AN ESOTERIC OVERVIEW OF "DIE YOUNG" BY KE$HA

First things first. I've said it before and I'll say it again: If Jay-Z, Madonna, Niki Minaj and Ke$ha are part of the Illuminati, then we have nothing to fucking fear from the Illuminati.

However, that said, I know that many people who are interested in parapolitics, the occult and conspiracy topics are intrigued by the role played by esoteric symbols, themes and archetypes in popular culture. Also, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the topic as well. Therefore, I've decided to begin devoting some of this blog space to exploring how these potent ancient communication technologies are being used in everything from film and television to music (and music videos), highbrow literature and comic books, advertising, architecture... every aspect of our mass culture.

For my first foray into this field, I will be breaking down the currently somewhat controversial music video for the song Die Young by popular hip-hop crossover artist and party-girl singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Ke$ha.

Before we do anything else, let's take a look at the video, from Ke$ha's official Youtube page:

So... pretty blatant, right? Before we discuss the implications of the lyrical content, let's break the video down, shot by shot...


It begins with a longhorn-sporting hearse being driven through what appears to be a dusty southwestern town. The hearse comes to a stop in front of an old, abandoned Spanish-style church.

It's easy to miss that this building is a church, because southwestern churches are architecturally subtle. The fact that the building has a bell-tower and a stained glass window, however, definitely identifies it as a church.  Also, we see everything through some type of prism effect, as through we're watching through the facets of a gem, or a crystal. This visual style will be maintained throughout the entire video. Ke$ha begins to sing:

I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums

The triangles break into multiple screens, occasionally forming mini-screens within the larger screen. Ke$ha's face flashes in these isolated equilateral triangle screens, pointing both up and down in the manner of the Star of David. Ke$ha is then shown holding her right hand up in front of, and thus obscuring, her left eye. On her upturned hand is a large eye symbol, apparently attached to a multi-finger ring of some sort.

Of course, so much has been made of the "hidden eye" motif by conspiracy-sniffers in the culture and fashion industries of late that I feel foolish even bringing it up. Recapping what people say about this "symbol" is futile, as there are literally hundreds of interpretations of it, many of which contradict each other. Most people lately try to tie it to the "Eye of Horus", specifically in reference to ceremonial, or ritual, magic. However, that particular "eye" refers to the anus of a ritual participant, not a literal eye. So unless Ke$ha is secretly trying to tell us she likes her lovers to kick down her brown door, then paint it white on the way out,   I think this is just another case of "Illuminati Monkey See, Illuminati Monkey Do." They're all doing it, so why the hell not?

After flashing us the Illuminati Eye, Ke$ha next presents us with a traditional skull and bones image, which flashes almost subliminally across the screen, outlined in pale purple.

We then cut to the interior of the hearse, which is being driven by some mook with a backwards baseball cap. There is a skull on the dashboard and a Native American dream-catcher hanging from the rear-view mirror. We close-up on Ke$ha's lips as she sings.

Oh what a shame that you came here with someone

The driver walks to the back of the hearse, upon which the word "EVIL" appears to have been scratched into the paint-job of the hearse's rear door.

So while you're here in my arms, let's make the most of the night
Like we're gonna die young

A group of people all decked out in Mad Max post-apocalyptic attire open the rear door of the hearse,  revealing a figure covered by a black veil. The figure appears to be sitting in a guru-like pose.

The veiled figure is lifted out of the hearse and onto the shoulders of the group. Through the black veil with purple trim, we can see that the figure is Ke$ha. Taking into account both the hearse and her funeral veil, it appears her followers seem to be ritualistically raising Ke$ha from the dead, here, in a perverse mockery of Jesus Christ. This will make more sense as the video continues.

At this point, the screen is filled with a cloudy night sky with pinkish, twilight tones. A series of triangles and diamonds in vaguely symmetrical combinations flash rapidly across the screen, and the subtle repeated image of an inverted white crucifix appears for the first - and definitely not the last - time.

We're gonna die young

More triangles and diamonds, without the crosses this time. Ke$ha's eye is superimposed over the flashing shapes. Then her face as she sings:

We're gonna die young.

Her carriers lower her gently to the ground. They remove the veil and we are presented with increasingly complex geometric patterns based on the basic image of the triangle. Triangles of all shapes and sizes come together to form larger triangles.

Let's make the most of the night, like we're gonna die young

Ke$ha kicks open a dusty door as her and her followers march into the church, sending a shower of digital triangles flying in every direction. Inside the space, Ke$ha violently tosses aside a chair that is large and vaguely throne-like as another upside-down cross flashes on the screen.

Across a field of flying black and white triangles, three thin, hot pink lines converge to form an upside down triangle in which a hot pink inverted crucifix appears.

A woman appears to be painting on the walls of the church with blood.

Ke$ha herself bends down and spray-paints a K in a circle on the floor - a frequently used symbol denoting a food or other product as being "Kosher" - as the others engage in wanton vandalism of the church.

Let's make the most of the night, like we're gonna die young

Now Ke$ha, seated, begins to "rap" while surrounded by men and women whose faces are split in half down the middle by a thick line of makeup. This is a symbolic representation of mind-control victims having "split" personalities: the original personality, along with one or more created "alters".

Young hearts, out our minds
Running 'til we outta time

Ke$ha is shown singing inside an array of pink and silver triangles that are constantly growing, shrinking, moving. This is intercut with images of her and her "followers" partying and dancing. Ke$ha's right eye peeks out from between the V sign, which she is making with the index and middle finger of her right hand.

Wild child's lookin' good.
Living hard just like we should

Ke$ha appears to push one of her followers' heads down into her crotch for oral sex. 

Don't care whose watching when we tearing it up (You Know)

For the first time in the video, a blazing white Pentagram/Pentacle appears. It flashes atop the seated Ke$ha and three of her female followers, all scantily clad, one of whom has apparently just performed oral sex on Ke$ha.

That magic that we got nobody can touch (For sure)

The Spanish style church is now transformed into a gleaming, Modernist Satanic church, complete with laser light show.

Now Ke$ha stands among four male followers. They go through some pretty basic dance moves... Bob Fosse via Michael Jackson steps.

Looking for some trouble tonight
Take my hand, I'll show you the wild side
Like it's the last night of our lives
We'll keep dancing 'til we die
I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums

A vulture takes flight, framed stage left by oak leaves. It isn't easy to make out what kind of bird it is, but I'm certain it's a carrion-eater, either a vulture or a buzzard.

Ke$ha and her followers play some sort of card game, apparently with a Tarot deck. It's difficult to make out what is on the card that Ke$ha holds up, but to my eyes, it appears to be an image of Baphomet, which means it is probably the Devil trump card. Whatever the card is, Ke$ha's display of one sends the whole gang into what appears to be an ecstasy-fueled "touching" game.

Then we see some wolves.

Oh what a shame that you came here with someone
So while you're here in my arms
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young
We're gonna die young
We're gonna die young

One young lady (perhaps one who has been chosen as a symbolic "sacrifice" during the preceding card game?) dances in a circle of stones while surrounded by a blazing pink nine-sided symbol known as an Enneagram.

The use of an Enneagram in this case is interesting, because while it is a symbol with a very rich history, indeed, it is also one that is rarely used in a Satanic context. Some present-day Sufis (a mystical branch of Islam) lay claim to the symbol, saying it somehow represents the presence or “immanence” of God in the Universe. Followers of the 20th century mystic G.I. Gurdjieff also claim the symbol as their own, believing it to be an integral part of his Fourth Way esoteric system which can be used to accurately describe any and all processes in both the natural and supernatural worlds. On a less elevated plane, horror rock band Slipknot has begun using the Enneagram as one of their band symbols, although they call it a "nonagram", or nine-pointed star, in reference to the fact that there are nine members of the band. So, what could Ke$ha possibly be trying to say by using this symbol in her video? Probably not much more than it's a vaguely occult-looking symbol that kind of looks cool and witchy, especially when it's flashing hot pink with a half-naked girl stomping to the quasi-pagan rhythms of this death-obsessed dance tune. As the lyrics intone:

Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young

The imagery becomes more repetitive, but also more overtly sexual. Even the wolves appear to be copulating and inflicting "love bites" upon each other.

Young hunks, taking shots
Stripping down to dirty socks
Music up, gettin' hot
Kiss me, give me all you've got 

A new image: Ke$ha stretches out on a very well worn mattress on the dusty church floor.

Upon the third repeat of this image, a cluster of inverted crucifixes flashes across the screen.

It's pretty obvious that you've got a crush (you know)
That magic in your pants, it's making me blush (for sure)
Looking for some trouble tonight
Take my hand I'll show you the wild side
Like it's the last night of our lives
We'll keep dancing 'til we die.

The upside-down cross image repeats again, as Ke$ha caresses her near-naked body on the mattress. Again, the sexuality among all participants ramps up.

I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums
Oh what a shame that you came here with someone
So while you're here in my arms
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young

An Illuminati Eye in a triangle flashes over Ke$ha's eye in the V of her upturned fingers, once again creating a Star of David cross-motif.

A number of police officers arrive in cruisers and surround the old church. They fire indiscriminately into the building.

I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums
Oh what a shame that you came here with someone
So while you're here in my arms
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young
We're gonna die young
We're gonna die young
Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young...

Ke$ha walks up to the bullet-ridden door and opens it, whereupon she stares down the police, who reload and seemingly prepare to fire, thus fulfilling the song's mantra-like prophecy of early death. Perhaps in a final, humorous allusion to the anal origins of the Eye of Horus symbol, the "Eye in the Pyramid" is shown attached to Ke$ha's buttocks as she exits the now thoroughly desecrated church:

Unfortunately, the video ends before we can find out whether or not all that Illuminati symbol-hogging was enough to make Ke$ha bulletproof!

And that's a wrap for me. Those are all the symbols I can find. If any of you out there spot any that I've missed, please feel free to say so in the comments section.

A final word about the lyrics. It seems foolish to look for hidden meanings here. Like every Ke$ha song, this one seems like a celebration of hard partying, debauched lifestyles, casual sex, substance abuse and general sleazery. However, when viewed in conjunction with the hardcore Satanic imagery on display here, I can't help but think that the bleak, New World Order-approved command is boldly stated right up front in the title... "Die Young".