Stephen (song)

"Stephen" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, taken from her debut studio album, Animal (2010).

She told MTV "I wrote [it] about this guy that I've been stalking since I was, like, 15, but he's a total loser, so I don't want to glorify him in any way, but I'm really excited for the song.

[3] "Stephen" opens with layered a cappella and vocoder harmonies, later transitioning into a dominantly driven pop song.

According to Andrew Burgess of MusicOMH, the song "tells the story of that one guy Ke$ha can't bag: 'What the hell?

'"[9] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times felt that the song was experimental, comparing it to the group Animal Collective.

Fraser McAlpine of BBC Music used "Stephen" as an example of the songs on Animal that exemplified the singer's vocals, saying it had "beautiful layered a cappella harmonies.

"[7] Daniel Brockman of The Boston Phoenix wrote of the album that "in a post–'Birthday Sex' pop landscape, there's plenty of room for dumb if it's done well."

"[11] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times listed the song as one of those that exemplified the album's more experimental side, calling it a "country-in-space" rendition.

[9] His conclusion regarding the album's ballads was that "Perhaps Ke$ha is, in fact, a more complex and multi-faceted party girl than she seems like on the surface.

"[9] Digital Spy commented that the Kesha uses the album "to show her vulnerable side" and that "she admits she can't take rejection on the country-tinged 'Stephen'.

[1] Upon the release of Animal, "Stephen" debuted and peaked at number at eighty-nine on the issue date of January 3, 2010, on the South Korea Gaon International Songs Chart.