Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010. This song was written by Perry, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. McKee describes "Teenage Dream" as a throwback song to the euphoric feelings of being in love as a teenager while Perry described the song as reminiscent of her youth. Musically, "Teenage Dream" is a mid-tempo pop song with a retro sound. It is styled in the genres of power pop and electropop, while taking influence from other genres such as disco and pop rock. Perry starts the song in a high-pitched voice while her vocals grow stronger as the song progresses. Lyrically, "Teenage Dream" discusses being with a lover who makes one feel young again.
"Teenage Dream"
July 23, 2010
Conway Recording Studios, (Hollywood, California);
Playback Recording Studios
(Santa Barbara, California)
3:47
Critics were initially divided about the song at release. However, the song has received retrospective critical acclaim with Glamour calling it "one of the best pop songs of all time." The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Perry's third number-one single on that chart, and her second consecutive number-one single after "California Gurls". It also reached number one in Ireland, New Zealand, and Slovakia. "Teenage Dream" entered the top ten in 13 countries in total. "Teenage Dream" has been certified eight times Platinum in the United States, six times Platinum in Australia, four times Platinum in Canada, and Gold or Platinum in eight additional countries.
A music video for the song was filmed in various locations around Perry's hometown in Santa Barbara, California and was directed by Yoann Lemoine (a.k.a. Woodkid). The video showcases Perry being in love with her high school boyfriend. Perry has performed the song on Saturday Night Live, the 2010 Teen Choice Awards, 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, and in every one of her concert tours since the California Dreams Tour. "Teenage Dream" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, becoming Perry's third nomination in the category. The song has been covered numerous times, appearing on American Idol, The Voice, and Glee.
Billboard ranked "Teenage Dream" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023 at number 38.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
Critics were divided by "Teenage Dream" at the time of its release. Craig Marks of Billboard said that along with "California Gurls", the songs "are textbook summer singles whose ingenious pop hooks and zillion-dollar drum tracks are stamped with Perry's knack for a memorable line and frothy, gum-snapping persona."[18] Billboard named "Teenage Dream" as the "second best song of the 2010s so far" in 2015.[19] James Montgomery of MTV commented that "Teenage Dream" showed a "definite change of pace for Perry. While it's still as saccharine sweet as her previous hits, there's also a rather, well, mature quality to it (despite the title)."[3] Amos Barshad of New York said, "Right now, it's feeling a bit too earnest, and not nearly as catchy as the follow-up single from Perry's first album ('Hot n Cold', most definitely still a jam). That said, we are now mentally preparing ourselves for its ubiquity."[16] Alyssa Rosenberg of The Atlantic dismissed the lyrics as "simply annoying and incoherent" and added that "the hook and chorus aren't nearly compelling enough to pull me back into it."[20]
Retrospective acclaim and legacy[edit]
Retrospectively, the song has received acclaim, appearing in several critics' lists of Perry's best songs. Entertainment Weekly praised the song, saying it captures "all the contact-high euphoria of falling in love for the first time [...] minus the awkward bits of being an actual adolescent [...] in one pure, radiant blast of let’s-go-all-the-way-tonight bliss."[21] Rolling Stone ranked it number four on their "Best Singles of 2010" list[9] and The Village Voice ranked it 14th on its 38th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[22]
In 2014, Gawker ranked it the best number-one single of the last ten years[23] while Pitchfork ranked it the 35th best song released in the first half of the 2010s[24] and the 102nd best song of the 2010s.[25] In 2018, NPR listed "Teenage Dream" at number 63 on their list of the 200 Greatest Songs by Women of the 21st Century.[9] Billboard ranked the song at number two on their list of 20 best songs of the 2010s so far in 2015,[26] and also placed it on their list of The 100 Songs That Defined The Decade in 2019.[27] uDiscover Music ranked "Teenage Dream" at number eight in the list of 20 Katy Perry songs that shaped 21st-century pop music.[28]
Slate wrote that the widespread success of the song "seems to mystify all the Katy Perry haters in the world".[29] Metro called "Teenage Dream" a perfect pop song, further wrote that "there are, really, few songs that you could ever class as perfect, and the choices are obviously almost always subjective, but Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' is perhaps one no-one can argue with".[30] Glamour compared the song to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Madonna's "Like a Prayer", and Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" and called it "one of the best pop tunes ever crafted".[31] New Zealand musician Lorde cited "Teenage Dream" as an influence, said "When I put that song on, I'm as moved as I am by anything by David Bowie, by Fleetwood Mac, by Neil Young. It lets you feel something you didn't know you needed to feel... There's something holy about it".[32] Country musician Maren Morris said she grew up listening to "Teenage Dream" and called the song "one of the greatest songs of all time".[33]
Billboard ranked "Teenage Dream" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023 at number 38.[1]