The Bottom Line
Katy Perry aims to do for love songs in 2010 what she has already done for summer songs with "California Gurls." "Teenage Dream" contains a picture perfect lyric line of the joy of falling in love. Wisely, the arrangement and vocals are understated allowing the song to work its way into the head in a fashion that is unlikely to let go soon. This is the wedding and dating song of 2010 so far.
Pros
- Brilliantly simple and effective lyric line
- Understated musical arrangement
- Perfect for singing along
Cons
- The thin high voice kicking off the song
Description
- Written by Katy Perry, Bonnie McKee, Benjamin Levin, Max Martin, and Lukasz Gottwald
- Produced by Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Benny Blanco
- Released July 2010 by Capitol Records
Guide Review - Katy Perry - "Teenage Dream"
"Teenage Dream," the title single from Katy Perry's upcoming album, has the sound and feel of an instant classic love song. With the first two songs from the new album Katy Perry has waded into two very crowded fields, summer songs and love songs, and come up with two brilliant additions to the already long lists of seminal works. Major credit for the success must also be given to the production and songwriting triumvirate of Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Benny Blanco who also worked on "California Gurls."
Vocally, "Teenage Dream" kicks off with a relatively thin, high vocal from Katy Perry. As the song continues and more strong, romantic material is introduced, the vocals get stronger and more powerful giving a musical indication of the power of the relationship being described. Basing the song on the concept of feeling like a teenager again, Katy Perry aims for a universal adult audience. With the simplicity of the concept and understated instrumental arrangement, "Teenage Dream" should be a very very durable recording.
The album Teenage Dream is due in stores August 24, 2010. It is likely to have two major hit singles by that point and so should be a strong seller. Katy Perry's last album One of the Boys reached #9 in the US, and Teenage Dream should definitely do significantly better. Meanwhile, enjoy listening to "Teenage Dream," probably the most universally appealing love song yet released in 2010. Technically, Katy Perry is not a phenomenal singer, but she has proven very adept at helping to create phenomenal songs to sing.
