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Katy Perry Wanted to Make Music Based on Her ‘All-Time Favorite Female Record’

Emma McKee — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 18:27:00 +0000

Katy Perry has been releasing pop music for years, but she once said she hoped to emulate a slightly different sound. In a conversation with Kristen Wiig, Perry discussed some of her favorite women in the music industry. She said that she had three all-time favorite albums by female artists, and she felt inspired by one in particular.

Katy Perry revealed the record that she hoped to emulate with her own music

Early in Perry’s career, she played acoustic shows at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles.

“There’s this little place that I would go to in Los Angeles called the Hotel Café that a lot of acoustic acts come out of,” she told Wiig in a conversation for Interview Magazine. “There’s a girl named Sara Bareilles who came out of there. I haven’t been there for a couple of years, but that’s where I started out playing.”

She said playing the Hotel Café made her want to make an album like some of her favorite artists.

“I’ve actually always wanted to make something like an acoustic record,” she said. “My favorite record is a Patty Griffin record that I discovered while I was in Nashville called Flaming Red [1998] … That’s my all-time favorite female record — that and the Fiona Apple ‘Criminal’ one [Tidal].”

Katy Perry | Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

While Flaming Red is an electrified album in which Griffin leans into a rock sound, Perry hoped to make an album inspired by Griffin’s Americana and folk sounds.

“Yes, [Tidal] and Alanis Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill [1995] and Flaming Red are my all-time faves. I definitely want to do a Patty Griffin–esque thing at some point,” she said. “I do some acoustic stuff in my show, a couple of songs. But it’s something that I’m really excited about because I know I can do it and I haven’t really played that card yet. I’ve been thinking about my future and what the next move is in terms of what I need to do. I think it would be pretty stupid to try and redo this last record that had all of this success … Maybe it’s time to do something that’s different that can’t be compared.”

She said she hoped to change the direction of her career

Perry told Wiig she was hoping to “try something different” following the success of her album Teenage Dream.

“Well, if you keep on doing the same role, you’ll be typecast,” she told Wiig. “I just feel like I’m going to be criticized regardless of what I do next, so I might as well do something that I feel really passionate about.”

She believed her instincts were strong enough that she would be able to find success even if she changed up her sound.

“I mean, when I first came to L.A., I used to audition, and I had such fear because nobody really believed in my music. I couldn’t get anyone on my bandwagon,” she said. “Now I have a confidence because my research shows that I should just really trust my instincts.”

Katy Perry released new music this month

On July 11, Perry released “Woman’s World,” her latest single. It has not gone over well with critics or fans. Many have criticized the milquetoast, reductive brand of feminism Perry peddles in the song and accompanying music video. People have also pointed to the irony of trying to put out a women’s empowerment anthem while working with Dr. Luke, who singer Kesha accused of drugging and sexually assaulting her.

Katy Perry | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Perry has responded to some of the criticism by calling the song satire. She is set to release her album 143 in September following the tepid-at-best response to its lead single.

Britney Spears’ 5 Worst Cover Songs

Matthew Trzcinski — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 03:12:35 +0000

Britney Spears has given us some of the most memorable dance songs of the past 25 years. She’s also really bad at doing covers. She’s managed to ruin tracks from many different genres, including 1960s psychedelia, hard rock, and an a capella classic.

5. ‘The Beat Goes On’

In many ways, Spears is the heir to Cher. It only made sense for her to record “The Beat Goes On,” one of Cher’s most beloved hits from her days with Sonny Bono. However, the production on Spears’ version is horrid and the tune sounds out-of-place on one of the records that defined 1999.

At least Spears was staying in her lane with this one. She was a pop diva taking on the work of another pop dive. Many of her later covers were more awkward because she went out of her comfort zone.

4. ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’

Joan Jett’s version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” was already a cover, so it’s hard to say that the original song should have stayed off-limits. Despite this, Jett’s rendition of the track was one of the covers that ended all covers. Spears could have only done this song well if she recorded it as a piece of post-essentialist art with no rock elements whatsoever.

Instead, she went the worst route possible and made it just pop enough to be blasphemous and just rock enough to sound ridiculous coming from her. Some pop stars, like Olivia Rodrigo and Kelly Clarkson, can pull off rock. Spears is forever stuck in the club.

3. ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’

Y’know who liked this one? Mick Jagger. During a 2007 BBC interview, he was asked to name his favorite Stones covers. “I think Otis Redding’s ‘Satisfaction’ has got to be in there,” he said. “Aretha Franklin did a quite good version of ‘Satisfaction’ as I recall as well. Erm, and then. after that I can’t remember. Britney Spears did a good version of ‘Satisfaction.’”

This sort of rock ‘n’ roll sacrilege pleased no one. The rockists hated it and the pop fans probably don’t care about The Rolling Stones. Maybe Jagger was trolling us.

2. ‘Tom’s Diner’

“Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega had a renaissance when Fall Out Boy sampled it in their hit “Centuries.” Spears jumped on the bandwagon with a slick dance cover of “Tom’s Diner.” The production is fine but why is this a dance track? The original was a melancholy slice-of-life. It doesn’t make for good twerking music.

Spears’ redux was produced by disco legend Giorgio Moroder. What a waste of a song. What a waste of talent.

1. ‘Hold Me Closer’

“Hold Me Closer” is a quickie cash-in mashup of three Elton John hits: “Tiny Dancer,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” and “The One.” Nobody ever heard those songs and felt they should have been given to Spears. “Hold Me Closer” was an obvious attempt by John to recapture the success of “Cold Heart,” a mashup of his old hits he recorded with Dua Lipa.

Recycling is good, except when it comes to art. Spears’ collaboration with John could’ve been a triumphant comeback. Instead, it’s an unnecessary curio.

Lady Gaga’s Producer Didn’t Want to Make Any Music After ‘Artpop’

Matthew Trzcinski — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 02:58:15 +0000

Lady Gaga’s Artpop is, in a word, over-the-top. Its music is a lot more experimental and bizarre than the “Poker Face” singer‘s other work, much less the average pop album. One of the producers of Artpop said that crafting the record drained him, partly because he had to spend so much time in the studio to finish it. The producer said that he had no desire to make other records after working on Artpop.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Artpop’ made a record producer look like he was 150 years old

DJ White Shadow isn’t a household name, but millions of people have downloaded his songs. He worked with Gaga on hits like “The Edge of Glory,” “Applause,” and “Do What U Want.” During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, DJ White Shadow said he was burnt out after serving as one of the producers of Gaga’s Artpop.

“I never wanted to make another record for the rest of my life once that was done,” he recalled. “It was so bad. I was finished. I have a picture of me walking out of [recording studio] Record Plant after it was over, and I look so f****** terrible. I look like I’m 150 years old. I slept in Record Plant for a month.”

DJ White Shadow did work with Lady Gaga again

While working with the “Perfect Illusion” singer caused DJ White Shadow to get sick of making music, he ended up working with Gaga again. He revealed what made him get back into music. “I did some good stuff [with other artists] and when A Star Is Born got started, she called,” he recalled.

“I watched Joanne happen,” the DJ continued. “Mark Ronson is a friend of mine [but] I was happy to sit it out. We talked all the time. I went to watch stuff in the studio, I listened to the record, my brain wasn’t into making stuff at that point. For A Star Is Born, I knew everything was more stable and a better foundation to build the house on.”

Several ‘Artpop’ songs charted but only 1 was a hit

Artpop became a modest hit for a major star like Gaga. The record topped the Billboard 200 for a single week, lasting on the chart for 29 weeks. That might sound like a big hit, but it wasn’t a huge deal compared to other Gaga records. The singer’s previous album, Born This Way, was No. 1 for two weeks and lasted on the chart for 61 weeks in total.

Several songs from Artpop charted. The most prominent was “Applause,” which climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks. “G.U.Y.,” “Do What U Want,” “Dope,” and “Venus” each charted but none of them managed to reach the top 5. In fact, Artpop became the singer’s first LP that didn’t produce a No. 1 single. A casual Gaga fan probably won’t be able to name any of the songs from Artpop besides “Applause.”

Regardless, some listeners love Artpop. They feel it’s a bold, brave album for eschewing the typical sounds of pop music for something more avant-garde. In their opinion, Artpop more than lives up to its title.

DJ White Shadow had a hard time working on Artpop but he eventually came back to Mother Monster.

Lady Gaga Might’ve Made a Music Video for an ‘Artpop’ Song and Scrapped It

Matthew Trzcinski — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 02:51:32 +0000

Lady Gaga‘s Artpop might not be her best album but it added a lot of interesting anecdotes to her public persona. The “Poker Face” singer supposedly created a music video for one of the album’s songs but never released it. One of the musicians who worked on Artpop revealed everything he knew about the situation.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Artpop’ saw the star get mythological

DJ White Shadow served as one of the many producers on Gaga’s most divisive album, Artpop. The record includes a tune called “Venus” which is a tribute to both the Roman love goddess Venus and the planet of the same name. According to rumor, Gaga crafted a music video for the song that never saw the light of day.

During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, DJ White Shadow was asked if the video was real. “I don’t know that!” the DJ replied. “Because of the nature of the way of what I’m supposed to do on the chain, my part on the assembly line, I have nothing to do with the video thing.

“When they shot that video for ‘G.U.Y.’ and everybody from the Real Housewives was on it, I didn’t find out about that until weeks after it was done,” he added. “There’s a super possibility that it did, but I have no idea. I do know that song is one of the songs that, when it’s time to get pumped up, she’s jamming it out.”

Lady Gaga seemed to dismiss the album

DJ White Shadow was asked about the time Gaga said she didn’t “remember Artpop.” “Everybody gets analytical about every syllable!” he replied. “You’re waiting on bated breath for stuff, I get it. Take everything with a grain of salt.

“People are filled with love and talent over here,” he continued. “She’s smart and awesome about what she does, and cares deeply about everybody that cares about her!”

‘Venus’ flopped and ‘Artpop’ could have performed a lot better

“Venus” was barely a hit. It reached No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, charting for a single week. It’s a big deal when an indie band reaches the top 40. In contrast, Gaga had released many songs that performed so much better than this. Four other songs from Artpop charted — “Dope,” “Do What U Want,” “G.U.Y.,” and “Applause” — but only the latter made much of a dent in popular culture.

Artpop performed a lot better than “Venus.” The record reached No. 1 for a single week and stayed on the chart for 29 weeks in total. So far, Artpop is Gaga’s least popular pop album in the United States. Even her album of standards, Cheek to Cheek, was a little more prominent than Artpop.

However, Artpop has many defenders. While it didn’t become a pop juggernaut like The Fame or Born This Way, some fans feel that Artpop presaged the rise of hyper-pop music with its avant-garde sounds and campy lyrics. It’s fascinating that an artist as mainstream as Gaga managed to have a huge impact on a niche genre like hyper-pop.

We might never see the music video for “Venus” (if it even exists), but fans will be dancing the night away to the song for years to come.

Yoko Ono Didn’t Want to Be Romantically Involved With a Married John Lennon

Emma McKee — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 22:21:00 +0000

Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s relationship began as an affair. They clicked immediately when they met, and they were soon romantically involved. Ono said that while she loved Lennon, she hadn’t initially wanted their relationship to go this way. She shared why she thought an affair with him would be too much of a mess.

Yoko Ono said she thought a platonic relationship with John Lennon would be best

In 1966, Lennon walked into an art gallery and discovered Ono’s work. She was there at the time, and the two immediately felt a connection between them. They began an affair, even though Ono said she had not wanted this at first.

“I didn’t want to have any difficulty with a married man,” Ono said in the book All You Need Is Love: The Beatles In Their Own Words by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines, adding, “I was very much interested in my work. I had my child and my husband.”

Yoko Ono and John Lennon | Susan Wood/Getty Images

Initially, she would have preferred that their relationship remain professional and platonic.

“Getting help [from John] on a work level was all right,” she said. “I probably had this feeling that I just wanted to keep it that way, not get sticky about it.”

Yoko Ono denied that she pursued John Lennon

Despite what Ono said, many people have blamed her for pursuing Lennon. She didn’t think Lennon was someone who would have allowed her to manipulate him.

“[They make John sound as if he was] sort of manipulated by some strong woman who just comes and grabs him. And the thing is, I don’t think he was like that at all,” she said. “A lot of girls were pursuing him, I’m sure. So I don’t think he would have gone for that. I’m sure he was used to a lot of women wanting him, you know, and my feeling was, Oh, I see he’s not coming on [to me], that’s very interesting, so I started saying, Oh, well, he’s probably as shy as I am. It’s interesting that I wasn’t doing anything about it.”

Ono resented rumors that claimed she swept in and stole Lennon from his wife. She said it wasn’t in her nature to behave that way.

“I’m a very shy person — a mixture of being shy and very proud and very old-fashioned maybe — I don’t think a woman should make a move, you know, whatever.”

She recalled the moment Cynthia Lennon discovered them

While Ono said she didn’t want to get involved with a married man, they eventually began an affair. Cynthia Lennon, his first wife, said she came home from vacation to discover the pair of them sitting in her kitchen. Ono claimed it didn’t actually happen that way.

Yoko Ono and John Lennon | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty

“Well, it wasn’t really like that,” she said. “Cynthia was in Greece — and she didn’t come back on the expected date. We checked and found out that everybody was telling her about [John and me]. She felt embarrassed to come back. She didn’t just suddenly come into the kitchen and found us like ‘What’s this?’ you know.”

Still, Ono said she understood the experience was painful for Cynthia and didn’t want to discount her memories of it.

Jennifer Lopez Admitted She Was Better at Acting Than Singing

Emma McKee — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 19:34:03 +0000

Jennifer Lopez has been acting, singing, and dancing for years. After starting her career on In Living Color, Lopez has starred in many films and released albums. She has listed many major music icons as her inspirations, but she said she believes she is stronger as an actor than a singer. She shared how she felt about her music career.

Jennifer Lopez said she was better at acting than singing

Over the years, Lopez has given critically lauded performances in several different films. She feels proud of her talent as an actor.

“I think I’m a really great performer,” she told Vanity Fair, adding, “I think I’m a really great actress. I feel confident in those things — that’s a better way to say it.”

She has also worked extensively as a singer, releasing nine albums over the past 25 years. She doesn’t feel as confident in her abilities as a vocalist, though.

Jennifer Lopez | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

“I’m not as gifted a vocalist as some of the girls that are out there, but I know I communicate,” she said. “When I think of great vocalists, I think of Marc [Anthony], of Luther Vandross, of Whitney Houston. But Marc has helped me a lot with this; he always said I had a beautiful voice and that it was better than I thought it was.”

Some critics believe that Lopez’s music career has actually hindered her ability to be taken seriously as an actor.

Jennifer Lopez was devastated when she didn’t receive more recognition for her acting in ‘Hustlers’

While Lopez has received acclaim for her acting roles, she has never been nominated for an Oscar. She came close, though, after her starring role in Hustlers. She received a significant amount of awards buzz for the part, but it didn’t manifest itself in the form of an Academy Award. Lopez found this devastating.

“It was hard. I just had very low self-esteem,” she said in the documentary Halftime (per Vanity Fair). “I had to really figure out who I was and believe in that, and not believe in anything else.”

Lopez said the period leading up to the Oscars had been exciting because of the buzz surrounding her performance. It stung to not live up to it.

“I was a little sad because there was a lot of buildup to it,” she explained. “There were so many articles. I got so many good notices — more than ever in my career — and there was a lot of ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar. It’s going to happen; if she doesn’t, you’re crazy.’ I’m reading all the articles going, Oh my God, could this happen? And then it didn’t and I was like, Ouch. It was a little bit of a letdown.”

She began her career as a dancer

While Lopez is now primarily an actor and singer, she began her career as a dancer. She studied dance throughout her childhood, and had a breakout part as a Fly Girl on In Living Color. She continues to show off her dance skills during her musical performances.

Jennifer Lopez | Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage

In 2017, Lopez was a producer and judge on the show World of Dance.

Paul McCartney Was Very ‘Hurt’ by the Way John Lennon Screened His Calls

Emma McKee — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 16:16:00 +0000

Paul McCartney and John Lennon worked together closely for years. When The Beatles broke up, though, their friendship deteriorated. Lennon and McCartney fought often over business affairs and they could hardly have a conversation without shouting at each other. Lennon began to screen McCartney’s calls, which the latter found very hurtful.

John Lennon would screen Paul McCartney’s calls

Throughout the 1970s, McCartney reached out to Lennon in an effort to rebuild their relationship. This was made difficult by the fact that Lennon rarely believed it was actually his bandmate on the other end of the phone. He made McCartney answer security screening questions before he agreed to talk to him.

“Paul told me that when he called up John, he’d get through to the answering service,” art dealer Robert Fraser, who was a friend of the band, said in the book All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines. “‘Mr. Lennon’s not available.’ He said, ‘Then the message came back. “Ask Paul what’s the name of the teacher in fifth grade.”’ It’s quite funny.”

Paul McCartney and John Lennon | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty

Gaines said that while he understood why Lennon wanted to screen the calls, McCartney felt hurt by it.

“Well, probably a thousand people have called John and said, ‘It’s Paul.’ Although I think Paul was hurt by it,” he said. “If it was part of John’s sense of humor, nobody else understood that. If Paul did, I think he’d still have to be embarrassed by it, because it was Paul’s business too.”

Paul McCartney said many of his phone calls with John Lennon devolved into angry fights

When McCartney did manage to get a hold of Lennon, their conversations tended to end poorly.

“I would ring him when I went to New York and he would say, ‘Yeah, what d’you want?’ ‘I just thought we might meet?’ ‘Yeah, what the f*** d’you want, man?’ I used actually to have some very frightening phone calls,” McCartney said, per the book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles. “Thank God they’re not in my life anymore. I went through a period when I would be so nervous to ring him and so insecure in myself that I actually felt like I was in the wrong. It was all very acrimonious and bitter.”

McCartney eventually realized that as long as they didn’t talk about business, their conversations were far friendlier.

He didn’t want his former bandmate dropping by his apartment either

Lennon made it difficult for McCartney to get in contact with him. He also wanted his former bandmate to stop dropping by his apartment unannounced. Gaines said Lennon made this point to McCartney in a “very b****y” way.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon | Val Wilmer/Redferns

“That was a period when Paul just kept turning up at our door with a guitar,” Lennon said in the book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview With John Lennon and Yoko Ono by David Sheff. “I would let him in, but finally I said to him, ‘Please call before you come over. It’s not 1956, and turning up at the door isn’t the same anymore. You know, just give me a ring.’ He was upset by that, but I didn’t mean it badly. I just meant that I was taking care of a baby all day, and some guy turns up at the door.”

Still, Lennon and McCartney were on relatively friendly terms before Lennon’s death in 1980.

Lady Gaga Made a Huge Mistake With ‘Applause’

Matthew Trzcinski — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 03:46:52 +0000

Lady Gaga‘s “Applause” is one of her most memorable songs and it speaks to the theater kid in all of us. Despite that, the “Shallow” singer made a grave mistake when she put out “Applause.” One of the song’s writers said the tune underperformed expectations.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Applause’ should have been an album-starter

Album sequencing is its own art form. Songs on the best albums appear in a cohesive order. For example, The Beatles’ Abbey Road wouldn’t have worked as well if it started with “The End.” Most of Gaga’s records are sequenced just fine, but she made a big mistake with her third studio album, which is pretentiously titled Artpop.

“Applause” is the final track on that album. A song about a love of performing should have started the record and pumped the audience up. Instead, Gaga proclaims her love of performing right before the record stops. It’s such a huge anticlimax that one can only wonder why she thought it was a good idea.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Artpop’ feels half-baked

In addition, the album has a Greek mythology theme. One of the songs is called “Venus,” another starts with an invocation to Eros, and the album cover includes images from Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. The record should have concluded with a mythological song to solidify the theme. Instead, Gaga drops the mythological references, making them feel like a cop-out.

Gaga’s previous album, Born This Way, contains many references to Catholicism. One song is about Judas Iscariot, another includes the line “I don’t need your Jesus Christo,” and another centers on Mary Magdalene. In that record, Gaga seemed to reject her Catholic upbringing for something more bohemian and libertine. In contrast, the mythological underpinnings of Artpop feel half-baked.

The producer of ‘Applause’ was upset by the song’s performance

DJ White Shadow co-produced “Applause.” During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, DJ White Shadow explained the background of Artpop. “After Born This Way was finished and turned in, I remember laying on the couch at my house, and I picked up the phone and it was [Gaga],” he recalled. “She was like, ‘I got the name for the next record. It’s Artpop!'”

DJ White Shadow said making Artpop was difficult. “Everything was in a state of turmoil at the time,” he said. “Everybody was making guesses about how to get stuff out. It was a moving target. When ‘Applause’ came out, it didn’t go to No. 1 right away; ‘Born This Way’ went to No. 1 right off the jump. I know it wasn’t like an, ‘Oh s***, Macy’s Day Parade’ moment. We were all kind of freaked out.”

DJ White Shadow said creating Artpop gave him trauma. “I never wanted to make another record for the rest of my life once that was done,” he explained. “It was so bad. I was finished. I have a picture of me walking out of [recording studio] Record Plant after it was over, and I look so f****** terrible.” DJ White Shadow said he slept in the studio for a month to complete Artpop and the experience made him look 150 years old.

“Applause” is a great song, even if its placement doesn’t do Artpop any favors.

Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ Is a Terrible Disappointment

Matthew Trzcinski — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 03:45:53 +0000

Katy Perry‘s “Woman’s World” could have been the comeback of the century. Instead, the “Firework” singer might have just destroyed the remnants of her career. While trying to play to her strengths, Perry horribly misjudged her appeal.

Katy Perry’s ‘Woman’s World’ should have had a better hook

Perry doesn’t inspire the same level of respect as other pop artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, or Madonna, but during her peak, she was good at tone thing: hooks. Love or hate a song like “California Gurls” or “Teenage Dream,” but after a few listens, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. However, during a 2024 interview with Apple Music 1, Perry described herself as a singer who, first and foremost, singer self-empowerment anthems.

“I think that people, when they think of me, they think of ‘Roar,’ they think of ‘Firework,’ sometimes they think of ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ but I think mostly they think of these kind of empowering songs,” she said. “Songs with a message, songs that are captions on t-shirts and stuff like that or things that help people get through.

“And I love that,” she added. “I love hearing the stories and really, I write these songs from a place where I need to get through something. But so I wanted to continue with that and also, this is the first contribution I have given since becoming a mother and since feeling really connected to my feminine divine.”

The lyrics and video for ‘Woman’s World’ are poor

Sadly, Perry doesn’t understand her own appeal. She had one good empowerment song: “Firework.” Her other attempts at musical uplift are mediocre at best. “Part of Me” is fine. “Roar” is sluggish. Her lesser-known inspirational tracks “What Makes a Woman” and “Daisy” deserve to continue languishing in obscurity. It’s disappointing that Perry decided to go the empowerment route at a time when she needed to be at the top of her game.

Of course, artists are allowed to go outside of their comfort zones. Just because Perry wrote middling inspirational songs in the past doesn’t mean she can’t write a good song now in that genre. However, the lyrics of “Woman’s World” are dull pandering. Lines like “Sexy, confident / So intelligent / She is heaven-sent / So soft, so strong” could appear in a disposable ad for Dove soap.

The music video only makes things worse. It starts with Perry as a sexy Rosie the Riveter. It feels less like feminism and more like some lost World War II pinup photo that you would hate to find in your grandad’s journal. Is it a feminist statement or a spoof?

Then, Perry gets hit with an anvil like Wile E. Coyote. She resurrects as a sexy cyborg, rides in a monster truck with Trisha Paytas, and dances with an influencer. It’s a bunch of nonsense that feels like it doesn’t deserve to be decoded.

Can Katy Perry recover?

Is it over for Perry? She hasn’t had a real hit since 2017’s “Chained to the Rhythm.” The world doesn’t seem desperate for new music from her. If “Woman’s World” had an undeniable hook, it would be a welcome comeback. As it is, “Woman’s World” feels like a disappointing prologue to a once massive career.

The Writer of ‘Teenage Dream’ Gave It to Katy Perry So She Could Afford Hot Water

Matthew Trzcinski — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 03:56:50 +0000

“Teenage Dream” is arguably Katy Perry‘s signature song. One of the writers did not want to hand the track over to the “Dark Horse” singer, but she had to because she was in a desperate situation. The songwriter revealed why she felt so connected to “Teenage Dream.”

Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ is connected to Britney Spears and Taio Cruz hits

Bonnie McKee is a professional songwriter who gave us Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me” and Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.” She also co-wrote about half of Perry’s hits, including “Teenage Dream,” “California Gurls,” “Roar,” “Wide Awake,” “Birthday,” and “Part of Me.” During a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, McKee discussed the progression of her career. “It kept going up step by step by step where the names kept getting bigger and the sessions started getting more real,” she said.

McKee was asked which of her songs made her the most proud. “‘Teenage Dream,'” she replied. “That’s a title I’d had bouncing around in my head for years that I had been holding onto for myself.”\

It’s better that Katy Perry sang the song

McKee said “Teenage Dream” bore her trademarks. “That was tough one to give up,” she recalled. “There’s a lot of little Bonnie-isms in ‘Teenage Dream’ that I was hoping to keep for myself.

“But at that moment I didn’t have hot water, I didn’t have a cell phone, I didn’t have a car,” McKee added. “So it was now or never. I’m glad that I did it. And of course I wouldn’t want anyone else to do it — Katy is the perfect fit for that, so I’m really grateful to have an amazing artist to put my lyrics on.”

McKee has a singing career of her own, so it’s not hard to listen to her music and imagine her singing “Teenage Dream.” The tune might’ve worked for McKee. However, it feels perfect in Perry’s hands. In the song’s verses, she sounds girlish and delicate, but during the chorus, she goes into full stadium rock mode. Perry’s voice hasn’t received too much acclaim, but when she sings “Teenage Dream,” she sounds just as vocally gifted as Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey.

‘Teenage Dream’ took over the pop and rock worlds

“Teenage Dream” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, staying on the chart for 33 weeks in total. The track appeared on the album of the same title. Teenage Dream was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for one week, lasting on the chart for 380 weeks. It is Perry’s most successful album in the United States by far.

Teenage Dream produced five No.1 singles in total. Those songs were “Teenage Dream,” “California Gurls,” “E.T.,” “Firework,” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” “Teenage Dream” struck more of a chord than the other singles, with the exception of “Firework.” “Teenage Dream” was name-checked in three rock songs from the past decade: “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy,” “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutual.” Perry and McKee made the rare pop song that rock ‘n’ rollers seem to love.

“Teenage Dream” is a great pop song and it helped McKee find stability during a difficult time in her life.