"Birthday" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Katy Perry | ||||
from the album Prism | ||||
Released | April 21, 2014 | |||
Genre | Disco | |||
Length | 3:35 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Katy Perry singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Birthday" on YouTube |
"Birthday" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013). She co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. Critics, as well as Perry herself, have compared the track to the music of Prince and Mariah Carey. Through double entendres in the lyrics of "Birthday", Perry makes sexual references while celebrating a partner's birthday. Capitol Records sent the track to mainstream and rhythmic radio on April 21, 2014 as the album's fourth single.
Following the release of Prism, the song entered the single charts of South Korea and France. After being released as an official single, it reached number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and the Israeli TV Airplay chart, number three in South Africa, number seven in Canada, number 10 in South Korea, number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the top 40 in nine additional countries.
A music video for the track was released on April 24, 2014. Primarily recorded with hidden cameras, it features Perry disguised as five different characters in birthday parties and other celebrations. The makeup effects for Perry were designed and created by Tony Gardner. Perry's portrayal of a Jewish character in the video sparked criticism. Jess Glynne covered the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, and Halsey on SiriusXM. [1]
"Birthday" was written by Perry, Bonnie McKee, Cirkut, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin. The latter three produced the song and contributed to the instrumentation and programmed their respective instruments. The drums were played by Steven Wolf, while the horns were played by the Saturday Night Live Band, arranged by Lenny Pickett and engineered by Dave O'Donnell. Its audio engineering was done by Peter Carlsson, Clint Gibbs, Sam Holland, and Michael Illbert. The track was finally mixed by Serban Ghenea at the MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, accompanied by the mixing engineer, John Hanes. The song itself was recorded at various studios, including Luke's in the Boo in Malibu, California, Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, Playback Recording Studio in Santa Barbara, California, MXM Studios in Stockholm, Sweden and Secret Garden Studios in Montecito, California. [2]
The song leaked online on October 16, 2013, two days prior to the official release of Prism . [3] On April 3, 2014, the singer announced on her Twitter account that "Birthday" would be released as the album's fourth single, posting its cover art as well. The art is based on a photograph, taken during a birthday party circa 1990, in which a blonde Perry and her sister Angela Hudson smile toward the camera; "puffy" letter balloons were "photoshopped" onto the cover to spell out Perry's name. The song title appears in candles over a floral cake. [4] [5] To promote the single, a lyric video for "Birthday" was uploaded onto Perry's Vevo account on April 10, 2014. It depicts a variety of cakes and sweets—among other confections—decorated with the song's lyrics and concludes with Perry lighting the last candle of a cake. [6]
At the length of three minutes and thirty-five seconds (3:35), [7] "Birthday" is primarily styled in the genre of disco. [8] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., "Birthday" has a tempo of 126 beats per minute. Written in the key of B major, it follows a progression of Emaj9–C♯m7–Emaj9–C♯m7–B. Perry's vocals range from B3 to F♯5. [9] During a preview event for Prism , held in New York City, Perry described "Birthday" as her "attempt at writing" a song that American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey would have included in her eponymous debut album. [10] Since its release, its musical composition has been strongly compared to that of other works of Prince and duo Wendy and Lisa. [11] [12]
"Birthday" contains elements of funk-pop, synthpop, and disco house. [11] [12] The song is backed by a "busy but buoyant" instrumentation featuring a "deeply rhythmic impulse". [10] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times felt "Birthday" was a musically updated version of disco, achieved by replacing "cheesy strings" with "jerky breaks and synth washes". [8] Its "joyful" [10] lyrics present the commemoration of her partner's birthday as a metaphor for sexual intercourse. [13] The bridge section of "Birthday", which sees Perry singing "Let me get you in your birthday suit / It's time to bring out the big balloons", was found by Ben Rattliff to resemble French duo Daft Punk's works. [14]
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Kitty Empire from The Guardian called "Birthday" one of the best tracks from Prism: Erlewine described it as a "glorious retro-disco explosion" and Empire found a "girly simpatico" in the song that sustains it. [15] [16] Marah Eakin from The A.V. Club felt the track was "pure fun". [17] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called it a "stone-cold stunner", going on to say the song "serves as pop music's (superior) answer to Swizz Beatz's "Everyday Birthday". He also felt it was the song with the "most smash potential" included in Prism. [10] Chris Bosman of Consequence of Sound wrote that the song was a "irrepressible disco jam" and found it superior to Carly Rae Jepsen's album Kiss (2012). [18]
Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone noted that the "sunny effervescence" from Teenage Dream was present on the song. [19] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine said that the "sexy and playful" song was "offset by brackish fare". [20] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian felt that the song resembled a four to the floor remix of a Mariah Carey song, but complimented its melodies for being "significantly stronger" than those of Jessie J's album, Alive (2013). [21] Rob Harvilla from Spin criticized the song's "sensuality", which he described as being of "an off-kilter, grade-school goofy, beanie-propeller sort of sensuality". [12] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters deemed "Birthday" the "catchiest thing" on Prism, but he also thought it was a "rewrite" of Jessie J's hit "Domino" and Perry's former song "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". [22] Lewis Corner from Digital Spy classified it as a "flirty pop-gem", [23] while HitFix's Melinda Newman awarded it a B+ grade, calling it a "delectable pop confection". [24] James Reed from The Boston Globe called the song's double entendre lyrics "hilarious". [25]
Upon the release of Prism, due to strong digital download sales, "Birthday" charted on the singles charts in France and South Korea. It debuted on the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique singles chart at number 160 where it stayed for one week. [26] In South Korea, it peaked at number 51 on the Gaon International Chart with digital downloads of 3,089 copies. [27]
Before being released as a single, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart of April 16, 2014, at number 91. [28] One week later, the song jumped to number 83. The following week, it went from 83 to 37. [29] It peaked at 17 on the Hot 100 becoming her 15th entry to reach the top 20 of the chart. [30] The song has peaked at the top of Hot Dance Club Songs chart extending her record for most consecutive dance club no.1 songs to 14. The song has sold more than 1,000,000 copies in the United States; consequently it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [31]
The official music video for "Birthday" was directed by Marc Klasfeld and Danny Lockwood; Dawn Rose served as a producer, while Nicole Acacio served as executive producer, Richard Alarcón served as the editor, Tony Gardner as the make-up artist, and Joseph Robbins was the director of photography. [32] [33] For the video, which was filmed in April 2014, Perry played the characters of five party entertainers, appearing in five parties. This is similar to the British children’s TV series Gigglebiz consisting of the same format of cast as what Justin Fletcher did with characters in the show. They consisted of a burlesque-like elderly woman named Goldie, a Jewish master of ceremonies named Yosef Shulem, a clown named Kriss, an animal trainer named Ace, and a face-painter named Princess Mandee. [33] [34] In order to transform physically into each character, Perry spent up to seven hours getting prosthetic makeup applied by Tony Gardner. [33] [35]
The parties that Perry attended were real, and its participants were unaware of Perry's presence; the organizers believed they had signed up to star in a reality show called "Birthday Blowouts". [36] [37] Similarly, the majority of events that took place during the visual were staged without the knowledge of the celebrations' organizers and guests. [37] For example, the car crash that occurs in the video left several children who observed it frightened and crying. [38] Perry deemed the video "very intricate to make and shoot" and her "most insane" to date. [37] A teaser for the video which introduced the characters was released on April 22, 2014 whereas the complete video was revealed two days later. [34]
The music video begins with short introductions to Perry's alter-egos Goldie, Yosef, Kriss, Ace, and Mandee. Perry is then shown entering all of the parties as "five of the world’s worst birthday entertainers" in disguise. [38] At a man's 90th birthday, Goldie emerges from a large birthday cake and begins to give the man a lapdance. At a child's birthday party, Kriss the Clown attempts to create balloon animals, while Ace the Animal Trainer introduces a group of children to a box of mice before appearing to eat one, which makes a child cry. At another child's party, Princess Mandee paints a girl's face incompetently; Goldie begins to suffer from respiratory problems, and Yosef does the worm at a boy's Bar Mitzvah. Goldie pulls a man's prosthetic leg off and proceeds to play air guitar with it, and Kriss crashes into a table before drinking alcohol behind a tree.
At the elderly man's party, Goldie collapses and a woman tries to use a defibrillator on her. While attempting to hit a piñata, Kriss walks onto the road to cause a car crash which shocks the party attendees. At the petting cage, Ace lets a goat run wild which defecates and urinates on the ground; meanwhile Goldie drops a birthday cake on the 90-year-old man, Yosef is then shown beatboxing at the Bar Mitzvah. Princess Mandee takes off her hat, wig and mask and reveals herself to be Perry, to which the children scream in pleasure. Goldie eats cake with the elderly man, before straddling him on his wheelchair. At the end of the song, Princess Mandee and the children say "happy birthday" to the camera. During the credits, Perry's five alter-egos dance and lip-sync to a remixed version of the song.
Christina Garibaldi of MTV News wrote that Perry "continues to top herself" with the video and billed the video's "approach" as "creative, fun and pretty hysterical". [39] Salon's Daniel D'Addario was critical of character Yosef Shulem, denouncing it as a "Jewish stereotype". He noted that Perry had already been the center of controversy due to being dressed as a geisha for a 2013 performance of "Unconditionally", and questioned her decision to portray Yosef. [40] Writing for Time , Nolan Feeman quipped, "Jewish people aren't costumes" and found the video distracting from the song. [41] Ariana Bacle from Entertainment Weekly dubbed the character "anti-Semitic" and suggested that Perry should stop impersonating members of other cultures. [42] For Consequence of Sound , Chris Coplan called the visual "incredible" and described it as a "less grating and tiresome" version of The Master of Disguise . [43] Complex writer Zach Frydenlund positively remarked that the video "deliver[ed]" and regarded the Goldie character look as "quite nice". [44]
"Birthday" was performed as the first encore at the Prismatic World Tour, Perry's third concert tour. The performance of the song at the Newcastle upon Tyne date was broadcast live during the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. [45]
On May 25, 2014, Perry performed the song at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Glasgow. [46]
Song credits adapted from the liner notes of Prism, Capitol Records. [2]
Credits of the video production adapted from the visual. [33]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [86] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [87] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [88] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [89] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [90] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [91] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [92] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [31] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | April 21, 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | Original | Capitol | [93] |
Rhythmic contemporary | [94] | ||||
May 20, 2014 | Digital download | Cash Cash remix | [47] | ||
United Kingdom | May 22, 2014 | [ citation needed ] | |||
Italy | June 6, 2014 | Radio airplay | Original | [95] |
"This Is How We Do" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Perry co-wrote the track with its producers Max Martin and Klas Åhlund and recorded it in Stockholm, Sweden. The song was released as the album's fifth and final single along with its music video on July 31, 2014. "This Is How We Do" is a dance-pop song influenced by hip hop, having "synth squiggles" and "melodic dots" as its main instrumentation. Lyrically, it has Perry sing-talking about her hangout routine with her friends. The song's official remix featuring American rapper Riff Raff was released on August 25, 2014.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. Perry is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 143 million units worldwide. She is known for her influence on pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the "Queen of Camp" by Vogue and Rolling Stone.
"Hot n Cold" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin and produced by Luke and Benny Blanco for her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). It was released as the album's second single on September 9, 2008. The lyrics address an unstable romantic relationship caused by a partner's mood swings.
American singer Katy Perry has released six studio albums, seven extended plays (EP), 39 singles, and 11 promotional singles. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Perry has sold 121.5 million digital singles and 19 million albums in the United States. She is also the sixth best-selling digital singles artist in the United States. Throughout her career, Perry has sold 48 million album units and 135 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Billboard listed her as the fourth top female artist of the 2010s decade and the 61st greatest artist of all time. Perry has scored nine number one songs on Billboard Hot 100 and three number one albums on Billboard 200.
"Thinking of You" is a song written and recorded by American singer and songwriter Katy Perry from her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). It was produced by Katy Perry and Butch Walker, and released on January 12, 2009, as the album's third single. "Thinking of You" deals with a break-up in which Perry does not want to move on but has no choice, and feels nostalgic of a previous lover while in a relationship with another man. Retrospectively, "Thinking of You" has been described as a favorite among her fans.
"Starstrukk" is a song recorded by American group 3OH!3. It is their third single and their second single to be released from their second studio album, Want (2008). A radio-only and the deluxe album version has been released featuring singer Katy Perry. The version featuring Perry had considerable success worldwide, peaking within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Belgium (Wallonia), Finland, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It is the follow-up to their debut single "Don't Trust Me". The song was later included on the Deluxe Edition of Perry’s third studio album Teenage Dream
"California Gurls" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It served as the lead single for her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song features verses from rapper Snoop Dogg. The artists co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its co-producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin, with additional production from Benny Blanco. According to Perry, "California Gurls" is an answer song to "Empire State of Mind" (2009), by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Its mid-tempo production incorporates disco-pop and funk-pop with influences of new wave and electropop. Its lyrics are an ode to the state of California, in which both Perry and Snoop Dogg were born and raised.
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night of wild partying and streaking. It was released as the album's fifth single on June 6, 2011, by Capitol Records, with a remix featuring American rapper Missy Elliott released to US radio stations and digital retailers on August 8, 2011; this version was included in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection edition. It is a dance-pop song with lyrics about drunken fun and debauchery. Some of the risqué lyrics are often censored in radio versions of the song.
"Firework" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). Perry co-wrote the song with Ester Dean and the song's producers Stargate and Sandy Vee. It is a dance-pop self-empowerment anthem with inspirational lyrics, and Perry felt it was an important song for her on the record. Capitol Records released it as the album's third single on October 26, 2010.
"Wide Awake" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. She co-wrote the song with Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, and its producers Dr. Luke and Cirkut. It was specifically written for Perry's autobiographical film Katy Perry: Part of Me. Capitol Records released the song onto radio stations on May 22, 2012. The track is a power ballad styled in dance-pop, and features lyrics about the reality of a break up and moving forward.
Prism is the fourth studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released by Capitol Records on October 18, 2013. While the album was initially planned to be "darker" than her previous material, Prism ultimately became a prominently dance-inspired record. Perry worked with several past collaborators, while enlisting new producers and guest vocals. Much of Prism revolves around the themes of living in the present, relationships, and self-empowerment. The album garnered generally positive reviews with critics praising its lyrics for being more "mature" and personal, while others considered Prism to be more formulaic than her previous material.
"Roar" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 10, 2013, by Capitol Records as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Perry co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. It is a power pop song containing elements of arena rock and lyrics centering on standing up for oneself and self-empowerment.
"Dark Horse" is a song by American singer Katy Perry featuring American rapper Juicy J. It was originally released on September 17, 2013, by Capitol Records as the first promotional single from Perry's fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Three months later, it was released as the third official single on December 17. Both artists co-wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin, Cirkut, and Dr. Luke, alongside Sarah Hudson. It was conceived by Perry and Hudson during a writing session in Perry's hometown of Santa Barbara, California, and Juicy J was later commissioned for a verse on the song.
"Walking on Air" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry for her fourth studio album, Prism (2013), included as its fourth track. It was released to digital retailers on September 30, 2013, by Capitol Records, as the record's second promotional single, following the release of "Dark Horse". The song was part of a poll promoted by Pepsi, along with "Dark Horse", where fans could vote for which song they wanted to become the first promotional single from Prism. Inspired by CeCe Peniston and Crystal Waters, "Walking on Air" is a deep house and disco song influenced by 1990s Eurodance.
"Unconditionally" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album Prism (2013) on October 16, 2013, two days before the album was released. Inspiration for the song came primarily from a humanitarian trip to Madagascar that Perry made in partnership with UNICEF. Having been surrounded by what she described as unconditional love, she co-wrote it with the song's producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Cirkut to reflect that feeling.
"Black Widow" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Rita Ora. Released through Def Jam Recordings, the song impacted on mainstream radio stations in the US on 8 July 2014, as the fifth single from her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was written by Azalea, Katy Perry, Sarah Hudson, Benny Blanco, and duo Stargate, while the latter also produced the song. Lyrically, it addressed revenge after a failed romantic relationship. An accompanying music video for the song was released on 13 August 2014.
"Chained to the Rhythm" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her fifth studio album, Witness (2017). It was released on February 10, 2017, through Capitol Records as the lead single from the album. The song features vocals from Jamaican singer Skip Marley. The artists co-wrote the track with its producers Max Martin and Ali Payami, with additional writing from Sia. It is a dance-pop, disco and dancehall song, with lyrics about political awareness.
"Swish Swish" is a song by American singer Katy Perry featuring Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj from the former's fifth studio album Witness. The song was initially released as a promotional single on May 19, 2017, and later as the album's third single. The house-inspired EDM and hip hop song was written alongside Sarah Hudson, Starrah, producer Duke Dumont, and additional producer PJ "Promnite" Sledge, with Roland Clark receiving writing credits for the sampling of his song "I Get Deep", and Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy receiving additional and vocal production credits.
"Smile" is a song by American singer Katy Perry for her sixth studio album of the same name (2020). It was released on July 10, 2020 by Capitol Records as the second single from the album, along with the album's pre-order. Musically, it is a nu-disco song which samples Naughty by Nature's 1999 song "Jamboree". On the song, Perry talks about expressing her gratitude for changes in her life. A version featuring American rapper Diddy is featured on some vinyl versions of the album, while remixes of the song by Giorgio Moroder and Joel Corry have also been released to promote the song.
"When I'm Gone" is a song by Swedish DJ Alesso and American singer Katy Perry. It was released on 29 December 2021 by 10:22 PM Records. It coincides with the first date of Play—Perry's Las Vegas concert residency. The song is a EDM, dance-pop, house and electropop tune, written by Perry, Alesso, Alida Garpestad Peck, Rami Yacoub, Nathan Cunningham, Marc Sibley, and Alma Goodman, and produced by Alesso and the Space Primates.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)