In Defense of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'

In a post-Witness era world, Katy Perry and her antics in the spotlight are a topic that always opens up a Pandora’s box of opinions and criticisms. We could talk about "Chained to the Rhythm," a catchy pop anthem that blames catchy pop anthems for the world’s political apathy, or the meme-filled "Swish Swish" video and the song’s references to a very public beef with Taylor Swift. We could even go further back to 2013 when she performed her single "Unconditionally" at the AMA’s dressed as a geisha, surrounded by cherry blossoms, replicas of gates to Shinto shrines, and women in kimonos. I’m not here to explain or excuse her past behaviors but I would like to soothe American pop culture’s festering wound that Katy Perry afflicted herself by taking it back to a simpler time: the Teenage Dream Era. To quote Snoop Dogg in "California Gurls": “Greetings, loved ones. Let’s take a journey.”

I remember when "California Gurls" was released and everyone collectively lost it, either with positive or negative reactions. It was the perfect summer song for driving with the windows down so the radio kept it in heavy rotation. Deeply concerned parents couldn’t stop talking about it because the video showcased scenes with Katy practically nude only covering her butt with a string of cotton candy and spraying whipped cream from her bra. With the way that this was being played everywhere, it seemed that everyone suddenly claimed the West Coast, and I lived in an east coast suburb.

It’s only appropriate that I start my nostalgic trip through this bygone era with the "California Gurls" video because it laid out everything you needed to know about this new Katy Perry persona. She was candy coated and airbrushed to perfection while singing about sex on the beach and melting “popsicles.” This concept was what initially drew me to this era. There’s something intriguing, exciting, and just plain fun about Perry’s (and her creative team’s, of course) ability to bring a concept like this to life. This best part about this concept was how it translated into live performance.

The California Dreams Tour

Perry’s companion tour to the album, the California Dreams Tour, combined all of these elements and truly gave the sugary world new life with Perry’s costumes, the stage set, and the accompanying video interludes that would play in between songs to tell a story. I didn’t get the chance to attend the show in person, but I’ve watched my fair share of bootleg concert videos on YouTube and the professionally recorded performances in her Piece Of Me documentary.

After an introductory video introduces the audience to their protagonist, Katy, who finds herself lost Candyfornia, Katy Perry herself rises out of the floor in a white dress with spinning peppermint fixtures on it and matching red fingerless gloves. SPINNING PEPPERMINT FIXTURES!!! This prevents Perry from moving too much but the first couple of songs ("Teenage Dream" and "Hummingbird Heartbeat") are lowkey enough that she can get away with walking around on stage and doing some simple arm and leg choreography. I can’t remember the last time I saw any pop star’s tour that included such intricate costume design.

Another highlight is her performance of "Peacock," performed as a (weed) brownie-induced hallucination. This is one of the smartest and funniest framings of the whole concert. The only way this song works is if you lean heavily into its campiest and absurdest elements. How else would you better explain the ridiculousness that is this song? The other visual elements only further enhance the narrative of the hallucination. Have some backup dancers in neon mismatching leotards do choreography with huge feathered fans! Throw some mimes in there doing some uncomfortably sexual dance moves for good measure! Give Katy Perry choreography where she bobs her head side to side while singing, so it could like an imitation of a peacock or her just performing fellatio on the microphone! Anything goes!

The Music Behind the Complete Confection

I didn’t come to appreciate the music and the full album itself until I later listened to it all the way through, because I hadn’t bothered to look past the singles. All of the singles hit the Billboard Top 10 within a week of their release, so if you were alive and listened to the radio in 2010, you would have been forcibly exposed to at least half of the album. While the singles are all good pop songs in their own right, I find pleasure in exploring the deeper cuts, the less popular tracks, because you can find pearls that add some dimension to Perry’s pop persona on this album.

OK, "Peacock" isn’t one of those songs but it is one of my favorites because it is everything I love about what pop music can be. Catchy hooks, outrageous lyrics that fall in the vein of "California Gurls"’ thinly veiled sexual innuendos, a grooving bridge, and Perry delivering the performance without a lick of shame. Just thought I’d also let you know that she repeats the syllable “cock” over the course of this song 61 times so in case you weren’t exactly sure what the song was about, she makes sure to spell it out for you.

The sixth track on this album, "Circle The Drain," presents Perry’s point of view in a relationship where her significant other (rumored to be Travie McCoy, formerly in the band Gym Class Heroes) is caught up in drugs and no matter how much she tries to help, they fall back into their old habits. This song sets itself apart from the others by being one of the rare times we are allowed to scratch below the surface and employing a darker musical tone than the rest of the bubblegum pop of this album. This song is grounded in heavier guitar riffs, bumping drum lines and electronic distortion that bring the whole image together.

While this album and this era as a whole might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, it is my favorite Katy Perry project for a reason. Although this kind of project can be seen as vapid, hollow, and utterly meaningless, it’s fun to simply fully indulge in a pop album every once in a while without having to think too hard. It’s ok to have fun! I think we all need it. It just so happens that Katy Perry’s the one who manufactured a concept that I deeply enjoy.