“TiK ToK” by Kesha

Just to get this out of the way from the onset, this track was dropped back in 2009 and therefore is not about the globally-viral mobile app TikTok, which traces its origins to 2016. Instead, what the title stands for is Kesha, most concisely explained, spending hours partying through the night.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Kesha's TiK ToK at Lyrics.org.

To note, this is actually the earliest single in Kesha’s discography, so its narrative harps back to a time before she became a famous singer. As explained by the songstress, she was living in Laurel Canyon, which is known as an artsy part of California. And at the time she was residing in a hippy house, i.e. a large domicile with an ever-fluctuating cast of residents and visitors.

One night after Kesha and her homeys went out to party, she woke up in said house the next day, in her own words, “surrounded by 10 of the most-beautiful women”. This was a happenstance which served as the inspiration for the original and subsequently opening line of this song.

But more the point is that she was obviously engaged in the type lifestyle described in this song, one where Kesha and her girls don’t have money, nor would it appear any responsibilities to speak of. But they do have a lot of fun and are for instance the talk of the town as far as boys are concerned.

In Conclusion

So supported by such a premise, what we are met with here is a dance song. Furthermore, it is one of those types in which the vocalist is, in this case, strongly espousing the practice of partying until dawn. 

Indeed, Kesha comes off as the kind of person who would consider an effective DJ as being akin to a hero. And it is the vocalist herself who’s playing the role of vanguard in terms of assuring that the party is jumping.

“Don’t stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, I’ma fight
‘Til we see the sunlight
Tick-tock on the clock
But the party don’t stop, no
Oh, whoa, whoa-oh”

FYI: Speaking to Esquire Magazine, Kesha said that the hippy house in which lived in California and got the inspiration to write this song was the same house where The Eagles’ iconic song “Hotel California” was recorded.

Release Date of “TiK ToK”

7th August, 2009 saw the official release of “TiK ToK”. RCA Records released this as the debut single from Kesha’s maiden album “Animal”.

Chart Success

“TiK ToK” was one of the biggest songs of 2009. It went to number 1 in at least half a dozen countries, including the United States and Australia.

  • US – 1
  • United Kingdom – 4
  • Bulgaria – 3
  • New Zealand – 1
  • Ireland – 3
  • Germany – 1
  • Denmark – 3
  • Canada – 1
  • Belgium – 4
  • Austria – 1
  • Australia – 1

On 13th December, 2018, the RIAA awarded “TiK ToK” with an 8x Multi-Platinum certification for selling over 8 million units.

Did Kesha write “TiK ToK”?

Yes, Kesha does have co-writing credit on this song alongside Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke.

TiK ToK

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