Ke$ha's upcoming remix album is named I Am The Dance Commander + I Commander You To Dance. Since people weren't regularly referring to dance commanders before Electric Six's "Dance Commander," we can probably assume the title is a reference, even if she doesn't bother to cover the track on the album. Here are three possible reasons why.
First here's the video for the original "Dance Commander" by Electric Six:
1) Ke$ha has never heard of Electric Six's "Dance Commander," but someone in her general vicinity has.
Brainstorming a name for her remix album with her entourage, some shrill version of SNL's Stefan - or maybe a hefty sub-manager with bleached facial hair and an initial for a last name - recalled a wacky song on their iPod and yelled "Ke$ha, you're the Dance Commander!" Maybe she then responded, "Yeah, and I COMMANDER you to dance! Woo!" before passing out.
While the "Woo!" was excised after several board meetings, the execs at RCA decided that I Commander You To Dance was cute in an "I Can Has Cheeseburger" way, and obviously something her Internet-conscious fans would get behind. Ke$ha was like, "Totally!"
2) Ke$ha has heard Electric Six's "Dance Commander," and doesn't care.
Ke$ha totally has some Electric Six MP3s (she's pretty hip, you know) and totally wanted to cover "Dance Commander," but one of her manager guys said it'd be expensive, and the verses are like really fast rapping or whatever, and it just was kinda not working, so it was just like, well let's just take the name because it fits the sword in the photo and it's not like you can copyright an album title or anything.
Like that lawyer guy said, "Just ask the Red Hot Chili Peppers!" And the realllly funny joke she tacked on totally makes it her own. You can't invent a thing, you know?
3) Ke$ha has heard Electric Six's "Dance Commander" - and cares.
Ke$ha, being a forward-thinking industry veteran, is very familiar with the oeuvre of Electric Six, and actually prefers 2007's sprawling I Shall Exterminate Everything That Restricts Me From Being The Master to the novelty hits that made 2003's Fire the only of their seven albums with which people are widely familiar.
Her team has previously shut down her hopes of bringing the prolific cult act on the road with her ("Ke$ha, they're not even on a major label"). Still, she hopes that by paying such direct homage to one of their more popular numbers, hipsters will a) rush to point out and mock her lift and b) give Electric Six a little more attention and respect.
Once the internet buzz has reached "controversy" level, Ke$ha will be able to convince her minders that she should interact with the band in some significant way, guaranteeing the underrated tour machine a publicity boost. She only wishes she could do more.
--Anthony Cohan-Miccio
