Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night of wild partying and streaking. It was released as the album's fifth single on June 6, 2011, by Capitol Records, with a remix featuring American rapper Missy Elliott released to US radio stations and digital retailers on August 8, 2011; this version was included in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection edition. It is a dance-pop song with lyrics about drunken fun and debauchery. Some of the risqué lyrics are often censored in radio versions of the song.
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"
June 6, 2011
- Conway and eightysevenfourteen (Los Angeles, California)
- Playback (Santa Barbara, California)
- 3:50 (Album version)
- 3:58 (Remix featuring Missy Elliott)
- Katy Perry
- Lukasz Gottwald
- Max Martin
- Bonnie McKee
- Dr. Luke
- Max Martin
The song had chart success worldwide, reaching number one in Canada, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and has attained top-ten positions in Austria, Ireland, Italy, and Poland. When it topped the US Billboard Hot 100, Perry became the first female solo artist to have five number-one singles on the Hot 100 from a single album; it also was Perry's sixth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and her fifth consecutive number one single. The single has sold 3.8 million digital copies in the US and was the tenth most played single on US radio during 2011.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Marc Klasfeld. The clip features Perry, as her teenage alter-ego Kathy Beth Terry, at a house party filled with music and dancing. While at the party, Terry is made over by her friend and draws attention to herself as the life of the party. Rebecca Black, Corey Feldman, Debbie Gibson, Kenny G, Hanson, Kevin McHale, and Darren Criss all appear in the video. According to the director, the inspiration behind the video was Sixteen Candles, works by American filmmaker John Hughes, and other 1980s high school films. The music video won Favorite Music Video award at the 38th People's Choice Awards.
Background and artwork[edit]
Perry has revealed that she was inspired to write the track after running naked through a park with her friends. According to Music Rooms, Perry claims that after a wild night of partying and streaking, she wrote the song about her antics and what she remembered the next day. Perry revealed: "There's nothing better than an impromptu dance party with my friends. My track 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' is a song about debauchery because I had one of those nights in Santa Barbara. We went out to this place called Wildcat and got crazy," Perry admitted: "We had a couple of beers and danced until we died, then brought the party back to the hotel room." She added: "Most of that song is actual truth, apart from the ménage à trois..... unfortunately! But, yes, streaking in the park, that's what we did, so we had to write a song about it the next day!"[1]
One of the friends in this trip was co-writer Bonnie McKee, who said the song encapsulated "Katy and my wild drinking days" from their younger days.[2] McKee stated "TGIF is pretty much a word for word description of our trip to Santa Barbara, so I love that one. It's really catchy and fun and makes me nostalgic."[3] The official artwork for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" using scenes from the music video, shows Perry both before and after a makeover. She revealed the cover artwork for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Remixes!" on her Facebook page. The photo features Perry in nerdy gear, including mouth guard and glasses, and was taken when she hosted the Teen Choice Awards in summer 2010. The image is surrounded by 1980s-style neon colors and swirly graphics.[4] A remixed version of "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", featuring Missy Elliott, was released on August 8, 2011, to radio and as a digital download.[5][6] It was released as the album's fifth single on June 6, 2011, through Capitol Records.[7]
Composition[edit]
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" is a dance-pop and new wave song,[8][9] with elements of indie rock, which runs for three minutes and 50 seconds.[10][11] It is set in common time and has a moderate tempo of 126 beats per minute. It is written in the key of F♯ major, and Perry's vocals span one octave, from C♯4 to F♯5.[12] It follows the chord progression B–G♯m7–D♯m7–C♯.[12]
Critical reception[edit]
AllMusic picked it among the top tracks on the album, and said that Perry "salutes fellow attention-whore Kesha on 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)'".[13] Rolling Stone said that "Perry likes her songs chatty; in the kegger romp "Last Friday Night," she chirps, "Think I need a ginger ale/That was such an epic fail".[14] Slant Magazine said that "'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' is a lifeless roller-rink jam with a 'T! G! I! F!' shout-along that will no doubt provide the soundtrack to any number of trashy sorority parties this semester".[15] Spin Magazine said that "Last Friday Night recounts an evening of nonstop naughtiness – think streaking, skinny-dipping, and ménage à trois-ing."[16]
Jason Richards from Now wrote, "The singer recently said that the catchy 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' is her version of 'I Gotta Feeling'. With lyrics about photos ending up online after a debauched evening, it's also reminiscent of Lady Gaga singing about drunkenly losing her keys and phone on 'Just Dance.' Derivative, sure, but the song strikes a perfect equilibrium between Perry's sex appeal and goofy, self-effacing charm".[17] Marc Hawthorne from The A.V. Club said that "assuming that everything here is based on real life also means we have to accept that she's had a ménage à trois on the indie-rock-meets-American Idol cut Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)".[10]
Chris Richards from The Washington Post said that "Over strummy guitars and zigzagging keyboards, Perry recounts an evening of debauchery with no repercussions, her innocent transgressions (streaking, skinny-dipping) mentioned in the same breath as more serious trouble (mysterious bruises, a blackout), but..... [when] it's time for Perry to reflect on her 3 am follies, she stiffly sings, "That was such an epic fail." It sounds like a clueless parent's attempt to speak teenager."[18] Billboard included the song in their Five Potential Pop Hits for 2011 list.[19] Tom Hawthorne from Future Music Charts said that it sounds like a pop song as it should be without any auto-tune voice changes and hard DJ beats, which is the song's strength and weakness at the same time".[20]
Live performances[edit]
On September 5, 2010, Perry performed the song live for the first time along with "Teenage Dream", "Firework" and "Not Like the Movies" in the show's launch of the Teenage Dream in Berlin. Though the song has never been performed live as part of a televised performance, the song is featured on the set lists of the Teenage Dream Tour, California Dreams Tour, Prismatic World Tour and Witness: The Tour. The first televised performance was during her presentation at Rock In Rio, which was broadcast live by the Multishow. During this song, photos of fans are displayed on the screens.[44]
Credits adapted from Teenage Dream album liner notes.[43]