How The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Inspired Kesha’s ‘Your Love Is My Drug’ Music Video
One of Kesha’s most unusual music videos is the one for “Your Love Is My Drug.” During an interview, Kesha explained she was trying to recreate a certain mental state in the video. She also said The Beatles’ movie Yellow Submarine partly inspired the video.
How Kesha co-wrote ‘Your Love Is My Drug’ with her mother
Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert, is a professional songwriter. Sebert first gained fame for writing “Old Flames Don’t Hold a Candle to You,” a country ballad that Dolly Parton covered. During an interview with MTV News, Kesha discussed co-writing “Your Love Is My Drug” with Sebert. “I wrote this song on an airplane in, like, 10 minutes and finished it with my mom,” Kesha recalled. “So it’s one of my favorites. It’s stupid and fun. You can’t take it too seriously.”
Kesha explained why she complimented a man’s beard in the song. “I’ve always been into bearded dudes,” Kesha revealed. “Hello, I’m from Nashville, I’m into hillbillies,” she laughed. “The redneck look is hot right now, and that’s great for me. I’m over dudes trying to look like they’re in boy bands.”
The animation from The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ inspired Kesha
Kesha revealed why the video for “Your Love Is My Love” is surreal. “The video, I wanted it to be like a psychedelic trip of the mind, comparable with being so disgustingly in love with someone that you lose your head,” she said. “So I ride an elephant — no big deal! — and, um, I dance around a cave with black-light body paint and a python. I was in a cave, in the desert, and it was really fun.”
Kesha added that the Fab Four influenced the video as well. “This video was inspired by The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine movie, the animation aspect,” she explained. “There’s a little bit of [that] in there too.” Notably, Rolling Stone reports Kesha cited The Beatles as one of her musical influences.
The way the world reacted to ‘Your Love Is My Drug’
“Your Love Is My Drug” became a massive hit. The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 28 weeks. “Your Love Is My Drug” appeared on Kesha’s debut album Animal. Animal reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 85 weeks.
“Your Love Is My Drug” was popular in the United Kingdom too. According to The Official Charts Company, “Your Love Is My Drug” hit No. 13 and remained on the chart for 17 weeks. Meanwhile, Animal peaked at No. 8 and lasted 46 weeks on the chart. “Your Love Is My Drug” doesn’t sound much like The Beatles’ songs but its video wouldn’t be the same without Yellow Submarine.
