody has come back laughing,” she said. “I’m not the type of person who walks around calling everything gay. That song is about a specific guy that I used to date and specific issues that he had. The song is about my ex wearing guyliner and taking emo pictures of himself in the bathroom mirror. The listeners have to read the context of the song and decide for themselves.”
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‘Ur So Gay’ producer explains why Katy Perry was comfortable making these jokes
In the lyrics to “Ur So Gay,” Perry doesn’t just look down on her emo ex for wearing makeup. She also says he should hang himself with his H&M scarf. With lyrics like that, “Ur So Gay” proved to be one of the more controversial songs of Perry’s early career. During an interview with Billboard, “Ur So Gay” producer Greg Wells discussed why Perry felt she was allowed to make these sorts of jokes about her ex.
“A lot of people didn’t get the intent with which we wrote it,” Wells said. “I mean I understand, I get it, but that’s not at all what was behind it. It’s tough because most of, without sounding ridiculous, most of the people that are my friends, most of the people that I work, with happen to be gay. I don’t know why that is. And, the same is very true for Katy. Possibly more-so. So, I think she was comfortable making that joke about a guy who may not have been gay that she dated.” In addition, Wells said the track was supposed to be irreverent, not Perry’s way of singing “Kumbaya.”
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How the world reacted to Katy Perry’s ‘Ur So Gay’
The controversy surrounding “Ur So Gay” didn’t help it commercially. While Perry would become a chart juggernaught in the late 2000s and the 2010s, “Ur So Gay” did not hit the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song was included on Perry’s EP Ur So Gay and her album One of the Boys. One of the Boys was a massive hit, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and staying on the chart for 92 weeks. Regardless, Perry’s casual use of the word “gay” in an insulting manner continued to offend, with Glamour ranking “Ur So Gay” as Perry’s worst song in 2020.
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