TiK ToK by Kesha Song Info
"TiK ToK" is a dance track by pop singer Kesha. The song has climbed the Billboard charts and was the very first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 of the year 2010. The track is her debut solo single. She co-wrote the song with its producers Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. It was released on August 7, 2009, as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album "Animal". The opening line of the song came from an experience where Kesha woke up surrounded by beautiful women, to which she imagined P. Diddy being in a similar scenario. The experience prompted the writing of the song which she later brought to her producer, Dr. Luke, who was then contacted by P. Diddy in hopes of a collaboration; he came to the studio the same day and recorded his lines, and the song was completed. According to Kesha, the song's lyrics are representative of her and based on her life; the song has a carefree message and talks about not letting anything bring you down. The song achieved commercial success by topping the charts in eleven countries. In the United States, the song broke the record for the biggest single-week sum of all time for a female artist selling 610,000 digital downloads in one week. "Tik Tok" was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold 6.8 million copies in the United States. On the week of January 2, 2010, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for 9 consecutive weeks, becoming the longest running number one of 2010. It was also the best-selling single worldwide in that year, selling 12.8 million copies. As of 2019, the song has sold over 18 million copies worldwide, thus making it one of the best-selling digital singles worldwide. The song was listed 61st on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of All-time. In 2005, Dr. Luke had just finished producing tracks for Kelly Clarkson's album "Breakaway" and was looking to expand further on his writing and producing credits. Luke solicited around to different people in the music business asking for demos from unknown artists. Two of the demos he received were from Katy Perry and Kesha. He was particularly taken with Kesha's demos which consisted of a self-penned country ballad and trip-hop track. The latter of the demos caught Luke off guard when she ran out of lyrics and started to rap, "I'm a white girl/From the 'Ville/Nashville, bitch. Uhh. Uhhhhh." The improvisation made her stand out from other artists that Luke had listened to, which he recalled: "That's when I was like, 'OK, I like this girl's personality. When you're listening to 100 CDs, that kind of bravado and chutzpah stand out." Following this, at the age of eighteen, Kesha signed to Luke's label, Kemosabe Records, and his publishing company, Prescription Songs. After being signed to Luke's label she also signed to David Sonenberg's DAS management company. While at the label she worked with record producer Greg Wells, which she attributes to developing her sound on her first record "Animal". Although she was signed to Luke and his label, Kesha never took priority as he was busy with other projects at the time. It was not until 2008 when Luke was working with Flo Rida on "Right Round" that he pulled Kesha in to contribute, giving her the female hook. Within a few months, the song became a worldwide hit. The event lead to different labels sparking interest in signing her, including RCA Records, to which she eventually signed. "I tried to rewrite the verses of 'TiK ToK,' I was like, 'This doesn't make sense. "Brushing your teeth with Jack Daniel's"-are people going to get what I'm talking about? Is this too much? Is it clever enough?' And he [Dr. Luke] literally had to fight me off, and then Benny Blanco had to chase me out of the studio when I got a mind to rewrite it." — Kesha on wanting to rewrite the track due to fear of not making a connection with the audience.
