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- Revisiting Katy Perry’s Music When It Was Good...
When I was growing up, my twin sister and I listened to Teenage Dream nonstop. Katy Perry’s music wasn’t just catchy — it was our anthem. Her documentary, Katy Perry: Part of Me, had ten-year-old me absolutely floored in the theater. Watching Katy, then twenty-seven, strap on a peppermint dress, wipe away her tears, and perform for thousands felt baffling — and unforgettable. This testament to perseverance has stuck with me to this day…which is why it feels tragic to see a once-unstoppable pop icon now constantly caught in controversy.
There’s the legion of nuns who fought Katy in a legal battle over that Californian villa—the nun literally cursed Katy on her deathbed—and her more recent involvement working with Dr. Luke. There’s also the criticism of her most recent Lifetimes Tour, which is under fire for its usage of AI visuals. Then, there’s the whole space hullabaloo.
It’s easy to forget how beloved Katy Perry once was. So, let’s revisit a time when her music wasn’t divisive. Here are the best 5 tracks of Katy Perry’s early career:
Katy Perry needs to run a check over to @stefanb2000 over on TikTok for single-handedly reviving “Thinking of You” from the dead. Emphasizing each syllable in dramatic fashion, Stefan is onto something: there is a real satisfaction in Perry’s over-pronunciation of words. “You’re like an Indian summer in the middle of winter — like a hard candy with a surprise center,” is now forever ingrained in my lexicon.
While the original version of “The One That Got Away” is phenomenal, the acoustic version outsells. This track is pumped with nostalgia, yearning, and is timeless. There is also an undertone of desperation in Perry’s vocal delivery—it’s haunting.
Waking Up in Vegas is my favorite quintessential Katy Perry ‘pop’ song. When I was eight years old, this song was my everything. I had no recollection of what exactly it meant to get down in Vegas, but the track then, and now, makes you want to let loose. It’s fun, well-produced, and contains sharp lyrics.
I love the raw lyricism of “Circle the Drain.” It’s refreshingly explicit, a detachment from the watered-down gunk that is her latest album, 143. “You fall asleep during foreplay ‘cause the pills you take are more your forte—wanna be your lover, not your fuckin’ mother.”
The difference between Katy Perry during her One of the Boys era—and now—was her hunger for success. You can hear this authenticity in “If You Can Afford Me.” This is a fun pop song—one that feels more like a true feminist anthem than “Woman’s World.”
Honorable Mention: Cover of “Hackensack” for MTV Unplugged
This is my favorite Katy Perry song of all time. I implore everyone to listen to Perry’s EP with MTV Unplugged from 2009.
Curious about what Spencer is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/byspencerthomas
