This song is about young romance and the intoxicating feeling of hormone-driven lust.
Despite the title, “Teenage Dream” isn’t a song about what it’s like to live through your teenage years. Instead, it’s a pop jam about the intoxication that comes with the hormone-induced pursuit of freedom and the unadulterated rawness of the fantasies and desires that come with youth.
“Teenage Dream” v. “Teen Dream”
The song suffered a slight controversy when Beach House, the space-pop outfit from Baltimore, accused Katy of stealing their title idea. Beach House had just released “Teen Dream,” the LP for which they’d gotten the most attention.
So when Katy Perry released her song and album both titled “Teenage Dream” just six months later, Beach House took to Twitter and expressed their displeasure. They even mused sarcastically whether they should pen a song titled “i kiss a girl” to keep with the soundalike trend.
Most critics and fans seem to agree that there was no intentional plagiarism or stealing of anyone’s thunder. The two concepts are quite general and prevalent, especially in this genre of music. It seems natural to pair them together, so it’s not unimaginable or even surprising that two different artists would come up with similar titles for their albums.
Of the title, Katy Perry said in an interview, “I decided to name the record that because when you’re growing up and you’re falling in love for the first time, it’s such an amazing feeling that sometimes you can’t recycle again later on in your life. And for me, being in love now, it’s kind of the same feeling, like having that teenage dream, that teenage love. And I want people to kind of, I guess, in a way, think of me as that pin-up poster in their room, or hopefully I can invade their dreams and be their teenage dreams.”
Katy also revealed a bit about the songwriting process in that interview: “It was really exciting to finish that song because literally, it probably took four or five different versions of the song. We had to rewrite the chorus of ‘Teenage Dream’ until it felt, like, totally perfect. Like, it felt like it moved you and you wanted to kind of just release, let go and dance and have that euphoric feeling of having a teenage love all over again.”
A Teenage Love Story
“You think I’m pretty without any makeup on / You think I’m funny when I tell the punch line wrong”
In the opening lines of the first verse, Katy literally sings the praises of her special someone, who has let her know she doesn’t need any cosmetics to enhance her beauty. He’s also made it known to her that he’s not critical of her sense of humor or joke-telling ability. It’s clear that the one she’s singing about sees something special in her.
“I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down / Before you met me, I was alright / But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life / Now every February, you’ll be my Valentine, Valentine”
Katy’s character has allowed herself to be vulnerable with this special person, who has taken the time and effort to show that he understands and relates to her in a deeply personal way. Prior to their relationship, things were only so-so for her; now, all that has changed. The reference to Valentine’s Day easily conjures a highly teenage-centric scene.
In the pre-chorus, we hear:
“Let’s go all the way tonight / No regrets, just love / We can dance until we die / You and I, we’ll be young forever”
The most obvious way to read the first line in this stanza is that she’s ready to have sex with this person and take their relationship to the next level. She could also mean that she wants them to fully lose themselves to the night. She wants to eliminate all inhibitions with this person, and she even feels like they’ll never grow old because their love will keep them in their youth.
But it’s hard to argue with what Katy Perry meant by “Let’s go all the way tonight” once we get to the closing lines:
“I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans / Be your teenage dream tonight / Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans / Be your teenage dream tonight”
Lyrics
You think I’m pretty without any makeup on
You think I’m funny when I tell the punch line wrong
I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down
Before you met me
I was alright, but things were kinda heavy
You brought me to life, now every February
You’ll be my Valentine, Valentine
Let’s go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance, until we die
You and I, will be young forever
You make me
Feel like I’m livin’ a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can’t sleep
Let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back
My heart stops
When you look at me, just one touch
Now, baby, I believe this is real
So take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back
We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach
Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets
I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece
I’m complete
Let’s go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I, will be young forever
You make me
Feel like I’m livin’ a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can’t sleep
Let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back
My heart stops
When you look at me, just one touch
Now baby I believe this is real
So take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back
I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
(Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight)
You make me
Feel like I’m livin’ a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can’t sleep
Let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back (no)
My heart stops
When you look at me, just one touch
Now, baby, I believe this is real (oh)
So take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back
I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
(Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight)
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Simon Bishop
Teenage Dream lyrics © When I’m Rich You’ll Be My Bitch, Prescription Songs, Bonnie Mckee Music, Where Da Kasz At?, Mxm Music Ab, Kasz Money Publishing, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd., Songs Of Pulse Recordings, Songs Of Pulse Recording, Dtcm Blvd
