KortneyOn the newest episode of Billboard’s Pop Shop Podcast, Greg Wells talks about writing “Ur So Gay” with Katy Perry and if he received any flack for it. You can listen here from 45:50-48:21. I also typed up a transcription below for those who cannot listen.
Keith Caulfield: I believe you produced and co-wrote “Ur So Gay” on the first album?
Greg Wells: Mhm.
KC: Did you get any flack for that at any point? Did anyone say, “Hmmm, is this a great idea?”
GW: A lot of people didn’t get the intent with which we wrote it. I mean I understand, I get it, but that’s not at all what was behind it. It’s tough because most of, without sounding ridiculous, most of the people that are my friends, most of the people that I work, with happen to be gay. I don’t know why that is. And, the same is very true for Katy. Possibly more-so. So, I think she was comfortable making that joke about a guy who may not have been gay that she dated. She was trying to be funny and I remember when she walked in she said, “I’ve got this song. I’ve just got a verse and I think I know what the chorus is but I can’t finish it. I don’t have a second verse, I don’t have a bridge, I don’t know what to do with this.” Which is how a lot of our songs start. “Not Like The Movies” was like that too. She had verse one, she had the first chorus and that was it. At this point she’d been dropped from Columbia Records. She did not have a record deal when we wrote “Ur So Gay” but I still would write with her and I really believed in her. She came in and she was sort of like kicked to the curb a bit. She sat down with her guitar and started playing, “I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf” and it just goes on and I fell off my chair laughing. It was just so funny. I don’t think she knew how funny it was. And, it’s super irreverent and that’s the point of it. We’re not trying to sing “Kumbaya” with that song. I’m really proud of that song but yes, absolutely there were a ton of people who were like, “That’s not funny.” Friends of mine would say, “That’s not funny” and then other friends would say, “Thats my favorite song,” so it’s… I find that a lot of music I’ve worked on has a very polarizing effect. I don’t know why people either hate it or they feel the opposite about it.
