Katy Perry’s Top 10 Songs

Katy Perry has been an exemplification of the 21st century pop star since the day she debuted as one in 2008. With a trio of chart-topping albums and nine behemoth No. 1 hits to her name, the singer has crafted the sound of the millennium.

This spring, the superstar will hit the road for KATY PERRY — THE LIFETIMES TOUR, her first North American trek since 2018. Before that, dive into our picks for the 10 best songs in Perry’s discography.

10. “Hot N Cold”

As Perry’s sophomore single, “Hot N Cold” proved the newly-christened pop star was destined to become much more than a one-hit wonder. Pivoting from the flirtatious overtures of her debut, the singer let loose on the followup by putting an unreliable love interest on blast.

While Perry delivers blow after blow on verses filled with blunt-force lyrical insults, the track’s hook remains a slice of see-sawing pop perfection as she gleefully wails, “‘Cause you’re hot, then you’re cold/ You’re yes, then you’re no/ You’re in, then you’re out/ You’re up, then you’re down!”

9. “The One That Got Away”

As the final single off 2010’s Teenage Dream, “The One That Got Away” capped off the era that turned Perry into a global superstar. With a swoon-worthy sense of longing, the singer unfurled the tale of a love affair that’s impossible to get over — even enlisting Diego Luna as her doomed other half in the song’s music video.

Wistful verses play out as a scrapbook of memories: matching tattoos on an 18th birthday and making out to Radiohead in the back of a Mustang, before Perry admits in a stroke of lyrical genius, “It’s time to face the music/ I’m no longer your muse.” The love song ultimately peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 following the pop star’s five consecutive chart-toppers off Teenage Dream, making for yet another Top 10 hit for the star.

8. “Small Talk”

Real talk: “Small Talk” is a banger. Released in the summer of 2019, the track rather perfectly captures the uncomfortable whiplash of running into an old flame with a string of unfiltered lyrics like, “Isn’t it weird that you’ve seen me naked/ We had conversations ‘bout forever/ Now it’s about the weather, okay…”

Featuring co-writing and production credits from Charlie Puth (along with Jacob Kasher and Johan Carlsson), “Small Talk” was part of the 1-2-3 punch of truly top-tier singles that got KatyCats amped for the singer’s sixth studio album. But by the time Smile was released more than a year later, the song had been relegated to bonus track status on select international and fan editions of the project, leaving it as a glittering deep cut among Perry’s litany of pop smashes.

7. “Dark Horse” feat. Juicy J

Perry dipped a toe into the trap-pop trend for “Dark Horse,” the third single off 2013’s Prism. Over chilly, atmospheric production, the superstar brags, “So you wanna play with magic?/ Boy, you should know what you’re fallin’ for/ Baby, do you dare to do this? ‘Cause I’m comin’ at you like a dark horse” before the beat drops for a dark, instrumental hook.

The Juicy J collab — with its silly, snack food-packed music video starring Perry as an insatiable Egyptian queen — turned out to be far more than a dark horse in the singer’s extensive catalog, spending four weeks atop the Hot 100 in the winter of 2014 and becoming the ninth (and, as of press time, most recent) No. 1 hit of her career.

6. “I Kissed a Girl”

Back in 2008, Perry soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks with her debut single, which just so happened to be a cherry chapstick-flavored bisexual anthem. “This was never the way I planned/ Not my intention,” the newcomer swore with a twinkle in her eye.

Naturally, the coy come-on set the internet ablaze with declarations like, “You’re my experimental game/ Just human nature/ It’s not what good girls do/ Not how they should behave.” Thankfully, the much-discussed subject matter of the song only helped Perry assert her status as a promising talent with a long and successful career ahead of her. As the newly-crowned pop star belts out on the bridge, “Ain’t no big deal, it’s innocent!”

5. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”

Not only did “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” introduce fans to Perry’s alter ego Kathy Beth Terry, it proved she knows how to throw one heck of a party. The peppy track provides the perfect soundtrack to a weekend rager, with synth-drenched snapshots of BBQ’d Barbie dolls, streaking in the park and maybe even an arrest warrant or two.

The song’s lively music video only added to the gleeful revelry, featuring cameos by Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Rebecca Black, Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman and a saxophone solo by Kenny G. “Last Friday Night” became a crowning achievement in 2011 when it became the fifth consecutive No. 1 single off Teenage Dream — tying a record Michael Jackson had set in 1987 with Bad.

4. “Firework”

Arguably the most uplifting number in Perry’s catalog, “Firework” gave legions of KatyCats an adrenaline rush of warm fuzzies when it was released as Teenage Dream’s third single in October 2010.

The anthem’s opening line of, “Have you ever felt like a plastic bag?” has become canonical across social media by this point, but its poignant message goes much deeper than a discarded grocery sack at the mercy of the wind. “You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine/ Just own the night like the Fourth of July,” she promises over the swell of orchestral strings and a thumping EDM beat, reminding a generation of listeners of their inherent, one-of-a-kind worth.

3. “California Gurls” feat. Snoop Dogg

Perry’s ode to the Golden State kicked off the rollout for Teenage Dream on a wave of candy-coated bliss celebrating the quintessential California babe — Daisy Dukes and bikini tops included. Santa Barbara native and co-writer Bonnie McKee penned the song in response to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind,” and who better to help pay tribute to California than Snoop Dogg?

The song (which reigned atop the Hot 100 for six weeks) and its Candy Land-themed music video became instant cornerstones of Perry’s brand and iconography. Who can forget the image of the pop star in her now-unforgettable blue wig or lounging naked in the candy cane clouds? By the time she fired streams of whipped cream from her bra to vanquish Snoop’s army of angry gummy bears in the closing chorus, Perry had made it clear that nothing truly comes close to the Golden Coast.

2. “Never Really Over”

Perry went on a journey of self-love and rediscovery following her 2017 album Witness, and nowhere is her healing more evident than in “Never Really Over” — a kinetic, gargantuan pop anthem that takes direct inspiration from Norwegian singer Dagny’s 2017 single “Love You Like That.”

Featuring production from “365” collaborator Zedd, the track showcases Perry at her most powerful, with reflective verses giving way to a saturated, staccato chorus that’ll quickly have anyone listening breathlessly belting out, “Justbecauseit’soverdoesn’tmeanit’sreallyover!” Ultimately, the song reached the Top 15 of the Hot 100, but more importantly, it helped Perry re-establish her status as a resilient pop force who’d never be down and out for long.

1. “Teenage Dream”

More than a decade on, the crown jewel of Perry’s career is what pop music dreams are made of. “Teenage Dream” wraps the singer’s giddy, lovestruck confessions in a soundscape of gauzy guitar riffs and booming production as she promises, “I’mma get your heart racing in my skintight jeans/ Be your teenage dream tonight.”

As the title track to her Diamond-certified sophomore album, the song became not only the soundtrack to the summer of 2010, but a defining time capsule of 2010s pop at its best. At once retro and modern, “Teenage Dream” remains a timeless testament to Perry’s pop star prowess — giving voice to the thrill of finding a life-changing love, no matter how young or old.

Tickets and VIP Packages for KATY PERRY — THE LIFETIMES TOUR are available now on Ticketmaster.