Hey Hey Hey
"Hey Hey Hey" | |
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Song |
"Hey Hey Hey" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry for her fifth studio album Witness (2017). It was sent to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on January 12, 2018, by Universal Music Group as the record's fourth single. It was written by Perry, Sia Furler, Sarah Hudson, Max Martin and Ali Payami, while production was handled by the latter two. "Hey Hey Hey" is a rock and electronica-influenced dark dream pop and electropop song; lyrically, it focuses on themes of female empowerment. Reviewers also noted that the track revolves around the 2016 United States presidential election nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Music critics gave mixed reviews of "Hey Hey Hey", praising it as one of the highlights on Witness, while others deemed it mediocre and felt it was a failed attempt at duplicating the success of Perry's older hits. It was also compared to the works of American singer Britney Spears and New Zealand recording artist Lorde. To accompany the track, a music video was uploaded onto Perry's official YouTube account on December 20, 2017. Filmed by Isaac Rentz in Beverly Hills, California, it is set in the 18th century and the Ancien Régime, with the singer's outfits resembling those of the last Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and French heroine Joan of Arc. For further promotion, "Hey Hey Hey" was aided by several live performances, including during her concert tour Witness: The Tour (2017–2018) and four-day YouTube live stream Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide (2017). Commercially, the song appeared on charts in New Zealand and Sweden.
Recording and composition
"Hey Hey Hey" was recorded at the MXM Studios in Los Angeles, California and Stockholm, Sweden, and at Wolf Cousins Studios in the latter location. It was mixed at the MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia by Serban Ghenea and John Hanes, and mastered at the Sterling Sound in New York City, New York by Randy Merrill. It was written by Katy Perry, Sia Furler, Sarah Hudson, Max Martin and Ali Payami, and produced by Martin and Payami. The latter also provided percussion, bass, synths and piano, while Martin was only credited for percussion. Cory Bice and Jeremy Lertola both served as engineer assistants, and Peter Karlsson was credited as a vocal producer. Lead and background vocals for "Hey Hey Hey" are sung by Perry, with Astrid S acting as an additional background vocalist. The song is placed at number two on the track list of Witness (2017), Perry's fifth studio album.[1]
Musically, "Hey Hey Hey" is a rock and electronica-influenced[2][3] dark dream pop and "2000s" electropop song.[3][4] It lyrically "asserts that women can be complex people with a multitude of personality traits" and deals with themes of female empowerment.[2][5] Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club wrote: "the song depicts a narrow version of femininity and success — lipstick and a dress, and being rich, respectively — and it perpetuates irksome stereotypes about strong women".[5] Lyrics from "Hey Hey Hey" include: "A hot little hurricane/'Cause I'm feminine and soft, but I'm still a boss, yeah/Red lipstick but still so raw, yeah/ [...] I smell like a rose and I pierce like a thorn", and "I ain't got no strings/I'm no one's little puppet".[2][5][6] Throughout the recording, Perry denies "she's a fragile little Faberge",[7] and refers to herself as "a seasoned PR pro".[8] NME writer Leonie Cooper noted the line: "Marilyn Monroe in a monster truck" as "retro-meets-trashy" and Lana Del Rey-influenced.[9]
Critical reception
Upon its release, "Hey Hey Hey" was met with mixed reviews by music critics. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised Perry for being "at her most effective and comfortable".[2] Idolator writer Mike Wass positively likened the track to material from American singer Britney Spears' seventh studio album Femme Fatale (2011), and called it a highlight on Witness.[3] Although noting the formulaic production of "Hey Hey Hey", Andy Gill of The Independent also pointed out the song as one of the best on the album.[7] Cooper of NME compared the recording's "languid, spacious sound" to the works of New Zealand singer Lorde.[9] Other reviewers noticed that "Hey Hey Hey" dealt with the 2016 United States presidential election nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, with Perry taking side with the latter.[4][6] Zaleski of The A.V. Club was negative towards the track, calling it "galling" and "particularly oblivious". She noted that the line, "'Cause I'm feminine and soft, but I'm still a boss, yeah", was not in concordance with the "not [...] warm or relatable" Clinton, which Perry supported on multiple occasions.[5] Los Angeles Times's Mikael Wood negatively wrote: "'Hey Hey Hey' plays like a weak attempt to duplicate the success of her uplifting 2013 smash 'Roar,' this time with a paper-thin tune and clunky words."[10] Fabian Gorsler from Highsnobiety referred to the single as "underwhelming".[11]
Music video
Production and release
An accompanying music video for "Hey Hey Hey" was uploaded onto Perry's official YouTube channel on December 20, 2017,[12] with a behind-the-scenes video premiering on January 4, 2018 on the same platform.[13] When posting the clip on her Instagram, the singer added the caption: "After a year of peaks and valleys (remember, it's all a journey), I wanted to end 2017 with a fun, triumphant piece of pop candy. Just think of it as a glam little stocking stuffer from me to you. 'Hey Hey Hey' is one of my favorite songs from "Witness" and for me, it embodies the fighting spirit I always want you to be able to find within yourself, and to see in me."[14] Prior to this, Perry began teasing the music video for "Hey Hey Hey" with a series of last Queen of France Marie Antoinette-themed pictures of herself.[15]
The visual was filmed in Beverly Hills, California by Isaac Rentz, while Nina Dluhy-Miller and Danny Lockwood acted as its producers. Six backup dancers were hired, with Megan Lawson credited as their choreographer. During the aforementioned behind-the-scenes video, Perry resumed the clip's message: "You don't have to be just one thing if you're a woman, you can be all things. And just 'cause you're vulnerable does not make you weak".[12][13][16] Reviewers noted the music video to take place in the 18th century and Ancien Régime,[14][17] while also incorporating modern elements.[16] During the clip, Perry wears a sculptural blonde wig with curls and resembles the looks of French heroine Joan of Arc and Antoinette.[14][18][19] Joey Nolfi of Entertainment Weekly found similarities in the singer's warderobe to Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette.[20]
Synopsis
The clip opens with a shot of a castle and one of its French-inspired hallways.[18] Laying in her bed in one of the rooms, Perry is awakened by the sound of a royal court's early morning horn (played by three women),[20] and is given a brown drink ("Napoleon's Coffee"[19]) and her smartphone, where she video communicates with 'Prince Piggy' (played by Tad Brown[13]) regarding their date. The three aforementioned women are then cleaning her underwear, lacing her corset and practicing walking with books on her head, among other activities. Perry, seemingly overwhelmed, falls down and sees a book titled "JOAN!", with its cover displaying a female warrior. The video subsequently transitions to a scene where the singer holds a sword in her hands and wears a multicolored dress with an eye placed on her breast. She performs choreography with three fellow female background dancers and wildly eats cake with them.
Following this, a shot at Perry and 'Prince Piggy''s date is shown, with the latter making advances toward her (including arranging his vegetables on his plate to DTF).[11][20] Disgusted, Perry seeks the advice of her friend 'Lord Markus' on her phone, who tells her to "get out of there!". In another transition, the singer fights with 'Prince Piggy' in a video game theme, eventually beating him. Returning to the video's main plot, Perry and the prince dance together and watch a puppetry, with the latter attempting to kiss the singer. For slapping him, Perry gets decapitated, but her head is picked up by the other version of the singer wearing a multicolored dress, shown in earlier shots, who appears at the place.[21] The clip ends with Perry running towards the prince and his servants with her sword.[12]
Reception
Critics gave mixed reviews of the music video upon its premiere. Nina Braca from Billboard called it "triumphant",[14] while The Malay Mail noted it was "humorous",[16] and Nolfi from Entertainment Weekly deemed it as "candy-colored".[20] Direct Lyrics' Kevin Apaza wrote: "We totally dug this video. We liked the high budget, all the perfect details, the deep message conveyed, and of course Katy's humor too."[21] Ross McNeilage from MTV UK similarly praised the video, pointing out its "high-concept" and stating: "The [...] singer's visual treatment brings the lyrics to life, highlighting its themes of resilience with a fitting storyline. Despite the serious undertones of defiance, the video is jam-packed with Katy's goofy humour throughout and doesn't take itself too seriously at all."[22] Evan Jorssen of NRJ likened the three women seen in the clip accompanying Perry to the 1993 American comedy horror fantasy film Hocus Pocus and to the 1899 French film Cendrillon,[23] with Julien Goncalves of Pure Charts comparing parts of the video's concept to Madonna's live performance of "Vogue" (1990) at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.[18] In a negative review, Highsnobiety's Gorsler wrote: "The visuals are, to put it kindly, less than stellar, with over-the-top production and a lavishly nonsensical plot making the music video one of the weirdest things to come out this year. But all that is to be expected from an artist like Katy Perry, who is famous for her eccentricity." He further criticized the heavy product placement and the use of an air horn rap trumpet sound in the clip's beginning, which "sound[s] like Katy Perry spent a little too much time playing around with Virtual DJ".[11] Vice magazine also slightly criticized the product placement sequences.[19]
Live performances
Perry promoted "Hey Hey Hey" with several live performances. The singer included the song during the closing segment of her Witness: The Tour (2017–2018) concert tour, where she performed it on a Tron-like motorcycle.[18][24][25] Perry also sang the track durig her four-day YouTube live stream Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide (2017),[26] at the Glastonbury Festival near Pilton, Somerset, England on June 24,[27] and for British radio station Kiss on June 26, 2017 in an acoustic approach.[28]
Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of Witness.[1]
Recording
- Recorded at MXM Studios (Los Angeles, California), MXM Studios (Stockholm, Sweden) and Wolf Cousins Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
- Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
Personnel
- Katy Perry – songwriting, lead vocals, background vocals
- Max Martin – songwriting, production for MXM Productions, programming, percussion, Max's tooth
- Sia Furler – songwriting
- Ali Payami – songwriting, production for Wolf Cousins Productions, programming, percussion, bass, synths, piano
- Sarah Hudson – songwriting
- Astrid S – background vocals
- Sam Holland – engineering
- Cory Bice – engineering assistant
- Jeremy Lertola – engineering assistant
- Peter Karlsson – vocal editing
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- John Hanes – mixing engineering
- Randy Merrill – mastering
Charts
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
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New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[29] | 5 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 95 |
Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Italy[31] | January 12, 2018 | Contemporary hit radio | Universal |
United Kingdom[32] | TBA | — |
References
- ^ a b Witness (CD). Katy Perry. Capitol Records. 2017. p. 1,3,14. 060255769935.
{{cite AV media notes}}
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d Cinquemani, Sal (June 8, 2017). "Katy Perry: Witness". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ a b c Wass, Mike (June 9, 2017). "Katy Perry's 'Witness': Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ a b Davies, Hannah J. (June 8, 2017). "Katy Perry: Witness review – edgy, new-look Perry keeps melodic flair". The Guardian. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Zaleski, Annie (June 9, 2017). "Katy Perry runs away from her strengths on the pop slog Witness". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ a b O'Donnell, Kevin (June 8, 2017). "Katy Perry Is Reflective, Anxious, and Fired Up On 'Witness': EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (June 7, 2017). "Album reviews: Sufjan Stevens, London Grammar, Katy Perry, and more". The Independent. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Willman, Chris (June 8, 2017). "Album Review: Katy Perry's 'Witness'". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Cooper, Leonie (June 9, 2017). "Katy Perry – 'Witness' Review". NME. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (June 7, 2017). "Review Katy Perry is a woman of many minds on 'Witness'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c Gorsler, Fabian (December 21, 2017). "The 4 Most WTF Moments in Katy Perry's Weird New "Hey Hey Hey" Video". Highsnobiety. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Katy Perry – Hey Hey Hey (Official)". YouTube. December 20, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Katy Perry – Making Of "Hey Hey Hey" Music Video". YouTube. January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Braca, Nina (December 20, 2017). "Katy Perry Goes Joan of Arc for Triumphant 'Hey Hey Hey' Video". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 20, 2017). "Katy Perry Teases Marie Antoinette-Style 'Hey Hey Hey' Video". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ a b c "Watch Katy Perry's video for 'Hey Hey Hey'". The Malay Mail. December 23, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Rice, Nicholas (January 4, 2018). "Katy Perry Releases Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of Her 'Hey Hey Hey' Video". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ a b c d Goncalves, Julien (December 21, 2017). "Clip "Hey Hey Hey" : Katy Perry se prend pour Marie-Antoinette et Jeanne d'Arc" [Clip "Hey Hey Hey" : Katy Perry thinks she is Marie Antoinette and Jean of Arc] (in French). Pure Charts. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Katy Perry's Video For "Hey Hey Hey" Is 'Marie Antoinette' With Smartphones". Vice. December 21, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ a b c d Nolfi, Joey (December 20, 2017). "Katy Perry drops Sofia Coppola-inspired 'Hey Hey Hey' music video". Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Apaza, Kevin (December 21, 2017). "Katy Perry Serves Marie Antoinette & Joan D'Arc Realness In "Hey Hey Hey" Music Video". Direct Lyrics. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ McNeilage, Ross (December 21, 2017). "Katy Perry Goes Marie Antoinette In 'Hey Hey Hey' Video". MTV UK. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Jorssen, Evan (January 5, 2018). "Katy Perry: plongez dans les coulisses de son clip «Hey Hey Hey»" [Katy Perry: see the making-of of her "Hey Hey Hey" clip] (in French). NRJ. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- ^ Olivier, Bobby (October 3, 2017). "Katy Perry calls for 'world peace,' delivers visually stunning performance on new tour (PHOTOS)". N.J.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ McNeilage, Ross (September 21, 2017). "Katy Perry Kicks Off 'Witness' World Tour And It Looks Incredible". MTV News. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
- ^ "Katy Perry – Hey Hey Hey (Live from Witness World Wide)". Katy Perry. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Wass, Mike (June 25, 2017). "Witness Katy Perry's Glittery, Hit-Filled Glastonbury Set". Idolator. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- ^ Wass, Mike (June 29, 2017). "Katy Perry Performs A Cute, Acoustic Version Of "Hey Hey Hey"". Idolator. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- ^ "Katy Perry – Hey Hey Hey". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Katy Perry – Hey Hey Hey (Radio Date: 12-01-2018)" (in Italian). earone.it. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Radio1 – New UK Singles". Radio1.gr. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2017.