“Get the Party Started” by Pink

“Get the Party Started” by Pink came out in 2001 and is still her biggest hit. It rose to the top of the pop charts around the world. It went to No. 4 in the U.S., No. 2 in the U.K., and No. 1 in Australia. It was certified gold in Australia, Austria, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. In Norway, it was certified platinum.

The video, which was shot in Los Angeles, won “Best Female Video” and “Best Dance Video” at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.

This song is “pop rap,” which combines the more danceable hip hop pop with the tough-talking gansta rap. Although pop music, as you have learned in this Pop Music English series, has always used slang and often incorrect grammar to rhyme words or for uncommon poetic effect, rap music took this tendency to the maximum limit. You will notice more extreme examples of this from the next article featuring “Pump It” by the Black Eyed Peas.

(Ha ha ha ha ha!)

(Ha ha ha ha ha!)

EXPLANATION OF PHRASES

1. “I’m comin’ up. So, you better get this party started.”

“I’m coming up” can be slang for “I’m beginning to succeed in the world.” (Not to be confused with “I’m coming out,” which means “I am going to reveal my homosexuality.”) However, in this context, “I’m coming up” seems to mean merely “I will be at the party.” The more common expression is “I’m coming over,” unless you happen to be physically located below the person you are addressing.

“So, you better get this party started” is not grammatical. To be grammatical, it should be “So, you’d better get this party started.” The implied message is either a request or a demand to person in charge of the party to begin the entertainment because she will soon arrive.

2. “Sendin’ out the message to all of my friends.”

This probably means “telling all my friends to join me in going to this party.”

3. “We’ll be looking flashy in my Mercedes Benz.”

Rap songs often boast or brag about expensive, showy possessions, such as luxury automobiles like a Mercedes Benz. “Flashy” is an adjective that usually means “looks expensive but is really cheap.” However, in the context of this song, since a Mercedes is actually expensive, it probably means something like “glamorous,” “sexy,” or, simply, “great.”

4. “I got lots of style. Check out my gold diamond rings.”

The grammatical way to say the first sentence is “I’ve got lots of style.” “Check out” is slang for “examine,” “notice,” or “look at.” “Gold diamond rings” can mean “gold and diamond rings” or “gold rings and diamond rings.”

5. “I can go for miles—if you know what I mean.”

“I can go for miles” is slang for “I can do it for a long time.” “If you know what I mean” is often added to a sentence to suggest something not normally mentioned in polite conversation. In this instance, it is most likely a sexual innuendo.

6. “Pumpin’ up the volume. Breakin’ down to the beat.”

“Pumping up the volume” means “turning the volume up high.” “Breaking down to the beat” can mean “dancing to the beat.”

7. “Cruisin’ through the West Side, we’ll be checkin’ the scene.”

“To cruise” is a slang verb for “to drive slowly along a big street to draw attention to yourself and your passengers as well as to examine the people in the other vehicles.” “West Side” can be the the area that is west of any town, city, county, or region. “We’ll be checking the scene” is slang for “we will observe whatever is happening at that location.”

8. “Boulevard is freakin’ as I’m comin’ up fast.”

This can mean “The people in the other vehicles on the street are panicking [or complaining loudly] as I’m driving up to them quickly.”

9. “I’ll be burnin’ rubber. You’ll be kissin’ my ass.”

“To burn rubber” is an expression that means “to drive very quickly.” “To kiss someone’s ass” usually means “to flatter or treat overly nicely in order to gain advantage or favor.” However, here it probably means “All you will see of me is my rear as I pass by you quickly.”

10. “Pull up to the bumper.”

This sentence means “drive up to the bumper.”

11. “License Plate says, ‘Stunner No. 1 Superstar.’”

“Stunner” is slang for “a person who is stunningly beautiful, usually a woman.”

12. “Makin’ my connection as I enter the room.”

This can mean “I’m acknowledging everyone I know with greetings as I enter the room.” Or, it can mean “I am making my presence known as I enter the room.”

13. “Everybody’s chillin’ as I set up the groove.”

This means “Everybody’s relaxing while I prepare the DJ [disc jockey] equipment.”

14. “I’m your operator. You can call anytime.”

“Operator” used to mean “telephone switchboard operator” who connected telephone calls for people who dialed zero on their telephones. Here, the singer is using this word for the double meaning of that type of operator and a the more general noun of “a person who operates, controls, or uses equipment or people.”

15. “I’ll be your connection to the party line.”

Continuing with the double meaning of “operator,” “your connection to the party line” would be the telephone switchboard operator who would connect one person’s telephone line to the other “party’s line.” It also means, in the context of this song, “I’ll be your connection to the all the fun created at this party.”

CONCLUSION

We began our lessons in Pop Music English words and usage by studying the lyrics of three popular songs from from the 1960s: “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude” by the Beatles and “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. Then, from the the 1970s, we studied the following three pop hits: “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennille, “Dancing Queen” by Abba, and “Emotion” by Samantha Sang.

Next, we moved to the 1980s with “Flashdance, What a Feeling!” by Irene Cara, “True” by Spandau Ballet, and “Holiday” by Madonna. Then, we entered the 1990s to 2000s with “Vogue” by Madonna, and, now, “Get the Party Started” by Pink. Finally, we will end this entire series with “Pump It” by Black Eyed Peas.

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