- Perry performing the song during the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show
- Fireworks display during Perry's performance of the song during "Celebrating America"
"Firework" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Katy Perry | ||||
from the album Teenage Dream | ||||
Released | October 26, 2010 | |||
Studio | Roc the Mic (New York City) | |||
Genre | Dance-pop | |||
Length | 3:48 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Katy Perry singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Firework" on YouTube |
"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.
The song was commercially successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top five on 20 charts around the world. "Firework" has sold over 1 million copies in the United Kingdom and was certified 12× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 12 million copies in the United States. "'Firework" received mixed to positive reviews from critics upon release, lauding Perry's vocals but finding the lyrics "clunky".
An accompanying music video, directed by Dave Meyers, was released on October 28, 2010. It portrays Perry singing and dancing around Budapest, with interspersed scenes of young people becoming confident in themselves. An open casting call for the music video drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. On MuchMusic's top 50 videos of 2010, "Firework" reached the top position. The music video was said to be a more upbeat take on Christina Aguilera's message in "Beautiful". It was nominated for three awards at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, eventually winning one of those, the Video of the Year, the main and final award. "Firework" was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. On January 5, 2012, "Firework" was ranked the fifth-most-played single on US radio during 2011 by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, with 509,000 plays. [1]
"Firework" was written by Perry, Stargate, Sandy Wilhelm, and Ester Dean while produced by Stargate and Sandy Vee at Soapbox Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It was recorded at Roc the Mic Studios. It was mixed at The Bunker Studios by Vee. Audio engineering was done by Carlos Oyanedel and Damien Lewis. All instruments were done by Stargate and Vee. Lead and background vocals were provided by Perry. [2] Perry said that "Firework" is her favorite song on Teenage Dream. [3] She explained that:
"Now, people are coming back and almost adopting it as their own anthem, and it's hard, I think, to write an anthem that's not cheesy, and I hope that this could be something in that category. I hope this could be one of those things where it's like, 'Yeah, I want to put my fist up and feel proud and feel strong. But I also don't want to be cheesy, it's a fine line, and I think 'Firework' ... would be like the opus or my one song — if I had to pick a song to play — 'cause it has a great beat. But it also has a fantastic message. Many people refer to the lines 'like the 4th of July'; however the original lyrics were 'like a firefly' as they reminded me of fireworks at night whenever I saw them. However the trend caught on and in live performances I now sing 4th of July, which happens to make great sense for the song name." [3]
According to Perry, "Firework" is influenced by Jack Kerouac's novel, On the Road . The line "Cause baby, you're a firework / Come on, show 'em what you're worth / Make 'em go, awe, awe, awe" is based on Kerouac's line "burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'" [4] [5] [6]
"Firework" is a dance-pop song. [7] The song is composed in the key of A♭ major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 124 beats per minute. Perry's vocal range spans from A♭3 to E♭5. [8]
MTV praised Perry's vocals, though felt the lyrics were "clunky". [9] Slant Magazine stated that the song is "not an actively painful listen. Sure, the would-be inspirational lyrics ('Baby you're a firework/Come on show them what you're worth') are nonsensical, ... but the chorus gains some momentum and the song would work well enough in a club setting that you could forgive its otherwise glaring weaknesses." [10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic chose "Firework" among the top tracks on the album, [11] Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song five out of five stars, calling it "a straight up self-empowerment anthem wrapped in a Coldplay-on-poppers club banger from the Stargate team. " [12] PopMatters wrote that "Firework" is "the record's last hurrah; though nothing particularly memorable.....'Firework' has at least a bit of staying power". [13] The Washington Post described the song as "too mushy". [14] Al Fox of BBC Music said that the song "displays a breezy maturity and serious set of pipes, a true demonstration of Perry's musicianship without contradicting the kittenish mischief of the bigger picture." [15] The song was nominated for Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards but lost to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".[ citation needed ]
In the United States, "Firework" debuted at position 57 on the issue dated November 6, 2010. [16] On the issue dated December 18, 2010, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Perry's fourth number-one single in the US and third number-one single from the album. This made Perry the first female artist since Monica to have three consecutive singles from an album top the chart. [17] It spent four non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100. [18] The song topped Hot Dance Club Songs, Pop chart, Adult Pop Songs and Adult Contemporary chart. [19] On the week ending January 8, 2011, "Firework" sold 509,000 digital downloads in the US which is tied with Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" as the seventh highest amount ever sold by a female artist behind Adele's "Hello" (1.1 million), Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (623,000) and Kesha's "Tik Tok" (610,000), Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" (582,000), Perry's own "Roar" (557,000), Swift's "Shake It Off" (544,000) and ninth highest overall. [20] The song was certified 12× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [21] In 2014, she became the first artist in digital history to sell 5 million or more copies of six different songs with "Firework", "Hot n Cold", "California Gurls", "ET", "Roar", and "Dark Horse". [22] [23] As of August 2020, the song has sold 7,400,000 copies in the United States. [24]
In Canada, "Firework" debuted at number 51 on the Canadian Hot 100 issue dated November 6, 2010 [25] and reached number one on December 18, 2010. [26] On October 31, 2010, "Firework" debuted at number 37 in Australia on the official ARIA Singles Chart [27] and moved to number 15 the next week. [28] It peaked at number three and was certified six-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales over 350,000 copies. [29] [30] The song debuted at number 34 in New Zealand on October 4, 2010 [31] and reached number one. [32]
The song entered at number five on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number three. [33] "Firework" became Perry's first song to sell over one million copies in the United Kingdom, [34] and has sold a total of 1,091,743 copies in the nation as of February 2017. [35] It has also been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). [36] Across Europe, the song reached the top five in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, while reaching the top ten in France and the Netherlands. [37]
The video is part of a cross-promotional deal with European telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Telekom hosted a series of activities and competitions from which fans around Europe would be recruited to be in the video. [38] MTV reported that Perry started filming the video on September 28, 2010. [3] The video was directed by Dave Meyers, choreographed by Natricia Bernard, and shot in Budapest. [39] The official teaser trailer of the music video was released on October 15, 2010. [40] An open casting call for the music video drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. [41] Perry dedicated it to the It Gets Better Project. [42] The video was released on TwitVid, DirectLyrics, and Youku on October 28, 2010. It premiered on October 28, 2010, on YouTube, and as of January 2024, has amassed more than 1.4 billion views. [43] It was presented in the anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Perry opens the video gazing down upon the city from a balcony. As she sings into the night, fireworks burst from her soul [44] and soon inspire young people throughout the city to overcome their fears and insecurities, in the process igniting their own fireworks. A boy confronts his parents, who are in a heated argument and upsetting his little sister, and pushes them apart. A shy overweight girl, playing the role of wallflower at a pool party, finds the courage to shed her clothes and jump in the pool with her friends. A leukemia patient at a children's hospital proves to herself that she can show herself out on the street and in public despite her loss of hair. A closeted teenage boy approaches his male friend in a club and kisses him. A struggling young performer walking home in a dark alley uses tricks from his magic act to win over a group of street toughs who were trying to rob him. Soon the youth of the city are converging upon the courtyard of Buda Castle, dancing and lighting up the night with their fireworks, as the camera pans up to the sky for their popping sounds, ending the video.
On MuchMusic's top 50 videos of 2010, "Firework" was ranked No. 1. [45] The video won Video of the Year at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and was nominated for Best Female Video and the newly introduced Best Video with a Message category. [46]
Perry performed "Firework" live for the first time on the Late Show with David Letterman on August 24, 2010. [47] On November 7, 2010, she performed the song at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Madrid, Spain on November 7, 2010, in an outdoor performance in the front of the Puerta de Alcalá monument. Perry also performed the song again in the United Kingdom, this time on the chat show Paul O'Grady Live on November 12, 2010, the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards on November 14, 2010, and at the American Music Awards of 2010. She performed "Firework" at the 2010 annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which aired on November 30, 2010. [48] Perry's performance of "Firework" on Willkommen bei Mario Barth aired December 4, 2010, in Germany, a performance that was recorded in October 2010. [49] She appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 8, 2010, to perform an acoustic version of the song. [50] Also, she performed the song in the 2010 VH1 Divas show at the closing of the event.[ citation needed ] Perry also performed the acoustic version on the 12th Annual A Home for the Holidays special on CBS.[ citation needed ]
On May 1, 2011, Perry sang "Firework" at the 53rd TV Week Logie Awards in Australia. The song is featured on the set list of the California Dreams Tour. Perry performed the song as part of a Live Lounge special for BBC Radio 1's Fearne Cotton on March 19, 2012, along with "Part of Me", "The One That Got Away", "Thinking of You" and "Niggas in Paris". On October 13, 2012, Perry performed the song as a duet with Jodi DiPiazza, an 11-year-old girl with autism, as part of the Night of Too Many Stars benefit, later broadcast on Comedy Central. [51] For Obama's 2012 presidential candidacy, Perry performed several of her hit songs dressed as a ballot, including "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "Wide Awake". [52] [53] Expressing solidarity for his campaign, the box next to Obama's name was shaded. [52] [53]
On May 25, 2014, Perry performed the song as her encore at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Glasgow. [54]
Perry was the headliner of Super Bowl XLIX halftime show, which took place on February 1, 2015, and "Firework" was the last song of the performance. [55]
On May 27, 2017, Perry performed the song at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Hull. [56]
On January 20, 2021, Perry performed the song in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the "Celebrating America" inaugural concert special commemorating the Inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, closing out the show. A massive firework display was coordinated to appear near the Washington Monument, to serve as a backdrop for her performance. [57] [58]
On May 7, 2023, Perry performed "Firework" along with "Roar" at the Coronation Concert outside Windsor Castle in celebration of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. [59] [60]
Credits adapted from the Teenage Dream liner notes. [2]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [155] | 13× Platinum | 910,000‡ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [156] | 2× Platinum | 60,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [157] | Gold | 15,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [158] | Diamond | 250,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [159] | 6× Platinum | 480,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [160] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
France | — | 140,000 [161] |
Germany (BVMI) [162] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [163] | 2× Platinum | 60,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) [164] | Gold | 100,000* |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [165] | Platinum+Gold | 90,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [166] | 4× Platinum | 60,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [167] | 4× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [168] | Gold | 5,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [169] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [170] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [171] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] | 3× Platinum | 2,200,000 [172] |
United States (RIAA) [21] | 12× Platinum | 12,000,000‡ |
Ringtone | ||
Canada (Music Canada) [173] | Gold | 20,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Version(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | October 26, 2010 | Contemporary hit radio | Original | Capitol | [174] |
United Kingdom | November 2, 2010 | Digital download | [73] | ||
United States | November 16, 2010 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [174] | ||
November 22, 2010 | Hot adult contemporary radio | [175] | |||
United Kingdom | December 2, 2010 | CD |
| [176] | |
Germany | December 3, 2010 | [74] | |||
France | January 24, 2011 | Original | [177] |
"I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). Perry co-wrote the song with Max Martin, Cathy Dennis, and its producer Dr. Luke, with additional production from Benny Blanco. "I Kissed a Girl" is a pop-rock, electropop and new wave song with elements of disco and glam rock. Perry stated its lyrics are "about the magical beauty of a woman". The song sparked controversy for its handling of bi-curious themes, but in retrospect has been credited with increasing LGBT awareness in pop music.
"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.
The American singer Katy Perry has released seven studio albums, one reissue, seven extended plays (EP), 40 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.
"Waking Up in Vegas" is a song by American singer Katy Perry, released as the fourth and final single from her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). Perry wrote the song with Desmond Child and Andreas Carlsson, and Greg Wells produced it, who is also credited for playing all the instruments on the song. It was officially released to US radio stations on April 21, 2009. "Waking Up in Vegas" is a pop rock track about an underage couple getting drunk and blowing their money in Las Vegas, paying homage to the phrase "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."
"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.
"If We Ever Meet Again" is a song by American producer Timbaland. It was released on December 1, 2009, as the fourth single from his third studio album Shock Value II (2009). The song features singer Katy Perry and served as the album's second worldwide single. Timbaland's brother Sebastian also has uncredited vocals at the end of the song. "If We Ever Meet Again" reached number one in the Czech Republic and New Zealand while peaking within the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The song was later included on the deluxe edition of Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream.
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. Primarily a pop record, Teenage Dream also contains elements of disco, electronic, rock, funk, house, Hi-NRG, and hip hop, that revolve around young love, partying, self-empowerment, and personal growth. Perry co-wrote the album, and worked with a number of producers such as Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Stargate and Greg Wells.
"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. Both artists co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its producers Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and Max Martin. 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.
"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. She and Bonnie McKee co-wrote the track with its producers 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.
"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.
"E.T." is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). She co-wrote the song with its producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Ammo. "E.T." was serviced to radio stations as the album's fourth single on February 16, 2011. One version of the song features verses from American rapper Kanye West, and that version was included on the reissue of the album, Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. Musically, it is an electronic and hip hop ballad which draws heavily from dubstep and techno, along with smaller amounts of drum and bass. According to Perry, the song lyrically speaks of "falling in love with a foreigner".
"Part of Me" is a song by American singer Katy Perry, released as the lead single from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It was written by Perry and Bonnie McKee, with production and additional writing by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. The song was not included on the original edition of Teenage Dream because Perry felt that it did not fit the composition of the album. A demo of the song leaked online in late 2010, amid speculation that the lyrics were directed to the singer's ex-boyfriend Travie McCoy. "Part of Me" was re-worked and officially released on February 13, 2012, through Capitol Records with artwork by art director Gavin Taylor and photography by Mary Ellen Matthews.
"The One That Got Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry from her second studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, both of whom also co-wrote the song with Perry. The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love. It features a reference to the rock band Radiohead, and compares the strength of the relationship to that of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The song was released on September 30, 2011, by Capitol Records as the album's sixth and final single.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"365" is a song by German music producer Zedd and American singer Katy Perry. It was released on 14 February 2019 along with its music video, directed by Warren Fu. The song reached number one in Bulgaria and Israel as well as the top 10 in Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, and Serbia, the top 20 in Argentina, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, and the top 30 in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Slovenia.
"Daisies" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on May 15, 2020, by Capitol Records as the lead single from her sixth studio album, Smile (2020). The song was serviced to US adult contemporary and pop radio formats on May 18 and June 9, 2020, respectively. She co-wrote the track with Jon Bellion, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Michael Pollack, and its producers Jordan K. Johnson and Stefan Johnson of the Monsters & Strangerz. "Daisies" reached number four in Scotland and the top 20 in Croatia and Hungary as well as number 27 in Ireland.
"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)I had actual fireworks, um, on me, coming from right here: my gut. People like to think that they were coming from my upper region, but those people are perverts. Um, it was coming from my soul, my gut, from the part of me that feels.