Music

In defense of Paris Hilton, iconic recording artist

On Aug. 22, 2006, pop music was changed forever. Paris Hilton, the heiress-turned-socialite with a penchant for small dogs, sex tapes and hot things, gifted the nation with her debut album, “Paris.”

Tuesday, Hilton debuts her new single, “Good Time,”launching her second act after signing with Lil Wayne’s Cash Money Records for an upcoming, as-yet-untitled album. The track glistens with sweat from the club floor as Paris calls to the world, “Let’s party and have a good time!” A throwback to ’90s rave bangers, the Afrojack-produced “Good Time” builds shimmering EDM beats that shatter at each drop for some good ol’ fashioned sexually-charged Paris Hilton innocence. Throw in a Lil Wayne verse and Paris cooing “I don’t really give a f–k / ‘cause I came to party rock,” and the result is a single worthy of a place in the pop game.

Paris fans have waited seven years for this follow-up to “Paris,” which is quite possibly the most underrated pop album of all time.

Despite the record’s bow at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 copies sold (and an eventual total of 197,000), “Paris” was met with middling reviews from critics. “As with global warming and the handgun crisis, future generations will judge us harshly for not preventing Paris Hilton’s music career while there was still time,” wrote Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone.

It is very, very easy to hate Paris Hilton. Hilton herself makes sure of that. But whatever you think of her sexy toddler voice, her curbside exposure of her lady parts or the fact that she actually had a TV show called “Paris Hilton’s Dubai BFF,” none of that dismisses the fact that “Paris” was a revolutionary, groundbreaking album.

There’s no doubt Paris knew the judgment she was facing, which is probably why she came hard with heavyweights. Scott Storch, coming off hits such as Beyoncé’s “Naughty Girl,” Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter” and 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” executive produced the album. The result was a decidedly radio-friendly pop record with an urban Miami edge. On tracks like “Turn It Up,” Scorch creates magic by playing up Hilton’s whispery vocals over dry-hump worthy heavy bass. Throw in a Gwen Stefani-esque chant to “Get it started now!” and voilà, pop perfection.

Kara DioGuardi, she of brief “American Idol” judging fame, contributed sticky-sweet lighter fare in the form of “Screwed” and “Not Leaving Without You” — spinning pop tart innocence on its head.

Dr. Luke, famous for making practically everything on the radio ever, gave us the irresistible feel-good track, “Nothing in This World,” which pairs instantly catchy lyrics like “So I was thinking to myself when you passed me by, ‘Here’s what I like,’ ” with a bouncy beat seemingly created for the exact purpose of hand-holding and skipping through the local suburban mall.

Bucking the trend of most pop star’s initial showings, Paris also helped pen many of the tracks herself. On “Jealousy,” she gets personal, singing of her painful separation from best friend forever Nicole Richie. “You used to be that shoulder/that shoulder I could lean on through it all,” she croons.

But that’s just the tip of the big, fluffy, pink iceberg. Taken as a whole, the album delves into the concept of celebrity and explores our obsession with a young girl just trying to be herself. She wants to love, she wants to laugh and she wants to wear spaghetti-strap cocktail dresses at clubs with bottle service. On “Fightin’ Over Me,” Hilton bemoans “the boys fightin’ over me.” We, the minutiae-obsessed public, are those boys.

You may recall another pop singer who goes by the name of Lady Gaga expounding on such topics on her album, “The Fame,” a good two years later. Even today, Gaga sings about her need for “the applause.” The oft-synthetic vocals and rap-infused speak-singing should ring a few Britney Spears-shaped bells. Even Madonna’s 2008 album “Hard Candy” combined hip-hop grit with cotton-candy pop to emulate the legendary “Paris.” Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”? Same story.

I’m not saying these artists used reductive repackaging of Paris Hilton’s hard work to sell albums in a more mainstream-friendly format, but I’m not not saying it either.

“Good Time” may not become a massive hit. It may not even chart. But don’t be surprised when everyone else in the pop game is copying it next year.