Katy Perry has released many iconic singles in her career and she even holds the record for the most #1s on the Billboard Hot 100 from one album (Teenage Dream)! With so many singles to choose from, it’s hard to choose a favourite or even a top 5. So for this article, I decided to sit down and rank every single Katy Perry single. Yep, all 28! I’ll explain a few of my choices and my top 5, but you can see the whole ranking at the end.
“Harley’s in Hawaii” (#28), “Small Talk” (#24) and “Never Worn White” (#23)
Towards the end of 2019, Perry released many stand-alone singles, also known as a “droplet era.” While this sounds great and some artists release some of their best songs during this time, most of Perry’s droplets weren’t up to par with the rest of her music (most… you’ll see). “Harley’s in Hawaii” and “Small Talk” didn’t have that “wow factor” that most of Perry’s music has and “Never Worn White” is a ballad that Perry used to reveal her pregnancy, and while it isn’t a bad song, she has released much better ballads as singles.
“Daisies” (#18)
“Daisies” is the lead single off Perry’s next album, which is supposed to come out in August. The song is uplifting and its theme is similar to her previous singles like “Roar” and “Firework.” Although, the song is a bit basic and is definitely her weakest lead single. I am looking forward to seeing what Perry’s next project sounds like, especially after how experimental Witness was.
“Bon Appetit” (#27), “Save as Draft” (#26), “Swish Swish” (#20), “Hey Hey Hey” (#15) and “Chained to the Rhythm” (#9)
Notice a common theme with these singles? They’re all on Witness! Released in 2017, this was Perry’s most experimental album and wasn’t well-received critically. One thing that I noticed when I first listened to the album three years ago was that I thought that a lot of the album was better than the actual singles. Here’s a quick rundown on my thoughts of each single:
“Bon Appetit” is arguably one of her worst singles ever because of its cheesy double entendres and the verse from the rap group Migos.
“Save as Draft” is a lackluster ballad and I’m not sure why Perry’s team even chose to promote it.
“Swish Swish” is a fun dance-pop song which Nicki Minaj saved with her verse.
“Hey Hey Hey” is a feminist anthem and while it is empowering, it is a little forgetful.
“Chained to the Rhythm” features Skip Marley and is the strongest of all of Witness' singles. While I do think that her lead singles for her previous albums were stronger, I appreciate that Perry chose a politically charged song to start off the Witness era. She described the song as “purposeful pop” on Twitter.
Now, here are my top 5 Katy Perry singles:
5. “Hot n Cold” (One of the Boys)
“Hot n Cold” is about indecisiveness in a relationship and is the second single off One of the Boys. The production is fun and upbeat and it has stood the test of the time, as it was released in 2008. This song was a good choice for a single because it was a good way to introduce Katy Perry to the world, the production is upbeat and the lyrics are very relatable.
4. “I Kissed a Girl” (One of the Boys)
“I Kissed a Girl” is provocative pop-rock banger about - as the title suggests - kissing a girl and is the lead single off One of the Boys. This was the perfect debut single for Perry because not only is it a good song but it's also controversial, so people would definitely be talking about it. And it worked! The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks! Even though the song came out 12 years ago, it still feels fresh when I listen to it and I can guarantee that people will still be listening to it in another 12 years.
3. “California Gurls” (Teenage Dream)
“California Gurls” is about exactly what the title suggests, girls from California! When I think of Katy Perry, this song is what comes to mind: fun pop production, cheeky lyrics and an iconic music video. This song definitely showed Perry’s evolution since her debut album, which was more “rock-pop.” This song also peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and features California rapper Snoop Dogg. This was one of the first Katy Perry songs that I ever heard and I was immediately hooked.
2. “Never Really Over”
“Never Really Over” was released during Perry’s “droplet era” and is about not being able to get over a relationship. As I said earlier, most of Perry’s droplet singles were not up to par with the rest of her music, but “Never Really Over” is definitely an exception. This song is a classic pop song and is reminiscent of some Teenage Dream, but modernized. It was refreshing to hear Perry sing classic pop music after Witness, which was so experimental and not well-received overall. This song is criminally underrated and is not only one of my favourite singles by Perry but one of my favourite songs of all time.
1. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” (Teenage Dream)
“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” can be described as “an ode to partying heavily.” I know I’ve said this twice already but this is really quintessential Katy Perry. Produced by Max Martin, the production is impeccable and was fresh when it was released in 2010. Also, the music video goes with the song perfectly and I wish that I could’ve been on set when it was filmed! I feel like this song can be forgotten and overshadowed by “California Gurls” and “Firework” but it deserves so much recognition and it’s #1 peak on the Billboard Hot 100. Thank you, Katy Perry, for giving us this timeless bop!
Thank you for reading! Check out my full ranking below and Katy Perry’s artist page on Spotify and Apple Music.
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