As part of Record Store Day's Black Friday event, The Flaming Lips released The Time Has Come To Shoot You Down... What A Sound, a track-by-track cover of The Stone Roses' self-titled debut album. One of the album's tracks, the brief "Elizabeth My Dear," marks the second time that Wayne Coyne and Co. have collaborated with Ke$ha (yes, that Ke$ha).
Like "You Must Be Upgraded" before it, "Elizabeth My Dear" is markedly different than the pop songstress' usual output, sounding like the product of the "acid spell" she references in the former song. Together, Ke$ha's songs with The Flaming Lips form arguably the strangest pair of tunes ever released by an artist who's had a number one single, and so of course her label isn't happy.
Ke$ha has an eight album deal with Kemosabe Records, a label founded and operated by pop super-producer Dr. Luke, and according to the activist group "Free Ke$ha, Dr. Luke," the label boss is the reason that Ke$ha's name doesn't appear on the credits for "Elizabeth My Dear":
Again, Ke$ha was not allowed to put her name on Elizabeth My Dear and was not allowed to release Lip$ha with Wayne because of Dr. Luke.
— Free Kesha, Dr. Luke (@freekeshaluke) December 2, 2013
(Lip$ha, in case you were wondering, is the name of an aborted, album-length collaboration between The Lips and Ke$ha).
If the fact that Ke$ha now has what could be called a "cult following" is at all befuddling to you (it should be), you'll be even more shocked to learn that a petition to "Let Ke$ha have creative freedom" now has over 5,200 signatures. There's a Twitter campaign, and even a SoundCloud page devoted to freeing our Tik-Tokking heroine from Dr. Luke's greasy clutches. In other news, the world is ending.
Visit The Flaming Lips' Zumic artist page for more music and videos (but no more Ke$ha collaborations, we promise).
Source: FreeKeshaLuke Official SoundCloud Page
Via: Stereogum