Rony AlwinKaty Perry has released the video for her new hit “Chained to the Rhythm,” and just like the song, it’s a cautionary tale about living in a bubble while ignoring all the trouble in the world. It’s also bit reminiscent of the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive.”
The clip, directed by Matthew Cullen, finds Katy, wearing a futuristic outfit, visiting a theme park called “Oblivia,” which was actually filmed in January at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. At first, Katy is like every other patron, staring wide-eyed at all the attractions. When she goes to smell a rose, though, she pricks her finger on a thorn, drawing blood: a metaphor for things not being as “rosy” as they seem.
The rides all have an element of danger — roller coaster cars fly off tracks, people are literally flung off of rides, miniature houses are dropped too quickly, a giant hamster wheel that people run on goes too fast — but nobody notices. Katy takes a seat with the other patrons and dons 3-D glasses for an attraction that shows a typical 1950s era family gathered together: mom is ironing, dad’s reading the paper and the kids are playing. Suddenly, Skip Marley — the featured artist on the song — steps out of an old fashioned TV screen and helps Katy experience an awakening.
Katy suddenly realizes that everyone’s been walking around, as the song says, “like a wasted zombie.” As the rest of the patrons continue to dance around her, we see her looking distressed in the crowd, and then running on the giant hamster wheel. She suddenly stops and stares at the camera, a look of understanding dawning on her face.
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