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Get ready to relive the biggest and most memorable moments from Katy Perry's incredible music career! From empowering anthems like “Roar” and “Firework” to fun party bangers like “California Gurls” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” we’re highlighting the songs that defined her as a pop icon. Discover the stories behind the hits, including chart-toppers, fan favorites, and viral sensations that showcase her evolution over the years.
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00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:11for the best offerings from Katy Perry's discography.
00:22Number 20, Swish Swish.
00:31The Katy Perry and Taylor Swift feud was one of pop culture's biggest stories of the
00:35late 2010s, and this song only added fuel to the fire.
00:39Swish Swish was widely interpreted as Perry's response to Swift's bad blood, although Perry
00:44later said the song was about toxic behavior and negativity rather than one specific person.
00:48Swish Swish Bish, another one in the basket.
00:56Nicki Minaj's guest verse certainly gave people plenty to dissect,
00:59with the rapper taking several pointed shots of her own.
01:10Musically, the house-inspired track was catchy, but commercially, it was relatively modest for Perry,
01:15peaking at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100.
01:18Still, the song became one of the most talked-about moments of the Witness era,
01:22largely because listeners were determined to decode every line.
01:25They don't know what is what, I just what it is.
01:29Do they know?
01:30They don't know what is what, I just what it is.
01:33Number 19, Waking Up in Vegas.
01:36You gotta help me out.
01:39It's all I blurred last night.
01:43By the time Perry released the fourth single from her sophomore album, One of the Boys,
01:47she had already established herself with its first two singles.
01:50Waking Up in Vegas kept that momentum going, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100
01:55and becoming her third top 10 hit in the U.S.
02:05Perry co-wrote the song with Desmond Child and Andreas Carlsen,
02:09while Joseph Kahn directed its chaotic Las Vegas video.
02:11The lyrics follow a couple dealing with the aftermath of a reckless night,
02:15including the possibility that they may have gotten married.
02:25It's playful without being complicated,
02:27and that simplicity is part of its appeal.
02:30Perry was still figuring out her pop persona,
02:32and this song showed how naturally she handled it.
02:42Number 18, Harley's in Hawaii.
02:51It took a little while for this one to get its moment.
02:53Released in 2019, Harley's in Hawaii initially made only a modest impact,
02:58but a TikTok trend two years later sent listeners back to it in huge numbers.
03:03Official charts reported a dramatic increase in its U.K. streams after the trend took off.
03:14Perry co-wrote the song with singer Charlie Puth and others,
03:17and the production is noticeably more relaxed than the stadium pop associated with her biggest hits.
03:22The Hawaiian setting, motorcycle imagery, and romantic lyrics give it a distinct identity within her catalog.
03:34It's revival also proved that Perry's music could find new audiences years after release.
03:40Sometimes, the second life of a song is the more interesting story.
04:00Perry has never been afraid of a slightly ridiculous pop concept,
04:05and Birthday is a particularly good example.
04:07Released as the fourth single from PRISM,
04:10the song was written by Perry, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Circuit.
04:21The lyrics use a birthday celebration as a flirtatious metaphor,
04:25while the disco-influenced production keeps everything bright and playful.
04:28It reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Dance Club Songs chart.
04:40The music video went even further,
04:42with Perry appearing in several elaborate disguises as eccentric party entertainers.
04:47It's not one of her biggest commercial achievements,
04:49but it has remained a fan favorite because it captures the mischievous side of her pop persona so well.
05:02Still in the mood for some pop nostalgia?
05:04Scan the QR code on your screen to keep the party going on the Ms. Mojo 24-7 livestream.
05:14Number 16. Thinking of You
05:23One of the most revealing things about Perry's early catalogue
05:26is how different she could sound when the production was stripped back.
05:29Thinking of You from One of the Boys is a straightforward heartbreak ballad
05:33about being with someone while still thinking about a former lover.
05:35Because when I'm with him, I am thinking of you
05:42The song was solely written by Perry,
05:45and the arrangement gives her voice most of the attention.
05:48The song reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100,
05:51and performed particularly well in Brazil, where it topped the charts.
05:55How I could let myself let you go
06:02It also became one of the songs that helped establish Perry
06:05as more than a provocative pop personality.
06:07There is very little gimmickry here,
06:10which makes the emotional performance stand out even more.
06:13No more mistakes
06:14Cause in your eyes
06:17I'd like to
06:19Number 15. Unconditionally
06:21Oh no, did I get too close?
06:26Oh, did I almost
06:29There is a much more serious side to Prism,
06:32and Unconditionally is probably its clearest example.
06:36Perry wrote the song with familiar collaborators,
06:38drawing inspiration partly from her humanitarian trip to Madagascar.
06:42The lyrics focus on accepting another person
06:44without requiring them to meet impossible standards,
06:46and Perry later explained that the message could apply to romantic love,
06:50family, or friendship.
06:58Released as the album's second single,
07:01it reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
07:03The arrangement builds gradually before giving Perry a huge chorus to work with,
07:08making it one of her more impressive vocal performances.
07:18It may not have matched the previous single commercially,
07:21but it remains one of her strongest attempts at an earnest pop ballad.
07:25I will love you
07:29Unconditionally
07:31Number 14. Hot and Cold
07:40If Indecision had a theme song,
07:42this would be the one.
07:43Released in 2008,
07:45Hot and Cold was the second single from one of the boys,
07:47and went all the way to number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
07:50Written alongside hitmaker Max Martin,
07:53the song's fast-paced production matched its lyrics about an unpredictable relationship.
07:56Cause you're hot, then you're cold
07:58You're yes, then you're no
08:00You're in, then you're out
08:02You're up, then you're down
08:04It became a major international hit,
08:06and eventually earned an eight-times platinum certification from the RIAA.
08:11More importantly, it confirmed that Perry had staying power.
08:16Someone called the doctor
08:18Got a case of a lot of bipolar
08:21I Kissed a Girl could have been a one-off phenomenon.
08:24Following it with another enormous, instantly-recognizable hit made the case that she was here to stay.
08:37Number 13. Part of Me
08:45The timing made Part of Me especially interesting.
08:49Katy Perry released it in February 2012,
08:51shortly after her divorce from Russell Brand.
08:53And the lyrics about reclaiming yourself after a breakup naturally invited speculation about their relationship.
09:06In reality, the song had been written before the split,
09:10so the connection was more circumstantial than people assumed.
09:12The song's beat is muscular,
09:14the hook is massive,
09:15and the message is crystal clear.
09:17She's been knocked down,
09:18but she is very much still standing.
09:28It debuted right at the top of the Billboard Hot 100,
09:31becoming Perry's seventh U.S. chart topper.
09:34The military-themed video reinforced its message of independence.
09:37It remains one of her most direct and satisfying breakup songs.
09:48Number 12. Never Really Over
09:57After the divisive reception to Witness,
10:00Katy Perry needed a song that reminded people why her pop instincts had worked so well in the first place.
10:05Never Really Over did exactly that.
10:14Perry co-wrote the track with Zedd and Norwegian singer-songwriter Dagny, among others.
10:19And the song focuses on the lingering emotions that can survive even after a relationship ends.
10:24It debuted at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100,
10:27giving Perry her highest debut since Chained to the Rhythm.
10:35The chorus is repetitive by design,
10:38reinforcing the song's central idea,
10:40while the sleek production brought her comfortably into the streaming era.
10:43It never became a career-defining hit,
10:45but its replay value is quite impressive.
10:48Right for you and I can't keep going back
10:52I guess it's never really over
10:55Number 11. E.T.
10:57You're so hypnotizing
11:00Could you be the devil? Could you be an angel?
11:04The fourth number one single from Teenage Dream was considerably stranger than the three that came before it.
11:09E.T. was originally released on the album before Kanye West joined the remix,
11:13adding a verse that pushed the song further toward hip-hop.
11:16Pockets on Shrek, Rockets on Deck
11:18Tell me what's next, alien sex
11:22Its electronic production and futuristic lyrics gave the song a darker edge,
11:26while the accompanying video leaned completely into the science fiction concept.
11:30The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became another major international hit for the singer.
11:35Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me
11:37And pick me with your love and pick me with your poison
11:41It was also an important moment for Perry creatively,
11:43because she was experimenting with a sound that was less dependent on the bright guitar-driven pop
11:48that had defined some of her earlier work.
11:57Number 10. I Kissed a Girl
12:07Seven weeks at number one is a pretty difficult debut to ignore.
12:11Released in 2008,
12:12I Kissed a Girl introduced Katy Perry to mainstream America
12:15and quickly became one of the biggest singles of the year.
12:18An electropop record with influences of glam rock and new wave music,
12:22the song's provocative subject matter immediately generated controversy.
12:25I kissed a girl and I liked it
12:29The taste of her cherry chapstick
12:32Its treatment of same-sex attraction has been reconsidered over time,
12:36particularly because of its flirtation with bisexuality as a novelty
12:40and its male gaze framing.
12:41Perry herself has acknowledged that some aspects of the song
12:44would be approached differently today,
12:46but its importance to her career remains enormous.
12:56This was the single that took Perry from a struggling artist with a major label deal
13:01to an international pop star almost overnight.
13:12Number 9. The One That Got Away
13:21Katy Perry had already given Teenage Dreams songs about lust,
13:25celebration, and falling in love.
13:27This time, she was thinking about the relationship that never got its happy ending.
13:38The One That Got Away was released as the album's sixth and final single
13:42and focuses on regret, memory,
13:44and imagining what life could have looked like with a former partner.
13:47The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100,
13:50making it the only Teenage Dream single not to top the chart.
13:54An impressive feat by any measure.
13:56I should have told you what you meant to me
14:02It's enduring popularity makes sense because the subject is so universal.
14:06Wondering about the person you loved and lost is hardly limited to pop stars.
14:10So I don't have to say you were the one that got away
14:16Number 8. Chained to the Rhythm
14:19Katy Perry's political commentary became much more explicit during the Witness era,
14:32and Chained to the Rhythm was the clearest example.
14:35Released in 2017,
14:36the song's lyrics address consumerism, political complacency,
14:40and the comfort of living inside a personal bubble.
14:42Turn it up, it's your favorite song
14:45Dance, dance, dance to the distortion
14:47Turn it up, keep it on repeat
14:50Its music video expanded that idea with an amusement park
14:53where everything looks cheerful while the world outside is falling apart.
14:57The song debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100
15:00and became Perry's 14th top 10 single in the U.S.
15:03Truth they feed is feeble
15:05I saw many times before
15:07The greed of other people
15:10It was a deliberate change in direction for an artist better known for escapist pop,
15:14and that willingness to tackle heavier themes
15:16makes it one of the more interesting songs in her catalog.
15:19We're all changed to the rhythm
15:21We're all changed to the rhythm
15:23Chained to the rhythm
15:28Wide awake came at the end of the teenage dream era,
15:38but emotionally, it belongs to a very different chapter.
15:42Written for Perry's 2012 autobiographical film, Katy Perry, Part of Me,
15:46the song deals with the aftermath of heartbreak
15:48and the realization that a relationship or dream may not have been what you thought.
15:52Till I woke up on, on the concrete
15:56Falling from cloud nine
16:00Critics praised its emotional honesty and the restraint of its production.
16:04It reached number two on the Hot 100
16:06and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.
16:10The music video expanded the song's imagery into a dark fairy tale,
16:14with Perry navigating a maze before confronting two minotaurs.
16:17I'm waiting, waiting, waiting
16:24It's one of her most reflective singles,
16:26and the emotional shift is exactly what makes it memorable.
16:30You know I'm letting go tonight
16:46By the time Last Friday Night was released in June 2011,
16:50Perry was already having an extraordinary run with Teenage Dream.
16:53This was the fifth single from the album to top the Hot 100,
16:56tying Michael Jackson's record for the most number ones from a single album.
17:00Last Friday night
17:02Yeah, we danced on tabletops
17:04Now we took too many shots
17:06Think we kissed, but I forgot
17:07The song itself is a playful account of waking up after an out-of-control party
17:12and trying to remember what happened.
17:14The video introduced Perry's alter ego, Kathy Beth Terry,
17:17and became almost as recognizable as the song.
17:26It is a perfect example of how much personality Perry could pack into it,
17:30of a three-minute single.
17:31And yes, the record-breaking achievement is pretty impressive for a song about waking up with no memory.
17:43Number 5, Roar
17:45I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
17:48Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
17:51So I sit quietly
17:53Katy Perry had already explored themes of empowerment with previous singles,
17:57but Roar gave the idea an even more direct treatment.
18:00Released as the lead single from Prism,
18:02the song was co-written by Perry alongside frequent collaborator and hitmaker Max Martin.
18:07I got the eye of the tiger
18:13It topped the charts in about a dozen countries
18:16and became Perry's eighth number one single in the U.S.
18:19The lyrics focus on recovering your voice after being silenced,
18:22and the huge chorus was clearly built for audiences to sing along.
18:26You held me down, but I got up
18:29Get ready, cause I've had enough
18:31There's nothing particularly complicated about the message,
18:34and that is part of its strength.
18:36Perry found a universal idea and delivered it with one of the biggest choruses of her career.
18:49Number 4, Teenage Dream
18:58The title track from Teenage Dream helped establish exactly what Katy Perry wanted this era to feel like.
19:04The song is about falling deeply in love
19:06and experiencing the kind of excitement that makes adulthood temporarily feel like adolescence again.
19:11You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
19:17The way you turn me on
19:19Perry worked on it with her longtime collaborator Bonnie McKee,
19:22and several rewrites were needed before the song reached its final form.
19:26It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became the second of five number one singles from the album.
19:38The production is glossy and unmistakably tied to its era,
19:42but the emotion has held up.
19:44Perry managed to capture a very specific kind of youthful optimism
19:47without making the song feel limited to teenagers.
19:50That is much harder than it sounds.
20:00Number 3, California Girls
20:02While crafting her Teenage Dream album,
20:11Katy Perry wanted to create a Golden State answer to Empire State of Mind,
20:14and thus, California Girls was born.
20:17The song featured Snoop Dogg,
20:18who was selected after Perry searched Wikipedia for rappers from the West Coast.
20:29It debuted at number 2 on the Hot 100 before topping the chart shortly after.
20:34The candy-themed music video gave the track an even bigger visual identity,
20:38with Perry moving through a surreal world filled with sweets, clouds, and plenty of whipped cream.
20:43California Girls were unforgettable
20:50It became one of the defining pop songs of that summer,
20:53and helped establish the visual world of the entire Teenage Dream campaign.
20:58Few Katy Perry songs are quite this cheeky and instantly recognizable.
21:09Number 2, Dark Horse
21:11By her fourth album, Prism,
21:21Katy Perry was clearly interested in moving away from the bright pop sound
21:25that had dominated the previous era.
21:27Dark Horse gave her the opportunity to do that.
21:37She developed the song with Sarah Hudson before working with other collaborators to refine it,
21:42while Juicy J supplied the guest verse.
21:44The production incorporates trap influences and a much darker atmosphere,
21:48with Perry warning a potential lover not to underestimate her.
21:51The song topped the Hot 100,
21:53earned a Grammy nomination,
21:54and eventually received Diamond Certification from the RIAA.
21:58You may fall in love when you meet her.
22:00If you get the chance, you better keep her.
22:02She's sweet as five,
22:03but if you break her heart,
22:04she turns cold as a freezer.
22:05Its success was especially impressive,
22:07because the sound was noticeably different from her earlier hits.
22:11It's a perfect start,
22:13cause what's your mind, what's your mind?
22:17It's not going bad.
22:19Before we unveil our top pick,
22:20here are some honorable mentions.
22:223-6-5.
22:24Zed keeps things restrained,
22:26giving Katy Perry a sweet synth-pop moment.
22:28I want you to be the one that's on my mind,
22:31on my mind,
22:31on my mind.
22:33I want you to be the one on Monday night.
22:36By the grace of God,
22:37Perry gets brutally honest about one of the darkest periods in her life,
22:41her divorce.
22:41Ain't gonna walk away
22:44in front of the other end.
22:48Looked in the mirror
22:50and decided to stay.
22:54Daisies.
22:54Released in the chaos of 2020,
22:57this soft-focus pep talk finds Perry choosing calm and hope.
23:00They tell me that I'm crazy,
23:02but I'll never let them change me,
23:04so they cover me in daisies.
23:06Daisies, daisies.
23:08Walking on Air.
23:10A full-on 90s Eurodance throwback
23:12and one of Perry's most infectious deep cuts.
23:23Circle the Drain.
23:25A snarling breakup song with rock bite.
23:27It pulls no punches on toxic relationship dynamics.
23:30You fall asleep
23:32And during more play
23:34Cause the pills
23:35You take
23:36I'm on your forte
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24:16The message behind Firework is hardly complicated,
24:20but Katy Perry understood exactly how much power there was in saying it loudly.
24:24The third single from Teenage Dream,
24:26the song asks listeners to recognize their own worth
24:28and embrace the qualities that make them different.
24:31You just gotta ignite the light
24:35And let it shine
24:39Perry co-wrote it with Esther Dean, Stargate, and Sandy V,
24:43drawing inspiration partly from Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road.
24:46It topped the Billboard Hot 100
24:48and earned two Grammy nominations,
24:50including Record of the Year.
24:51Cause baby you're a firework
24:55Come on, show a firework
24:59More importantly,
25:01the song has lived far beyond its original chart run,
25:04becoming a regular presence at celebrations,
25:06sporting events,
25:07and motivational moments.
25:08It captures the thing Perry did better
25:10than almost anyone in her generation,
25:12making an enormous pop song feel personal.
25:21Think we missed a banger that deserved a spot?
25:23Let us know in the comments.