Eat the Acid

Last updated

"Eat the Acid"
Single by Kesha
from the album Gag Order
A-side "Fine Line"
ReleasedApril 28, 2023 (2023-04-28)
Studio Shangri-La
Genre Dark wave [1]
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kesha singles chronology
"Drop Dead" (remix)
(2023)
"Fine Line" / "Eat the Acid"
(2023)
"Only Love Can Save Us Now"
(2023)
Visualizer
"Eat the Acid" on YouTube

"Eat the Acid" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kesha from her fifth studio album, Gag Order (2023). It was released as the lead single for the album, as a double A-side alongside "Fine Line", on April 28, 2023, ahead of the album's full release on May 19, 2023. An accompanying visualizer was released the same day. The song was written by Kesha, her mother Pebe Sebert, and Stuart Crichton.

Contents

Background

"Eat the Acid" was the first song to be written for the album, after Kesha had a spiritual awakening during the coronavirus pandemic. The title refers to advice that her mother gave her about not taking acid as it showed her "too much", [2] and the lyrics speak about Kesha's mother telling her not to take LSD as well, so that she wouldn't experience what she experienced, even if she did anyways (as she stated in the Zach Sang Show interview). [3]

Composition and lyrics

The song lasts 4 minutes and 2 seconds, and is described as a dark-wave minimalist [1] composition that makes use of auto-tuned vocals, and uses bass guitars, drum machines, synthesizers and a piano. The song is in minor-key and the singer sings over wheezing synths and a bass rumble: "I searched for answers all my life / Dead in the dark, I saw the light." [4]

Release and promotion

In the months leading up to the song's release, Kesha revealed portions of the song to fans across several occasions. In November 2022, a six-second snippet of the song was posted online.[ citation needed ] On March 8, 2023, she live streamed portions of several songs, including "Eat the Acid", on Instagram. [5] She also shared a portion of the song on SoundCloud from a since-deleted account, eventually removing the song in the weeks leading up to the official announcement of her album. [6] [7]

Accolades

Select year-end rankings of "Eat the Acid"
PublicationListRankRef.
Los Angeles Times The 100 Best Songs of 2023 [8]
Stereogum The Top 40 Pop Songs of 202316 [9]
Variety The Best Songs of 202326 [10]
Vulture The Best Songs of 2023 [11]

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Eat the Acid"
RegionDateFormat(s)LabelsRef.
VariousApril 28, 2023
[12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannibal (Kesha song)</span> 2010 promotional single by Kesha

"Cannibal" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, from her first EP of the same name (2010). The song was written by Kesha alongside Pebe Sebert, Joshua Coleman and Mathieu Jomphe, with production completed by Ammo and Billboard. The song was released as a promotional single as part of the countdown to Kesha's EP Cannibal on November 9, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tik Tok (song)</span> 2009 single by Kesha

"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American singer Kesha, who co-wrote the song with its producers Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. It was released on August 7, 2009, as the lead single from her debut studio album, Animal (2010). 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. The official remix features American rapper Pitbull.

<i>Animal</i> (Kesha album) 2010 studio album by Kesha

Animal is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha. The album was released on January 1, 2010, by RCA Records. Kesha worked on the album with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and others. Kesha had been recording demos for several years when one eventually ended up in the hands of Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI. Cox passed along the demo and it ended up in the hands of Gottwald, who decided to have Kesha perform on the song "Right Round" with American rapper Flo Rida. Within two months, the song became a hit in multiple countries around the world. The event led to Kesha being sought after by many major labels, and she eventually signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kesha</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1987)

Kesha Rose Sebert, known mononymously as Kesha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, she was signed to Kemosabe Records. Kesha's first major success came in early 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kesha discography</span> Discography of the American singer-songwriter Kesha

American singer Kesha has released five studio albums, one compilation album, three extended plays, 32 singles, 11 promotional singles, and has made seven other guest appearances. As of 2017, she has sold over 41 million tracks and streams in the United States alone, and over 87 million tracks and streams worldwide. As of 2019, she has also accumulated approximately 7 billion on-demand streams and has sold over 14 million album equivalents worldwide bringing her record sales to stand at over 100 million equivalents worldwide. She is also one of the highest certified digital singles artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 35.5 million certified units as a lead act. She is also certified for 5 million albums in the country alone, bringing her total record certifications to stand at 40.5 million as a lead act. Including features, she is certified for 18 million digital singles, further bringing her total record certifications to 59 million overall in the country.

<i>Cannibal</i> (EP) 2010 EP by Kesha

Cannibal is the first extended play (EP) by American recording artist Kesha, released on November 19, 2010. The EP is a follow-up companion to her debut album, Animal (2010). Originally, the record was thought to be released as a deluxe edition of Animal, but was instead sold and released as both an EP and a deluxe edition of Animal. Kesha worked with a variety of producers and writers such as executive producer Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Ammo, Max Martin, Bangladesh and others. Musically, the songs on Cannibal are of the dance-pop genre, with some songs incorporating elements of electro and electropop in their production and beats. Throughout the album, the use of Auto-Tune and vocoders is prominent. Lyrically, the songs on Cannibal speak of ignoring judgement or hate and experiences based on love and heartbreak.

"Stephen" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, taken from her debut studio album, Animal (2010). The song was written by Kesha in collaboration with David Gamson, Pebe Sebert, and Oliver Leiber. It was produced by Gamson with additional production by Leiber. The song's instrumentation was by Gamson, with the exception of the accordion, which was played by Kesha. Kesha wrote the song about a boy that she had been stalking and who had refused to call the singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebe Sebert</span> American singer, songwriter

Rosemary Patricia "Pebe" Sebert is an American singer and songwriter from Brentwood, Tennessee, and the mother of singer and songwriter Kesha. Sebert has co-written number-one hits for Dolly Parton, Pitbull, and Kesha, her daughter. Sebert and Kesha have written 11 published songs together. The songs Sebert wrote for other artists have combined sales of over 8 million copies in the United States alone. In 2013, Sebert appeared as a regular on reality show Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life, which starred Kesha and was filmed by her son Lagan.

<i>High Road</i> (Kesha album) 2020 studio album by Kesha

High Road is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha. It was released on January 31, 2020, through RCA and Kemosabe Records. Announced in late 2019, the album saw the singer once again taking over the role of sole executive producer, following Rainbow (2017). She collaborated with various songwriters and record producers to achieve her desired sonority, combining elements of her career beginnings and Rainbow. Musically, High Road is primarily a pop, country and classic rock record, although it encompasses a variety of genres, including dance-pop, folk, electronic pop, synthpop, trip hop, electro-country, EDM, trap, dream pop, hip hop, and gospel.

"Tonight" is a song by American singer Kesha, which was released as the fourth and final single from her fourth studio album, High Road, on January 28, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashnikko</span> American singer and rapper (born 1996)

Ashton Nicole Casey, known professionally as Ashnikko, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. Her 2019 single "Stupid" with (Yung) Baby Tate gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified platinum in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil, was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.

Tamia Monique Carter, known professionally as Flo Milli, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence after her 2018 song "Beef FloMix" and its 2019 follow up, "In the Party" reached virality on social media platforms including TikTok, also receiving respective gold certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In late 2019, she signed a recording contract with Justin Goldman's '94 Sounds and RCA Records.

Lilliane Catherine Diomi, known professionally as ppcocaine, is an American social media personality and rapper. She is perhaps best known for her song "3 Musketeers" that gained popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

Penelope Scott is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and producer. She has produced all of her own music. After releasing the compilation albums Junkyard (2020) and The Junkyard 2 (2020), Scott released her debut album, Public Void, in August 2020. Her song "Rät" peaked at no. 29 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart. Scott released the EP Hazards in 2021 and the EPs Girl's Night and Mysteries for Rats in November 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nessa Barrett</span> American TikTok personality and singer-songwriter (born 2002)

Janesa Jaida "Nessa" Barrett is an American singer-songwriter. She has released one studio album, Young Forever (2022), and two EPs, Pretty Poison (2021) and Hell Is a Teenage Girl (2023).

<i>Gag Order</i> (album) Studio album by Kesha

Gag Order is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kesha. It was released on May 19, 2023, by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. This album marks her final release under her contract with both labels, which she signed when she was 18 years old. The announcement of the album came in late April 2023, with Kesha serving as the executive producer, a role she took on for her previous two albums. She primarily worked with producer Rick Rubin, who helped her dive deep into her more vulnerable side to create the project. Other producers on the album include familiar collaborators such as Stuart Crichton, Stint and Drew Pearson, as well as new collaborators like Jussifer, Hudson Mohawke, Kennedi, and Jason Lader.

"Fine Line" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kesha from her fifth studio album, Gag Order (2023). The song was released as a dual single alongside "Eat the Acid" on April 28, 2023, as the lead single, ahead of the album's full release on May 19, 2023. An official lyric video was released the same day. The song was written by Kesha, her mother Pebe Sebert, and Stint and produced by Rick Rubin, Stuart Crichton, and Jason Lader. A visualizer was released on May 3, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only Love Tour</span> 2023 concert tour by Kesha

The Only Love Tour was the sixth headlining concert tour by American singer Kesha, in support of her fifth studio album, Gag Order (2023). She announced the tour on May 30, 2023, with Jake Wesley Rogers as the supporting act. The tour began on October 15, 2023, at The Factory in Dallas, Texas and concluded on November 26 at Hard Rock Live Sacramento in Wheatland, California.

References

  1. 1 2 Attard, Paul (May 17, 2023). "Kesha Gag Order Review: A Disarmingly Strange Musical Thesis Statement". Slant Magazine . Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  2. Sebert, Kesha (April 25, 2023). "Kesha Shares Her Manifesto Behind New Album Gag Order (Exclusive)". Nylon.
  3. "Kesha's interview at the Zach Sang Show: Stream". YouTube. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  4. Cragg, Michael. "'I would walk in and just cry for two hours': Kesha on cats, court cases, and the dangers of 'toxic positivity'". The Guardian . Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  5. "Free Kesha on TikTok". TikTok. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  6. Paul, Larisha (March 30, 2023). "Kesha Walks 'Fine Line Between Genius and Crazy' as She Leaks Teaser Snippets of Two New Tracks". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  7. "Kesha Announces New Album Gag Order Out May 19 – New Songs "Eat the Acid" and "Fine Line" to Drop April 28". RCA Records. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  8. "The 100 best songs of 2023". Los Angeles Times. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  9. St. Asaph, Katherine (December 19, 2023). "The Top 40 Pop Songs Of 2023". Stereogum . Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  10. "The Best Songs of 2023". Variety. December 28, 2023.
  11. "The Best Songs of 2023". Vulture. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  12. "Fine Line / Eat the Acid by Kesha on Spotify". Spotify . Retrieved May 5, 2023.