Jason Moore (guitar, vocals) and Gary Welch (bass, vocals) had previously been in a Murfreesboro band called A Million Worlds. Once A Million Worlds dissolved, Jason and Gary began a new band—the Katies—named after Jason's sister in-law.
The duo recruited friends from local band Fluid Ounces for their rhythm section and began playing gigs around town, but didn't achieve a permanent lineup until Moore's younger brother Josh was recruited as their drummer. The first lineup of the band featured Fluid Ounces members Seth Timbs (piano) and Sam Baker (drums), and Mac Burrus (guitar.) Jason and Mac had previously been in Murfreesboro rock band The Plain. The band played with this lineup for a few shows around Murfreesboro.
Eventually, Seth Timbs and Sam Baker bowed out to concentrate on Fluid Ounces, so the band continued with Jason Moore, Gary Welch, and Mac Burrus. After a terrible accident which resulted in Mac breaking his neck, the band was put on hold. Around this time, Jason convinced his younger brother, Josh, to leave their hometown of Clinton, Tennessee and move to Murfreesboro—to play drums for the Katies—as soon as he graduated high-school.
While waiting for Josh to graduate, the band continued to play sporadic dates around Murfreesboro and Nashville, with Mac Burrus now playing a Fender Rhodes. Mac eventually left the band, accepting an offer to play bass for Matt Mahaffey's band, Self.
With Josh now living in Murfreesboro, the band's sound grew—and changed—as a power trio. With Jason's sugary-sweet, instantly memorable hooks, Gary's fuzzed-out bass and distinctive harmonies, and Josh's ferocious drumming, the band began writing their own brand of radio-friendly, melodic power-pop-influenced as much by classic rock bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Heartbreakers—as they were by more contemporary bands like The Pixies and Supergrass. Lyrically, Jason set himself apart from his contemporaries by writing about decidedly personal themes like spirituality and the love for his wife.
The band began to make a name for themselves around town and started to draw a following, playing with local bands like Self, The Features, and Fluid Ounces. The Katies then cut a series of demos with local producer Brian Carter (now referred to as The Carter Sessions). These demos caught the ear of Rick Williams, who had just launched local indie label Spongebath Records, along with Matt Mahaffey and Seth Timbs.
Williams eventually signed the band to Spongebath. The band then recorded another batch of demos with Carter (The Carter Sessions Volume 2). These demos, along with the band's ear-splitting and energetic live show, resulted in major label interest. The band ultimately inked a deal that would give both Elektra Records and Spongebath a co-label release for the Katies' major label debut.
The band recorded their debut album, The Katies, in 1998 with Nashville producer Joe Baldridge at the helm. Their first single, "Noggin' Poundin'," was a strong, crowd-favorite album track with as radio-ready a chorus Elektra could have asked for. The album was released on July 13, 1999, the same day as labelmates Self released Breakfast with Girls. To celebrate the co-releases, the band played a sold-out, widely-bootlegged show with Self at Nashville club The Exit/Inn.
Although reviews for The Katies (and the "Noggin' Poundin'" single itself) were universally positive, neither Spongebath nor Elektra marketed or promoted the album effectively, and sales were lackluster. However, the band continued to tour tirelessly around the Southeast, promoting the album and continuing to write and record. They had a minor radio hit with the infectious single "Noggin' Poundin." During this time, the Katies opened for bands like The Verve Pipe and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
In the aftermath of the album release, Elektra dropped the band, and the Katies ultimately left Spongebath Records. The band continued to gig and recorded more promising demos with Brent Rawlings, whose brother, Jason, was the drummer for Self.
In 2001, the band recorded a new EP with Matt Mahaffey at his studio in Los Angeles. Encouraged by Matt and the positive response to their EP, the band relocated to Los Angeles permanently. After a year of playing shows in the L.A. area, Gary Welch, missing his family and son, decided to move back to Tennessee. Jason and Josh, however, decided to stay in L.A. The Katies, essentially, had ended.
By 2005, both Jason and Josh had moved back to the Nashville area as well. In August, the band officially reunited (with auxiliary guitarist Joey Campbell) at a memorial tribute for their friend, Self guitarist Mike Mahaffey. The experience was so memorable that the band reunited and continued to gig around Nashville and Murfreesboro as a quartet.
After a brief return to the Nashville rock scene, the band had dissolved again by 2006, with Welch fronting new band SJ & The Props, and the Moore brothers continuing to play together in various projects.
The band has made tons of their recordings, B-sides, and demos available via their website. Tracks like "Sideways," "Outerspace," and "An Answer to Me" hinted at the stellar material the band had prepared for a sophomore effort that sadly never quite materialized.
Girl
The Katies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It's not what, I'm used to
Just wanna try you on
I'm curious for you
Caught my attention
I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it
No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
You're my experimental game
Just human nature
It's not what, good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey
I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it
Us girls we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent
I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it
The Katy Perry song "I Kissed a Girl" is a pop-rock song that tells the story of a girl who unexpectedly kisses another girl while drunk. The song starts off with the singer admitting that what had just happened was never her intention. She was simply out drinking, got adventurous, and decided to kiss another girl on a whim. She is curious about her attraction to the other girl but doesn't necessarily want to start anything with her because she has a boyfriend. She is worried about how her boyfriend will react to her actions.
The singer describes the experience of kissing another girl, including the taste of her cherry chapstick. She confesses that it felt both wrong and right at the same time. The song does not necessarily convey a message about homosexuality, but instead explores the ideas of curiosity and experimentation.
The last verse of the song celebrates the softness and attractiveness of women, saying that they are "magical, kissable, and touchable."
Overall, "I Kissed a Girl" is a catchy, upbeat song that explores a woman's curiosity about alternative sexual experiences, but ultimately does not advocate for any specific lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
This was never the way I planned
Things are not going according to how I intended them to be.
Not my intention
I did not plan for this to happen.
I got so brave, drink in hand
I became courageous enough to try something new with a drink in my hand.
Lost my discretion
I disregarded my usual carefulness and sense of judgment.
It's not what, I'm used to
What's happening here is different from what I'm accustomed to and comfortable with.
Just wanna try you on
I simply want to experience being with you.
I'm curious for you
I'm interested in exploring what it would be like to be with you.
Caught my attention
You captured my interest and curiosity.
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I kissed a girl and surprisingly enjoyed it.
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I enjoyed the flavor of the cherry chapstick she was wearing.
I kissed a girl just to try it
I wanted to experiment with kissing a girl to see how it would feel.
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
I'm hoping my boyfriend won't be unhappy if he finds out what happened.
It felt so wrong
Even though I enjoyed it, I knew society would deem kissing a girl wrong because it goes against their standards.
It felt so right
Kissing her felt right in the moment, despite how others might perceive it.
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
Just because I kissed a girl doesn't necessarily mean I'm suddenly in love with her.
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I kissed a girl and incredibly found the experience enjoyable.
No, I don't even know your name
I, truthfully, don't know you personally or any particulars about you.
It doesn't matter
Nevertheless, it doesn't really matter right now.
You're my experimental game
Right now, you serve as my study subject, a way for me to experiment and learn more about myself.
Just human nature
All of this, in the end, is down to human nature.
It's not what, good girls do
Under common societal norms, it is not considered acceptable behavior for a 'good girl'.
Not how they should behave
How things are occurring might go against what society considers as acceptable behavior for women.
My head gets so confused
My thoughts and feelings are inevitably confusing me at the moment.
Hard to obey
It is extremely difficult for me to follow what society considers as normal and what I actually want.
Us girls we are so magical
Women are marvelously unique creatures.
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
The soft skin and red lips of a woman make her irresistibly suitable for kissing.
Hard to resist so touchable
Women are hard to resist, and they're touchable.
Too good to deny it
All these qualities make it impossible to resist acting on our desires.
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent
It's just a small act, and there's nothing immoral about it.
I kissed a girl and I liked it
Yet again, I kissed a girl, and it was fantastic.
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I once more enjoyed the distinctly cherry flavor of her chapstick.
I kissed a girl just to try it
Once more, I experimented with being intimate with the same sex.
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
I am still desperate to avoid displeasing my boyfriend by my actions.
It felt so wrong
The act seemed inappropriate and socially unacceptable.
It felt so right
In addition to feeling wrong, it felt right and enjoyable, creating confusion in the singer's mind.
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
Yet again, the singer desperately attempts to make it known that the passionate act was purely one of experimentation.
I kissed a girl and I liked it
A last time, the singer reiterates that it was certainly enjoyable to kiss a girl.
I liked it
The song ends on the same note it began: the singer loved the captivating sensation of kissing a girl.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lukasz Gottwald, Katy Perry, Cathy Dennis, Max Martin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind