Katy Perry

"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. 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 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. Perry described the process "a very pure moment for me" and continued saying, "[It was] where I started my creative juices. And also it kind of exudes this euphoric feeling because everybody remembers what their teenage dreams were — all the girls that were on your poster walls." After she recorded the vocals, McKee pulled Luke and Martin aside and told them her idea, to which they responded, "Well why didn't you say that in the first place?". The chorus was rewritten, and the line "Skin tight jeans" was taken from the early "trying me on" version. When the final version was finished, McKee said, "We were all so pumped that it had paid off. I remember Max sitting back and saying 'I wish we could bottle this feeling'. It was really magical." Perry commented that even though the song was rewritten many times, she was "so happy to finally get somewhere that we all agreed on" after it was finished. During an interview in June 2010, Perry confirmed "Teenage Dream" as the second single from the album, and said that the song was about "kind of like feeling that way when you were a teenager: really emotional, really invested..... It's intense being in love and being a teenager." After confirming that "Teenage Dream" was also the title of the album, she explained that it was a throwback to her teenage years, as she thought back to her youth while contemplating marriage to her boyfriend Russell Brand. She added, "To me, this year is pretty heavy. I am going to be getting married and putting out this record, and there is so much going on that it's nice to think of those young dreams."