The One That Got Away (Katy Perry song)
Encyclopedia
"The One That Got Away" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter
Katy Perry
. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke
, and Max Martin
. The latter two produced the song for Perry's third studio album
, Teenage Dream
(2010). The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love. It features a reference to the rock band Radiohead
and addresses the relationship of Johnny Cash
and June Carter Cash
to express the strength of the relationship.
"The One That Got Away" received mostly positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Katy's serious tone. The song was released in October 2011 by Capitol Records
as the sixth single from the album, and was followed by its Floria Sigismondi
-directed video, which premiered in November and featured actor Diego Luna
.
With the song entering the top 10, Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream
" becomes just the seventh album in the 53-year history of the Hot 100 to generate at least six top 10s. The song joins the set's first five singles, all of which reached No. 1: "California Gurls
", featuring Snoop Dogg
; "Teenage Dream
', "Firework
"; "E.T.
", featuring Kanye West
; and, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
".
, Capitol Records
confirmed to Billboard
that "The One That Got Away" would be the sixth single from Teenage Dream
. Perry said in a statement from the label:
Capitol Records said that they are not specifically releasing the song in hopes of it reaching number one and re-writing Hot 100 history, rather the decision came out of "Perry's fondness for the song, its ear-catching hook and her obvious track record of success at pop radio". EMI Music/Capitol Records EVP/marketing and promotion Greg Thompson told Billboard that, "if it goes to No. 1, that would be great, If not, we still have a Katy song on the radio in fourth quarter", presumably boosting sales for Teenage Dream in the Christmas season. The label serviced "The One That Got Away" to US mainstream top 40 stations on September 28, 2011, at noon ET.
On September 28, 2011, Katy Perry tweeted
the words "The One That Got Away... It's happening!!!", along with a picture of the official single artwork, via TwitPic
. The artwork shows a pink-haired Perry looking up at the sky while wearing a disc-shaped hat. The photo gives a whimsical nod to the 70s, with its distinctively retro appearance. Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush commented that the artwork shows Perry in a "deep thought and remembering the one that actually did get away from her."
and produced
by Dr. Luke and Max Martin. It is a midtempo dance-pop song positioned on the piece of E major and has a rhythm of 138 beats per minute
. Joanna Holcombe from Yahoo! Music
noted that the song is about first loves. Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly
, said that the song is "a midtempo ode to a summer-after-high-school love with whom she recalls sharing Mustang makeout sessions to Radiohead'". Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that in the song she and the guy get matching tattoos on her 18th birthday. Michael Wood from Spin magazine said that the song is one of the album's quieter cuts and that it recall(s) "Perry's singer-songwriter days at L.A.'s Hotel Café". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush said the most poignant lyrical declaration is when Perry sings: "Talk about our future / Like we had a clue", adding that the song most certainly pays homage to the feeling of being young and in love, with nothing ahead of you but possibility!", she concluded by saying that "there’s a wave of sadness' when Perry sings: "The oooooone / That got away". The song follows the chord progression of E–G#m–C#m–A and Perry's vocal range and spans two octave
s from B3 to E5. The song was built on a relentless drum beat and a music box melody which highlights Perry's breathy voice. Kitty Empire noticed that Perry's vocal is wistful throughout the song and that the references to June
and Johnny Cash
was unexpected. Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that when Perry sings, 'I was June, and you were my Johnny Cash,' "it's understood that she's thinking of the scrubbed-up Hollywood version of June and Johnny, from Walk the Line."
. Mikael Wood from Spin Magazine said that although "Perry delivers the gurl-gone-wild stuff with requisite sass", she actually "sounds more engaged on 'Not Like the Movies,' and 'The One That Got Away'. Similarly, Kitty Empire from The Guardian praised the collaboration, stating that Perry and Luke are at their most appealing in the song. In a similar note, Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone
, stated that Perry is more at home with the mall romance of "The One That Got Away". The same opinion was echoed by Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune
who felt that Perry sounds more invested in the more "serious" songs on the album, such as The One That Got Away. However, he added that it's as if Perry is "determined to balance the summer frothiness with a few shots of 'adult' earnestness". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the song three-and-a-half stars out of five, explaining that "it was wise of Perry’s label to release this particular song during the back-to-school period, since this tune will certainly appeal to high schoolers and college freshmen who are experiencing the very things Perry is singing about", adding that the song plays to Perry’s strengths. On the other hand, Ben Norman from About.com
criticized the song's tedious production and forgettable lyrics. He also added that the song is "a more boring version of 'Teenage Dream.'" Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly
was not satisfied with the selection of the song as the sixth single, noting that there are better songs on the album that could have been chosen instead. Robert Copsey of the website Digital Spy
awarded the song with four out of five stars and said:
told Billboard
that the video for "The One That Got Away" will be filmed "in the coming days". Perry started filming for the video on September 30, 2011. Filming ended on October 2, 2011. Mexican actor Diego Luna
plays Perry's boyfriend in the video. Photos from the set surfaced online, showing Perry as an old woman. She can be seen wearing a conservative long-sleeved dress as well as sporting gray hair and prosthetic face wrinkles. The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi
. The music video premiered on November 11, 2011.
On November 4, 2011, a teaser for the video was released, narrated by Stevie Nicks
. Nicks provides the voice of Perry as an old woman, speaking about the past and her desire to go back for one day. The video contains scenes of her and her past boyfriend (played by Diego Luna
) fighting, intertwined with scenes of them in love. She is later shown as a nostalgic, elderly woman, dressed conservatively and standing by a fence looking into the distance.
). They paint portraits of each other, dress up, and dance at a party. He gives her a tattoo with hot ink. These scenes are inter-cut with shots of the older Perry sadly reminiscing, as she sits on her bed at night. In the flashback, the younger Perry and her boyfriend are seen fighting, culminating in her splashing red paint on one of his elaborate paintings after he did the same to one of her paintings. He leaves angrily and drives away. The younger Perry appears to the older Perry in her bedroom: younger Perry sitting next to older Perry, both singing. The younger Perry is also shown in older Perry's closet, crying and singing. The angry boyfriend is seen driving; he opens the mirror above him and finds the veil of the dress Perry wore when partying. As he stares at it, he does not notice the large boulders on the road. He tries to avoid running into it and crashes off a cliff, the car going up in flames. The older Perry is seen standing at the cliffside where the car crashed, while Johnny Cash
's cover of "You Are My Sunshine
" plays in the background. The ghost of the painter appears and holds hands with older Perry, revealing matching wing tattoos on their hands. However, the song in the background is cut when the ghost vanishes, and the older Perry slowly walks away from the cliffside.
(1997) and Rihanna
's video
for "We Found Love
". Strecker also noted that the video was more "tragic" than he was expecting from Perry. Jessica Misener of The Huffington Post
gave a positive review towards the outfits in the video. Jocelyn Vena of MTV News said: "Katy Perry's moody, contemplative clip for 'The One That Got Away' perfectly encapsulates both the joy of falling in love and the heartbreak of letting go. It travels through time and space and recalls the story of Perry's one that got away." Consequence of Sound
's Chris Coplan called the video a "little more somber" than the videos Perry made for "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". Laura Schreffler of Daily Mail
noted that Perry is "showing a side of herself that she hasn't shown before" with the vulnerability and the "shocking, heartbreaking twist[s]."
.
.
A week later it went to number 55. In its third week it jumped to 34.
In its fourth week it jumped to 18. In its fifth week it jumped to 15. In its sixth week it entered the top 10 making Teenage Dream
one of only seven albums in Billboard's 53-year history to have six singles enter the top 10; the song jumped from #15 to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the sixth week the single jumped from #10 to #9; it has remained on the chart for 6 weeks since its debut on the chart.
. On October 12, 2011, Perry mashed
"The One That Got Away" with "Someone Like You
" during her headline show at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
, England
. On October 16, 2011, she also performed the song on the UK version of the The X Factor
. Perry performed the song at the American Music Awards
on November 20, 2011. Her AMA 2011 performance was followed by a lengthy standing ovation, and immediate presentation of a special award acknowledging Katy Perry as the only female to have five #1 singles from the same album.
Credits adapted from the Teenage Dream liner notes.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, and Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
. The latter two produced the song for Perry's third studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry album)
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. The album's inspiration came from dance, pop, and rock by 1980s artists, including ABBA and The Cardigans. Perry worked with several writers and producers on...
(2010). The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love. It features a reference to the rock band Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and addresses the relationship of Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
to express the strength of the relationship.
"The One That Got Away" received mostly positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented Katy's serious tone. The song was released in October 2011 by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as the sixth single from the album, and was followed by its Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
-directed video, which premiered in November and featured actor Diego Luna
Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
.
With the song entering the top 10, Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream
-Albums:*Teenage Dream , a 2000 remix album by IQU*Teenage Dream , a 2010 album by Katy Perry*Teenage Dream, a 1987 T...
" becomes just the seventh album in the 53-year history of the Hot 100 to generate at least six top 10s. The song joins the set's first five singles, all of which reached No. 1: "California Gurls
California Gurls
"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...
", featuring Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
; "Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010 through digital distribution. Perry and Bonnie McKee wrote many songs with a youthful theme in mind, but they were rejected by...
', "Firework
Firework (song)
"Firework" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was written by Katy Perry, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean, and produced by Stargate and Sandy Vee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream...
"; "E.T.
E.T. (song)
"E.T." is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry taken from her third studio album Teenage Dream . The song was written by Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, and Joshua Coleman, while the production was handled by Gottwald under his stage name Dr. Luke, Martin and Ammo. "E.T." was...
", featuring Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
; and, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
"Last Friday Night " is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was produced by Lukasz Gottwald and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night...
".
Background and artwork
On September 13, 2011, at the New York City's Irving PlazaIrving Plaza
Irving Plaza is a 1,200-person ballroom-style music venue at 17 Irving Place and East 15th Street in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
, Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
confirmed to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
that "The One That Got Away" would be the sixth single from Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry album)
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. The album's inspiration came from dance, pop, and rock by 1980s artists, including ABBA and The Cardigans. Perry worked with several writers and producers on...
. Perry said in a statement from the label:
Capitol Records said that they are not specifically releasing the song in hopes of it reaching number one and re-writing Hot 100 history, rather the decision came out of "Perry's fondness for the song, its ear-catching hook and her obvious track record of success at pop radio". EMI Music/Capitol Records EVP/marketing and promotion Greg Thompson told Billboard that, "if it goes to No. 1, that would be great, If not, we still have a Katy song on the radio in fourth quarter", presumably boosting sales for Teenage Dream in the Christmas season. The label serviced "The One That Got Away" to US mainstream top 40 stations on September 28, 2011, at noon ET.
On September 28, 2011, Katy Perry tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
the words "The One That Got Away... It's happening!!!", along with a picture of the official single artwork, via TwitPic
Twitpic
TwitPic is a website that allows users to easily post pictures to the Twitter microblogging and social media service. TwitPic is often used by citizen journalists to upload and distribute pictures in near real-time as an event is taking place.-History:...
. The artwork shows a pink-haired Perry looking up at the sky while wearing a disc-shaped hat. The photo gives a whimsical nod to the 70s, with its distinctively retro appearance. Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush commented that the artwork shows Perry in a "deep thought and remembering the one that actually did get away from her."
Composition and writing
"The One That Got Away" was written by Perry, Lukasz Gottwald and Max MartinMax Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Dr. Luke and Max Martin. It is a midtempo dance-pop song positioned on the piece of E major and has a rhythm of 138 beats per minute
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. Joanna Holcombe from Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
noted that the song is about first loves. Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, said that the song is "a midtempo ode to a summer-after-high-school love with whom she recalls sharing Mustang makeout sessions to Radiohead'". Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that in the song she and the guy get matching tattoos on her 18th birthday. Michael Wood from Spin magazine said that the song is one of the album's quieter cuts and that it recall(s) "Perry's singer-songwriter days at L.A.'s Hotel Café". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush said the most poignant lyrical declaration is when Perry sings: "Talk about our future / Like we had a clue", adding that the song most certainly pays homage to the feeling of being young and in love, with nothing ahead of you but possibility!", she concluded by saying that "there’s a wave of sadness' when Perry sings: "The oooooone / That got away". The song follows the chord progression of E–G#m–C#m–A and Perry's vocal range and spans two octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s from B3 to E5. The song was built on a relentless drum beat and a music box melody which highlights Perry's breathy voice. Kitty Empire noticed that Perry's vocal is wistful throughout the song and that the references to June
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
was unexpected. Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that when Perry sings, 'I was June, and you were my Johnny Cash,' "it's understood that she's thinking of the scrubbed-up Hollywood version of June and Johnny, from Walk the Line."
Critical reception
Kerri Mason from Billboard described the song as "delectable", noting that it has more texture than anything on Perry's previous album, One of the BoysOne of the Boys (Katy Perry album)
One of the Boys is the second studio album by American recording artist Katy Perry and her major-label debut. Her change in record label and adoption of a pseudonymous surname accompanies a notable shift from the Christian gospel rock of her self-titled debut album. The album was released on June...
. Mikael Wood from Spin Magazine said that although "Perry delivers the gurl-gone-wild stuff with requisite sass", she actually "sounds more engaged on 'Not Like the Movies,' and 'The One That Got Away'. Similarly, Kitty Empire from The Guardian praised the collaboration, stating that Perry and Luke are at their most appealing in the song. In a similar note, Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, stated that Perry is more at home with the mall romance of "The One That Got Away". The same opinion was echoed by Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
who felt that Perry sounds more invested in the more "serious" songs on the album, such as The One That Got Away. However, he added that it's as if Perry is "determined to balance the summer frothiness with a few shots of 'adult' earnestness". Amy Sciarretto of PopCrush gave the song three-and-a-half stars out of five, explaining that "it was wise of Perry’s label to release this particular song during the back-to-school period, since this tune will certainly appeal to high schoolers and college freshmen who are experiencing the very things Perry is singing about", adding that the song plays to Perry’s strengths. On the other hand, Ben Norman from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
criticized the song's tedious production and forgettable lyrics. He also added that the song is "a more boring version of 'Teenage Dream.'" Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
was not satisfied with the selection of the song as the sixth single, noting that there are better songs on the album that could have been chosen instead. Robert Copsey of the website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
awarded the song with four out of five stars and said:
Background
On September 28, 2011, Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
told Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
that the video for "The One That Got Away" will be filmed "in the coming days". Perry started filming for the video on September 30, 2011. Filming ended on October 2, 2011. Mexican actor Diego Luna
Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
plays Perry's boyfriend in the video. Photos from the set surfaced online, showing Perry as an old woman. She can be seen wearing a conservative long-sleeved dress as well as sporting gray hair and prosthetic face wrinkles. The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
. The music video premiered on November 11, 2011.
On November 4, 2011, a teaser for the video was released, narrated by Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
. Nicks provides the voice of Perry as an old woman, speaking about the past and her desire to go back for one day. The video contains scenes of her and her past boyfriend (played by Diego Luna
Diego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
) fighting, intertwined with scenes of them in love. She is later shown as a nostalgic, elderly woman, dressed conservatively and standing by a fence looking into the distance.
Synopsis
The video was released on November 11, 2011. It begins with an old Katy Perry at a modernistic home with who is presumably her husband. She makes herself a cup of coffee and thinks about the past when the song begins. As she sits on her bed, it cuts back to a younger Perry with her boyfriend, an artist (played by Diego LunaDiego Luna
Diego Luna is a Mexican actor known for his childhood telenovela work, a starring role in the film Y tu mamá también, and supporting roles in American films. He is also known for his roles in Rudo y Cursi and Milk. Luna also had minor roles in Frida and Before Night Falls...
). They paint portraits of each other, dress up, and dance at a party. He gives her a tattoo with hot ink. These scenes are inter-cut with shots of the older Perry sadly reminiscing, as she sits on her bed at night. In the flashback, the younger Perry and her boyfriend are seen fighting, culminating in her splashing red paint on one of his elaborate paintings after he did the same to one of her paintings. He leaves angrily and drives away. The younger Perry appears to the older Perry in her bedroom: younger Perry sitting next to older Perry, both singing. The younger Perry is also shown in older Perry's closet, crying and singing. The angry boyfriend is seen driving; he opens the mirror above him and finds the veil of the dress Perry wore when partying. As he stares at it, he does not notice the large boulders on the road. He tries to avoid running into it and crashes off a cliff, the car going up in flames. The older Perry is seen standing at the cliffside where the car crashed, while Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
's cover of "You Are My Sunshine
You Are My Sunshine
"You Are My Sunshine" is a popular song first recorded in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana as a result of its association with former state governor and country music singer Jimmie Davis. The song is copyright 1940 Peer International Corporation, words and music by...
" plays in the background. The ghost of the painter appears and holds hands with older Perry, revealing matching wing tattoos on their hands. However, the song in the background is cut when the ghost vanishes, and the older Perry slowly walks away from the cliffside.
Reception
Jillian Mapes of Billboard commented that the video was "beautifully-shot" and praised the interesting plot. A writer of Rolling Stone wrote: "It's a cute clip for a sweet song, but the heavy-handed aging makeup is hard to get over." Entertainment Weeklys Erin Strecker compared the video with TitanicTitanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
(1997) and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's video
We Found Love (video)
"We Found Love" is a music video for the song of the same name by Rihanna, directed by Melina Matsoukas.- Development :The music video for "We Found Love" was shot on September 26, 27 and 28, 2011, in County Down, Northern Ireland...
for "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
". Strecker also noted that the video was more "tragic" than he was expecting from Perry. Jessica Misener of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
gave a positive review towards the outfits in the video. Jocelyn Vena of MTV News said: "Katy Perry's moody, contemplative clip for 'The One That Got Away' perfectly encapsulates both the joy of falling in love and the heartbreak of letting go. It travels through time and space and recalls the story of Perry's one that got away." Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
's Chris Coplan called the video a "little more somber" than the videos Perry made for "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". Laura Schreffler of Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
noted that Perry is "showing a side of herself that she hasn't shown before" with the vulnerability and the "shocking, heartbreaking twist[s]."
Extended version
A seven-minute extended version of the video was shown on November 11, 2011, exclusively at select advance screenings of the motion picture My Week with MarilynMy Week with Marilyn
My Week with Marilyn is a British drama film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dougray Scott, Judi Dench and Emma Watson. Based on two books by Colin Clark, it depicts the making of the 1957 film The Prince and the...
.
Chart performance
"The One That Got Away" debuted at number 87 in Australia on the week ending October 10, 2011. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 40 and has since peaked at number 23. On the week ending October 16, 2011, the song debuted at number 94 on Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
A week later it went to number 55. In its third week it jumped to 34.
In its fourth week it jumped to 18. In its fifth week it jumped to 15. In its sixth week it entered the top 10 making Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry album)
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. The album's inspiration came from dance, pop, and rock by 1980s artists, including ABBA and The Cardigans. Perry worked with several writers and producers on...
one of only seven albums in Billboard's 53-year history to have six singles enter the top 10; the song jumped from #15 to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the sixth week the single jumped from #10 to #9; it has remained on the chart for 6 weeks since its debut on the chart.
Live performances
"The One That Got Away" is part of the setlist of Perry's worldwide 2011 concert tour, California Dreams TourCalifornia Dreams Tour
California Dreams Tour is the second concert tour by American pop singer Katy Perry, in support of her third studio album Teenage Dream. Beginning February 2011, the tour will visit Europe, Australasia, Asia and the Americas...
. On October 12, 2011, Perry mashed
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
"The One That Got Away" with "Someone Like You
Someone Like You (Adele song)
"Someone Like You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele. Written by Adele and Dan Wilson for her second studio album 21, the song was inspired by a broken relationship of hers, and lyrically it speaks of Adele coming to terms with it...
" during her headline show at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. On October 16, 2011, she also performed the song on the UK version of the The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. Perry performed the song at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2011
The 39th American Music Awards was held on November 20, 2011 , at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles . The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 2011. Nominees were announced on October 11, 2011. The awards ceremony was host-free...
on November 20, 2011. Her AMA 2011 performance was followed by a lengthy standing ovation, and immediate presentation of a special award acknowledging Katy Perry as the only female to have five #1 singles from the same album.
Track listing
- Digital download
- "The One That Got Away" – 3:47
- Promo - CD single
- "The One That Got Away" – 3:49
- "The One That Got Away" (Instrumental) – 3:49
- Remixes - promo - digital
- "The One That Got Away" (7th Heaven Club Mix) – 8:03
- "The One That Got Away" (7th Heaven Dub Mix) – 6:04
- "The One That Got Away" (7th Heaven Mixshow Edit) – 5:51
- "The One That Got Away" (7th Heaven Radio Mix) – 4:27
- "The One That Got Away" (JRMX Club Mix) – 8:12
- "The One That Got Away" (JRMX Mixshow Edit) – 6:31
- "The One That Got Away" (JRMX Radio Edit) – 4:19
- "The One That Got Away" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Peak Hour Club Mix) – 5:44
- "The One That Got Away" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Mixshow Edit) – 4:43
- "The One That Got Away" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Radio Edit) – 3:53
- "The One That Got Away" (Jon Dixon Radio Edit) - 3:45
Personnel
- SongwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
– Katy PerryKaty PerryKaty Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Lukasz Gottwald, Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,... - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Lukasz Gottwald, Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,... - VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
– Katy Perry
Credits adapted from the Teenage Dream liner notes.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
7 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... ) |
79 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... ) |
25 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
9 |
| US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
16 |
| US Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
8 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
13 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | October 4, 2011 | CHR Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... , Nights, AC airplay |
| United States/Canada | October 11, 2011 | Mainstream Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... and Rhythmic Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... airplay |
| October 31, 2011 | Hot/Modern/AC airplay | |
| United Kingdom | December 4, 2011 | Digital Remixes EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... |
| United States | December 6, 2011 |