What casual listeners may not recognize is that Flo Rida's channeling of Dead or Alive's "Right Round" at a time of economic discord bears a strong resemblance to Russian literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin's centripetal and centrifugal forces, which spin "Right Round" and either reinforce societal norms or challenge them, respectively. First, the video.
And for those that want to examine them more closely: the lyrics:
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
Hey, walk out that house with my swaggerHop in there with dough, I got places to go!People to see, time is preciousI looked at my cotty, are ya out of control?
Just like my mind where I'm goin'No women, no shawties, no nothin' but clothesNo stoppin' now, my Pirellis on rollI like my jewelry that's always on whoa
I know the storm is comin'My pockets keep tellin' me it's gonna showerCall up my homies, it's onThen pop in the next 'cause this mix'll be ours
We keep a fade-away shot'Cause we ballin' it's Platinum Patron that be oursLil mama, I owe you just like the flowersGirl you the drink with all that goodie powers
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
Hey, shawty must know I'm the manMy money love her like her number one fanDon't open my mouth, let her talk to my fansMy Benjamin Franklins
A couple of grands, I got rubber bandsMy paper planes makin' her danceGet dirty all night, that's part of my planWe buildin' castles that's made out of sand
She's amazin', fire blazin'Hotter than Cajun, girl won't you move a lil' closer?Time to get paid, it's maximum wageThat body belong on a poster
I'm in a daze, that bottom is wavin' at meLike, "Damn it, I know you"You wanna shoot like a gun out of holsterTell me whatever and I'll be your gopher
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
From the top of the pole I watch her go downShe got me throwin' my money aroundAin't nothin' more beautiful to be foundIt's goin' down down
Yeah, I'm spendin' my money, I'm out of controlSomebody help me she takin' my bank rollBut I'm king of the club and I'm wearin' the crownPoppin' these bottles, touchin' these modelsWatchin' they asses go down down
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
You spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down downYou spin my head right round, right roundWhen you go down, when you go down down
Before we begin the analysis, we have to ask if these lyrics are meant to reinforce the cultural norms and challenge them. Here it is important to note that Ke$ha is singing the refrain. Typically, Ke$ha is seen to be a cultural firebrand carelessly throwing cultural norms to the wind and opting instead to shoot unicorns with a rainbow gun in an attempt to gain revenge of James van der Beek. That seems very centrifugal.
However, it is important to remember that much of Ke$sha's work is considered a parody or satire. At its heart, satire is a genre that requires having a "satiric norm," the moral element that they wish to enforce through the satire. The moral message of a satire is, perhaps surprisingly, to reinforce the morall norms of the society. Thus, we should read Flo Rida's remix of "Right Round" as a call for cultural norms.
But why should we think this is in response to the economic crisis of 2008? The key is in Flo Rida's verses, a centrifugal challenge to the norms of banking culture. For example:
I know the storm is comin'My pockets keep tellin' me it's gonna showerCall up my homies, it's onThen pop in the next 'cause this mix'll be ours
How should we interpret the storm? The storm is only "making it rain" as a cursory interpretation of these lines suggest. A storm is often a violent event and is a metaphor for hard times. Also, it is not his loose change, but his pockets that are telling him "it's gonna shower." Why? Because his pockets are empty. There is no change to mention in them. The storm could be "making it rain" in the club, but it is most likely a sign that harsh economic times are coming.
The rest of Flo Rida's verses detail economic excess. This excess leads into the "Right Round" refrain led by Ke$ha. The absence of Ke$ha from these verses delineates them as the centripetal force dragging down society. Of course, as we now know, the excess and greed of the banks is largely what led to to the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. Excess proves to bring down society, just as the song's refrain explains "when you go down, when you go down, down."
But why "Right Round?" Why Dead or Alive? Flo Rida could have come up with his own verses. Furthermore, only the lyrics are taken, not the music. It would be very easy to replace just the lyrics. Flo Rida is using this as an allusion to 1984, the year the song came out. What happened in 1984?
The U.S. was experiencing economic success.Ronald Reagan was vastly popular, winning his second presidential race.
The real centrifugal force norming society that Flo Rida posits as a cure for the economic woes of 2008 are the policies of Ronald Reagan. Flo Rida knows that, while the wealth may start at the top, that excess wealth should trickle down and not be used for those that possess it, the emphasis in his socially destructive verses.
So, the next time you hear "Right Round" (most likely on an oldies station in 2030) think of its real inspiration: Ronald Reagan and Flo Rida's love of right wing economic strategies.
