Part of Me (Katy Perry song)
"Part of Me" is a song by American singer Katy Perry, released as the lead single from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It was written by Perry and Bonnie McKee, with production and additional writing by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. The song was not included on the original edition of Teenage Dream because Perry felt that it did not fit the composition of the album. A demo of the song leaked online in late 2010, amid speculation that the lyrics were directed to the singer's ex-boyfriend Travie McCoy. "Part of Me" was re-worked and officially released on February 13, 2012, through Capitol Records with artwork by art director Gavin Taylor and photography by Mary Ellen Matthews.
"Part of Me"
"Tommie Sunshine's Megasix Smash-Up"
2010
February 13, 2012
3:35
- Katy Perry
- Lukasz Gottwald
- Max Martin
- Bonnie McKee
A dance-pop and power pop song with a distinctive house beat, it has been compared to Perry's 2010 singles "Firework" and "California Gurls". Its lyrics describe a female protagonist who declares herself as unbreakable and strong following a break-up. Many critics theorized that the lyrics addressed Perry's divorce from British comedian, media personality and actor Russell Brand, although Perry stated it was not about him since it was written in early 2010.
"Part of Me" was a commercial success. It was the twentieth song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Perry's seventh number-one single on the chart, and her ninth consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Outside of the United States, "Part of Me" topped the charts in Bulgaria, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and has been certified Triple Platinum in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Marketing campaigns for Adidas and The Sims 3: Showtime have featured it.
An accompanying music video was filmed at the United States Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. The video depicts Perry enlisting in the Marines following a break-up. It garnered generally positive reviews for Perry's "Girl power" message but drew criticism from feminist author Naomi Wolf, who denounced it as military propaganda. Perry debuted the first televised performance of song on at the 54th Grammy Awards and has also performed the song at the ECHO Awards, the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards, and American Idol.
Critical reception[edit]
Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone gave the song three stars out of five, calling it "just plain predictable."[16] Steven Hyden and Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club were positive of the song, with Hyden, giving it a B+, noted that, although the lyrics seemed "dopey", the production and the chorus are "pretty damn sticky", while Koski, giving the song a B, noted that the song follows a similar formula to several of Perry's previous singles but went on to say that "the template works well in the context of a break-up anthem" and positively remarked that it comes off as "a chintzier, 2012 version of 'Since U Been Gone.'"[27]
A reviewer from the Christian group Focus on the Family criticized Perry's decision to create an uplifting song about such a serious subject matter as divorce: "Framing the song in terms of her divorce from Brand, though 'Part of Me', puts a much more somber and serious spin on things. This is no mere breakup. It's the demolition of a marital covenant. So no matter how bad things were in her relationship, no matter how much better she feels now, no matter how cathartic the pulsing beats (courtesy of hitmeisters Max Martin and Dr. Luke) might feel, the ultimate end here is a very sad one indeed."[28] Priya Elan of NME panned the song: 'This is the part of me, that you're never going to take away from me,' "she sings in that strange angry robot voice of hers. “The sentiment, as ever, is punch you in face crystal clear and probably meant something to one of the (probably) 17 writers who wrote the song.”[29]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Part of Me" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the U.S. Hot Digital Songs chart, with 411,000 copies sold in its first week. It was the twentieth song to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. "Part of Me" became Perry's seventh number-one song, and her sixth in the 2010s.[30] The single debuted at number 36 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, with 35 million radio impressions in its first week,[30] and was Perry's ninth song to top the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[31] It is Perry's tenth single to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, for sales of over 1 million copies.[32] As of January 2015, the single has sold 2,780,000 copies in the US.[33]
In Canada, "Part of Me" debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100.[34]
In Brazil, it reached the top spot on the Brazil Pop 100.[35] In Mexico, the song peaked in the top 10 of the Mexican Hot 100.[36] It also peaked at number 1 in Venezuela.[37]
In New Zealand, song was Perry's first single to debut at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and as her seventh to reach that spot, tied her with Mariah Carey as the artist with the most number-one hits in New Zealand.[38]
It has received a Platinum certification by the RIANZ, with over 15,000 copies sold.[39]
In Australia, "Part of Me" debuted at number 22 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and peaked at number five on the chart. The recording has been certified 2× platinum by the ARIA, with 140,000 copies sold.[40]
In the United Kingdom, "Part of Me" debuted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart on March 25, 2012 – for the week ending date March 31, 2012 – selling 79,079 copies in its first week, beating "She Doesn't Mind" by Sean Paul to the summit of the chart to become Perry's third number-one song in Britain, following "I Kissed a Girl" in August 2008 and "California Gurls" in June 2010.[41] "Part of Me" was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales and streams of over 600,000.[42]
In the Republic of Ireland, "Part of Me" peaked at number five on the Irish Singles Chart and was Perry's twelfth single to reach the top ten in the Irish Republic.[43]
In Italy, the song was certified Gold for sales of over 15,000.[44]
Music video[edit]
Background and development[edit]
The music video for "Part of Me" was directed by Ben Mor. Filming began on February 16, 2012, and took place over the course of three days at USMC Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California.[45] Perry announced the video shortly after the song's release, tweeting, "Holy power of the Grammy's, Part Of Me is already top 10 on itunes! U guys are killing it! NICE! Can't wait to shoot this video! #grateful."[46] Her preparation for the video shoot included vigorous training in military basics, including firepower, military etiquette, and combat training.[47]
As filming began, pictures from the video set surfaced online, showing Perry with short hair and dressed in military clothing.[48] The music video premiered on March 21, 2012 during the program MTV First: Katy Perry, in which Perry discussed her experiences filming the video and the background of the video's plot:
Usage in media[edit]
"Part of Me" was used in a national marketing campaign for The Sims 3 limited-edition expansion pack, The Sims 3: Showtime. Perry filmed a 30-second commercial, in which she performed the song onstage as a Sim version of herself. The expansion pack includes Katy Perry-themed items, inspired by the concept and artwork of her album Teenage Dream (2010), that players can use on their own Sims.[67] In May 2012, Perry signed a deal with Pepsi to promote Katy Perry: Part of Me. This deal was a part of Pepsi's first global campaign, titled "Live For Now", which partners with entertainment artists and properties to promote their work.[68] "Part of Me" was used in a series of trailers as part of this deal as well as various other media related campaigns to promote the film.[63] The track is available as downloadable content for the video games Just Dance 4 and Just Dance 2014.[69]