WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.620 A Ruffle podcast title, The Deep Dive, decoding 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:05.040 Katy Perry's Last Friday Night, and the record 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:07.339 that tied Michael Jackson. Apple podcast description. 00:00:07.820 --> 00:00:10.359 Join us on this deep dive as we unpack the fascinating 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:13.500 history behind Katy Perry's 2011 smash hit, Last 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:17.480 Friday Night, TGIF. How did a song inspired by 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:19.640 a real -life night of streaking in a park become 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:22.839 a monumental piece of pop music history? We explore 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.620 the Wikipedia archives to uncover how this dance 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:28.079 -pop anthem dominated the Billboard Hot 100, 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:30.800 shattered records to tie Michael Jackson's bad, 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:34.280 and birthed an iconic, cameo -filled 1980s tribute 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:37.060 music video. Whether you're a pop culture fanatic 00:00:37.060 --> 00:00:39.539 or a student of music history, discover the strategic 00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:41.840 genius and goofy charm that defined the teenage 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:44.939 dream era. Keywords. Katy Perry, Last Friday 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:47.079 Night TGIF, Teenage Dream, Billboard Hot 100 00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:49.799 record, Michael Jackson Bad, Pop Music History, 00:00:49.939 --> 00:00:52.359 Mark Klassfeld Music Video, 2010's Pop Culture. 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:55.140 Have you ever woken up after a really wild, blurry 00:00:55.140 --> 00:00:56.920 night out, piecing together the events of the 00:00:56.920 --> 00:00:58.159 evening and thought to yourself, you know what, 00:00:58.179 --> 00:00:59.920 I should turn this massive headache into a piece 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.520 of music history that literally shatters chart 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.859 records? Probably not. Right, probably not. I 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:06.000 mean, most of us, we just drink a massive glass 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:08.040 of water and really hope no one tagged us in 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:10.959 any photos. But today, we're taking a deep dive 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:13.480 into the story of someone who did exactly that. 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:16.500 Welcome to the show. We're thrilled you're here 00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:18.959 with us. Absolutely. Today, our source material 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:22.959 is the comprehensive Wikipedia archive on Katy 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:26.280 Perry's 2011 absolute smash hit, Last Friday 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:31.409 Night, or TGIF. Our mission today is to figure 00:01:31.409 --> 00:01:34.390 out how this really bouncy track about debauchery 00:01:34.390 --> 00:01:36.870 achieved a completely historic chart milestone. 00:01:37.230 --> 00:01:39.329 It is a phenomenal topic to explore with you 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:41.269 all. I mean, we all remember when she finally 00:01:41.269 --> 00:01:43.969 tied Michael Jackson's record. But looking back, 00:01:44.030 --> 00:01:46.230 it's wild that this was the specific song that 00:01:46.230 --> 00:01:48.090 pushed her over the finish line. OK, let's unpack 00:01:48.090 --> 00:01:50.810 this, because on the surface, Last Friday Night 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:53.590 just feels like a like a disposable, fun party 00:01:53.590 --> 00:01:56.370 anthem. It's light, it's bouncy. It was the fifth 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.269 single from her massive teenage dream. album. 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:01.810 But there is so much more going on under the 00:02:01.810 --> 00:02:03.890 hood here. We're going to break down its literal 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:08.229 real life origins, the completely divided critical 00:02:08.229 --> 00:02:11.389 reception it received. And of course, that absolutely 00:02:11.389 --> 00:02:14.150 unforgettable music video that took over the 00:02:14.150 --> 00:02:16.370 Internet. What's fascinating here is that behind 00:02:16.370 --> 00:02:20.689 this seemingly chaotic party girl facade lies 00:02:20.689 --> 00:02:23.729 an incredibly strategic, almost flawless execution 00:02:23.729 --> 00:02:27.229 of pop music mechanics. Oh, completely. When 00:02:27.229 --> 00:02:29.650 you look at the personnel involved, Katy Perry 00:02:29.650 --> 00:02:32.069 working alongside pop super producers Dr. Luke 00:02:32.069 --> 00:02:35.229 and Max Martin and co -writer Bonnie McKee, you're 00:02:35.229 --> 00:02:37.710 looking at a master class in musical architecture. 00:02:37.930 --> 00:02:40.669 Yeah, the dream team of the 2010s. Exactly. They 00:02:40.669 --> 00:02:42.569 didn't just write a fun song about a hangover. 00:02:42.669 --> 00:02:45.169 They engineered a cultural juggernaut that was 00:02:45.169 --> 00:02:47.610 built from the ground up to dominate radio stations 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:50.180 and digital storefronts alike. And the craziest 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:52.780 part to me is how literal the inspiration was. 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:54.759 When we listen to pop music, especially from 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:57.520 that era, we usually assume the lyrics are, you 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:00.680 know, highly exaggerated or just made up by a 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:02.819 committee in a boardroom. Right. Written to a 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:06.039 formula. But Perry has been very open about the 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:08.599 fact that the song is practically a documentary 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:11.960 of a specific night. Let me set the scene for 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.419 you. Perry and her friends, including her co 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:18.000 -writer Bonnie McKee, they were hanging out in 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:20.419 Santa Barbara. Her hometown. Yes, her hometown. 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:24.340 They went out to a club called Wildcat, and apparently 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:27.379 things got completely out of hand. According 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:30.539 to the source material, McKee specifically noted 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:33.080 that the song encapsulated what she called their 00:03:33.080 --> 00:03:37.080 wild drinking days. It wasn't just a vague concept 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:39.830 of a Friday night party. It was a very specific 00:03:39.830 --> 00:03:42.770 capturing of lightning in a bottle. Perry actually 00:03:42.770 --> 00:03:49.569 said, and I quote, Sounds are right for your 00:03:49.569 --> 00:03:51.990 early 20s. And she admitted that the part of 00:03:51.990 --> 00:03:54.169 the song about streaking in the park, completely 00:03:54.169 --> 00:03:56.949 true. No way. Yes, they literally went streaking 00:03:56.949 --> 00:03:59.229 in a park in Santa Barbara, and the very next 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:01.319 day they decided they just... had to write a 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:03.500 song about it. She joked that most of the song 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:06.280 is the actual truth, except, unfortunately for 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:09.139 her, the ménage à trois mentioned in the lyrics. 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:11.879 Wow, creative liberties. Just a few. It's that 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:14.360 grounding in reality that gives the song its 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:18.220 very specific, tactile, chaotic energy. But what 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:20.220 makes it work for you, the listener, isn't just 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:23.079 the wild story. It's how that story is delivered 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:25.620 musically. Right, the architecture you mentioned 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:27.839 earlier. Yes. If we look at the composition. 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:31.160 Last Friday Night is classified as a dance pop 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:34.060 and new wave track with distinct elements of 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:37.279 indie rock woven in. Interestingly, it was recorded 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:40.060 across several studios, Conway Recording Studios 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:43.540 in 8714 in Los Angeles and Playback Recording 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:45.519 Studio right there in Santa Barbara. Which is 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:47.519 a nice full circle moment for the song's origin. 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:50.240 It really is. It has this relentless driving 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:52.379 feel to it. You were looking at the sheet music 00:04:52.379 --> 00:04:54.420 earlier. Is there a formula to this? Why does 00:04:54.420 --> 00:04:56.959 it sound so unbelievably catchy? It comes down 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.680 to the map of the music. The track runs for 3 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:01.920 minutes and 50 seconds in its album version. 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:05.279 It's set in common time with a moderate, steady 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:10.279 tempo of exactly 126 beats per minute. 126. Why 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.600 is that specific number important? That 126 BPM 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:17.540 is crucial. It's the exact heartbeat of a standard 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:21.300 dance floor track. If it were 130 or 135, it 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:23.959 would feel too frantic like a techno track. If 00:05:23.959 --> 00:05:28.279 it were 120, it would drag. 126? Keeps you moving 00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:30.279 without exhausting you. That makes perfect sense. 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:33.019 Furthermore, it's notated in the key of F sharp 00:05:33.019 --> 00:05:36.540 major, or G flat major, and Perry's vocal range 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:40.399 spans a ninth, from C sharp 4 to D sharp 5. That 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.600 elevated register is why she sounds like someone 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:44.899 excitedly yelling over the music at a loud club 00:05:44.899 --> 00:05:47.300 to tell you a story. Exactly. And beneath those 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:49.899 vocals is a looping chord progression. It goes 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:52.680 from B to G sharp minor 7 to D sharp minor 7 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:55.410 to C sharp, and it resolves on the tonic. Wait, 00:05:55.449 --> 00:05:57.250 hold on. Before we go further, for someone just 00:05:57.250 --> 00:05:59.129 listening in their car right now, what does resolving 00:05:59.129 --> 00:06:01.629 on the tonic actually mean in layman's terms? 00:06:01.730 --> 00:06:03.550 Like how does that actually feel to the listener? 00:06:03.769 --> 00:06:06.250 Think of the tonic as home base. When a chord 00:06:06.250 --> 00:06:08.629 progression moves away from the tonic, it creates 00:06:08.629 --> 00:06:11.649 musical tension. Your brain subconsciously wants 00:06:11.649 --> 00:06:14.350 that tension to be released. Resolving on the 00:06:14.350 --> 00:06:16.970 tonic brings the ear back home. Oh, I see. It 00:06:16.970 --> 00:06:19.189 makes you feel a sense of completion, but also 00:06:19.189 --> 00:06:21.689 perfectly sets you up to start the loop all over 00:06:21.689 --> 00:06:25.470 again. This formulaic, relentless, looping progression 00:06:25.470 --> 00:06:29.370 mathematically mirrors the nonstop energy of 00:06:29.370 --> 00:06:32.449 a great party. It never truly drops you. It just 00:06:32.449 --> 00:06:35.110 keeps cycling back up, pulling the listener right 00:06:35.110 --> 00:06:37.170 back into the center of the dance floor. It's 00:06:37.170 --> 00:06:39.610 funny, though. You can engineer a song mathematically 00:06:39.610 --> 00:06:42.269 to be a massive hit, but you cannot engineer 00:06:42.269 --> 00:06:44.709 a music critic to actually like it. Very true. 00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:47.860 It is wild to look back at the reviews from 2010 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:52.079 and 2011 because music critics can be so incredibly 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:55.600 polarized when they are faced with pure, unadulterated 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:58.300 pop music. The critical divide on this song perfectly 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:00.519 illustrates the tension between high art music 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:03.819 criticism and commercial pop perfection. Critics 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:05.480 often just don't know what to do with a song 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:07.279 that just wants you to have fun. Stephen Thomas 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.759 Erlewine from AllMusic picked it as one of the 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:12.399 top tracks on the Teenage Dream album. He noted 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:14.759 that Perry salutes fellow attention whore Keisha 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.019 on the track. That's a very 2010s comparison. 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.480 It really is. And Jason Richards from NOW Magazine 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:23.160 had a really great take. He compared it to the 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:26.259 Black Eyed Peas' I Got a Feeling and Lady Gaga's 00:07:26.259 --> 00:07:28.860 Just Dance. He admitted the song was derivative, 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:32.060 but said it strikes a perfect equilibrium between 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:35.699 Perry's sex appeal and goofy self -effacing charm. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.639 That goofy self -effacing charm is the crucial 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:41.279 ingredient. Without it, the song might just come 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:44.180 off as arrogant or bragging about a wild night. 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:47.579 The charm tempers the debauchery. But Matthew 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:50.139 Cole over at Slant Magazine did not buy into 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:52.699 that charm at all. He called the song a lifeless 00:07:52.699 --> 00:07:55.680 roller rink jam that was meant to be the soundtrack 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:58.579 for trashy sorority parties. It's a harsh critique, 00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:01.639 but it's also incredibly revealing about who 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.279 the critic perceives the audience to be, rather 00:08:04.279 --> 00:08:06.300 than engaging with what the song is structurally 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:08.480 trying to achieve. Definitely. He's dismissing 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:10.759 the demographic, young women having fun, just 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:12.560 as much as he's dismissing the track itself. 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:15.490 But the most interesting critique, sociologically 00:08:15.490 --> 00:08:17.949 speaking, came from Chris Richards at the Washington 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:20.310 Post. Yes, I wanted to bring this one up. He 00:08:20.310 --> 00:08:22.850 noted that the song mixes innocent transgressions, 00:08:22.850 --> 00:08:25.029 like skinny dipping, with more serious things 00:08:25.029 --> 00:08:27.990 like a blackout and mysterious bruises. Right, 00:08:28.089 --> 00:08:30.310 but his biggest issue was with Perry's delivery 00:08:30.310 --> 00:08:34.029 of a very specific line. When she sings, that 00:08:34.029 --> 00:08:37.190 was such an epic fail, he wrote that she stiffly 00:08:37.190 --> 00:08:39.590 sings it, and that it sounds like a clueless 00:08:39.590 --> 00:08:42.419 parent's attempt to speak teenager. If we connect 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:44.860 this to the bigger picture, this specific critique 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:47.899 highlights a recurring blind spot in music criticism. 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:50.860 Critics often struggle to evaluate intentionally 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:53.659 campy, highly self -aware pop music. They take 00:08:53.659 --> 00:08:56.799 it too literally. Exactly. When Perry sings Epic 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:59.659 Fail a bit stiffly, she isn't failing to speak 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:02.519 teenager. She's playing a character. The slight 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:05.220 ridiculousness, the almost plastic delivery of 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:07.580 that internet slang, is exactly why it resonates. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:09.860 It's supposed to be a bit silly and dramatic, 00:09:09.980 --> 00:09:11.860 just like a teenager waking up after their first 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:15.080 big party. Precisely. Missing that layer of irony 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:17.379 is missing the entire point of Perry's persona 00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:20.299 during the teenage dream era. She was absolutely 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.080 in on the joke. And frankly, the joke paid off 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.139 on a scale that I don't think anyone, not even 00:09:25.139 --> 00:09:27.919 her team, fully anticipated. Here's where it 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:29.899 gets really interesting and why we are still 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:32.159 talking about this song over a decade later. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.860 The charts. Yes. We have to talk about the commercial 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:38.649 performance because... Last Friday Night wasn't 00:09:38.649 --> 00:09:41.750 just a hit song. It became a historic, record 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:44.909 -breaking event. It truly was a behemoth. But 00:09:44.909 --> 00:09:48.009 the chart journey of this song... is a masterclass 00:09:48.009 --> 00:09:51.549 in record label strategy and endurance. It didn't 00:09:51.549 --> 00:09:53.669 just instantly rock it to the top and stay there. 00:09:53.769 --> 00:09:56.210 It had to fight tooth and nail for it. The song 00:09:56.210 --> 00:09:58.490 originally debuted at number 67 on the Billboard 00:09:58.490 --> 00:10:02.029 Hot 100. Then it completely dropped off the chart, 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:04.129 just vanished. Which is pretty standard for album 00:10:04.129 --> 00:10:06.210 cuts before they become official singles. Right. 00:10:06.389 --> 00:10:08.909 But following its official release as a single, 00:10:09.009 --> 00:10:12.549 it re -entered the Hot 100 on June 18, 2011 at 00:10:12.549 --> 00:10:15.450 number 63. And from there, it began this massive 00:10:15.450 --> 00:10:18.809 climb. driven by huge digital sales. But getting 00:10:18.809 --> 00:10:21.009 to number one was an agonizing wait for her team 00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:22.769 because it ended up stalling out at number two 00:10:22.769 --> 00:10:26.549 for three solid weeks. Any guess who is blocking 00:10:26.549 --> 00:10:28.870 her from hitting that number one spot? I have 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:32.759 no idea. Was it Adele or maybe Rihanna? Someone 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:35.039 like that. Actually, it was LMFAO's party rock 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:37.679 anthem. Oh my gosh, of course. Talk about a battle 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:40.179 of the ultimate party songs. The summer of 2011 00:10:40.179 --> 00:10:43.080 was clearly just one giant club. It really was. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:47.759 But on August 17, 2011, last Friday night... 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.100 finally conquered the summit and reached the 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:52.279 number one position on the Billboard Hot 100, 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:54.980 where it stayed for two straight weeks. And this 00:10:54.980 --> 00:10:57.120 is the moment where music history was made. By 00:10:57.120 --> 00:10:59.659 hitting number one, Katy Perry became the first 00:10:59.659 --> 00:11:02.639 woman in the entire 53 -year history of the Billboard 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:05.500 Hot 100 to have five number one singles from 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:08.120 the exact same album. A monumental achievement. 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:11.259 The album, of course, being Teenage Dream. Before 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:13.799 Perry, only one other artist in the history of 00:11:13.799 --> 00:11:16.409 recorded music had ever achieved this. And that 00:11:16.409 --> 00:11:18.529 was Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson did it with 00:11:18.529 --> 00:11:21.289 his legendary Albert Badd, with his fifth number 00:11:21.289 --> 00:11:24.029 one single from that record, Dirty Diana, hitting 00:11:24.029 --> 00:11:27.850 the top spot on July 2, 1988. Wow. It took 23 00:11:27.850 --> 00:11:31.070 years for anyone to tie that record. It is absolutely 00:11:31.070 --> 00:11:33.029 mind -blowing when you put it in that context. 00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:35.889 The King of Pop and Katy Perry, that's the list. 00:11:36.070 --> 00:11:37.909 And the raw numbers behind this song are just 00:11:37.909 --> 00:11:40.470 staggering. Let's hear them. In the U .S. alone, 00:11:40.690 --> 00:11:43.250 the single has been certified six times platinum 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:46.789 by the RIAA, selling nearly 4 million digital 00:11:46.789 --> 00:11:50.700 copies worldwide. As of May 2022, it had sold 00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:54.259 over 9 .4 million copies. And radio play was 00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:56.700 a massive driver of this. According to Nielsen 00:11:56.700 --> 00:11:59.220 Broadcast Data Systems, it was the 10th most 00:11:59.220 --> 00:12:02.440 played single on U .S. radio in all of 2011 with 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:06.159 450 ,000 plays. Imagine hearing that song 450 00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:08.940 ,000 times. You couldn't escape it. But to push 00:12:08.940 --> 00:12:10.539 it over the edge and secure that final number 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:13.120 one spot, her label, Capitol Records, didn't 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:15.279 just sit back and hope for the best while LMFAO 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.559 held the top spot. They pulled out a brilliant 00:12:17.559 --> 00:12:33.090 street. The remix. It was a perfectly timed maneuver. 00:12:33.389 --> 00:12:35.990 It shows the sheer force of will from the pop 00:12:35.990 --> 00:12:38.570 music machine. And we also have to credit the 00:12:38.570 --> 00:12:40.889 visual component of this campaign. Oh, the music 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:43.009 video. The music video for Last Friday Night 00:12:43.009 --> 00:12:45.710 wasn't just a promotional tool. It was an event 00:12:45.710 --> 00:12:48.429 in and of itself. engineered for the internet 00:12:48.429 --> 00:12:52.129 age. Directed by Mark Glasfeld, this video introduced 00:12:52.129 --> 00:12:55.110 the world to an alter ego that nobody expected 00:12:55.110 --> 00:12:57.429 from one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. 00:12:57.690 --> 00:13:00.610 We meet Kathy Beth Terry. An iconic character. 00:13:00.830 --> 00:13:03.669 Truly. The character was a teenager with a mouth 00:13:03.669 --> 00:13:06.990 full of heavy braces, intense headgear, and oversized 00:13:06.990 --> 00:13:09.789 glasses. Perry noted that the costume was heavily 00:13:09.789 --> 00:13:12.169 inspired by America Ferreira's character Betty 00:13:12.169 --> 00:13:15.690 Suarez from the TV show Ugly Betty. It was genuinely 00:13:15.690 --> 00:13:17.990 jarring at the time to see a massive sex symbol 00:13:17.990 --> 00:13:20.610 intentionally make herself look deeply uncool. 00:13:20.710 --> 00:13:23.049 This was long before TikTok cringe comedy was 00:13:23.049 --> 00:13:25.070 normalized. And they didn't just drop the video. 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:28.090 They built a whole cinematic universe around 00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:30.929 her. They created real Facebook and Twitter profiles 00:13:30.929 --> 00:13:33.889 for this 13 -year -old, brace -faced, nerd -turned 00:13:33.889 --> 00:13:37.190 -hottie. She was tweeting, making Facebook posts. 00:13:37.409 --> 00:13:40.470 Engaging directly with fans and character. Exactly. 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:43.179 When the Facebook page crossed half a million 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:45.720 likes, Perry even did an exclusive interview 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:48.879 with Digital Spy entirely in character as Kathy 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.279 Beth Terry. She also did character interviews 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:54.759 with Cosmopolitan and BOP Tiger Beat. It was 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:58.100 pioneering viral marketing. By building a narrative 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:00.600 outside the song before the video even premiered, 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:02.879 they guaranteed an audience that was already 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:05.159 invested in the character's storyline. And the 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:07.759 video itself is the ultimate love letter to the 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:11.340 1980s. The director, Mark Klossfeld, specifically 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:14.100 cited John Hughes' films like Sixteen Candles 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:16.820 as the primary inspiration. Even the bloopers 00:14:16.820 --> 00:14:19.100 during the end credits were inspired by the movie 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.360 The Cannonball Run. The premise is brilliant. 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:23.639 Kathy Beth Terry wakes up in a wrecked house 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:26.960 completely puzzled and goes online only to find 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:28.860 compromising photos of herself from the night 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:31.740 before. Then we get the flashback. And the flashback 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:34.120 is basically a parade of the most incredible... 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:37.059 surreal cameos you could ask for in 2011. Kathy 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:39.740 is doing a Sudoku puzzle, hears loud music, and 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:41.600 goes next door to complain. And who opens the 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:44.059 door? None other than internet sensation Rebecca 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:47.299 Black. This was a direct, brilliant homage to 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:50.299 Black's own highly polarizing viral hit, Friday. 00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:53.200 Rebecca Black actually brings Kathy inside and 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:55.879 gives her a makeover, literally ripping off her 00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:58.220 headgear with pliers and waxing her upper lip. 00:14:58.299 --> 00:15:00.639 The synergy of having Rebecca Black guest star 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:03.769 in a Katy Perry song about Friday is peak. internet 00:15:03.769 --> 00:15:06.820 era pop culture. But rather than just listing 00:15:06.820 --> 00:15:08.860 who was in the video, we have to look at why 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:11.940 this specific blend of Internet viral stars and 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:15.279 80s icons was a genius marketing strategy. It 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:17.700 hit every demographic. Exactly. It bridged two 00:15:17.700 --> 00:15:19.700 entirely different generations of pop culture 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:23.019 consumers. You have Darren Criss and Kevin McHale 00:15:23.019 --> 00:15:25.940 from the massive hit TV show Glee playing party 00:15:25.940 --> 00:15:28.740 goers, capturing the teen audience of the moment. 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:32.080 Which was huge in 2011. Massive. There is a great 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.179 scene where Kathy and Rebecca are playing the 00:15:34.179 --> 00:15:36.730 Just Dance. video game, specifically Just Dance 00:15:36.730 --> 00:15:39.629 2, dancing to Donna Summer's Hot Stuff, which 00:15:39.629 --> 00:15:41.669 is a fun nod since Perry's own songs were featured 00:15:41.669 --> 00:15:44.070 in that game franchise. And then, as the party 00:15:44.070 --> 00:15:47.129 moves to the backyard, the video pivots to capture 00:15:47.129 --> 00:15:50.269 the older demographic. The house band playing 00:15:50.269 --> 00:15:53.740 in the yard is the pop rock band Hanson. My absolute 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:56.039 favorite detail is when Uncle Kenny shows up 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:58.059 to play the saxophone solo on the roof of the 00:15:58.059 --> 00:16:00.220 house. And Uncle Kenny is played by the actual 00:16:00.220 --> 00:16:02.120 Kenny G. Incredible. Though I do have to point 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.399 out a little trivia here for you. Kenny G is 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.759 actually just miming the performance in the video. 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:09.299 The real saxophone solo you hear on the track 00:16:09.299 --> 00:16:12.259 was recorded by Lenny Pickett. The video culminates 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:14.379 with the ultimate 80s teen movie resolution. 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:18.059 Kathy passes out, wakes up thrilled to find a 00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:20.100 football player in her bed, and then her parents 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:21.899 come home to confront her about the destroyed 00:16:21.899 --> 00:16:24.519 house. And who plays her parents? 80s teen icons 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:27.570 Corey Feldman and Debbie Gibson. Perfection. 00:16:27.570 --> 00:16:29.269 They forgive her, of course, after remembering 00:16:29.269 --> 00:16:33.169 their own wild youth. By merging the early 2010s 00:16:33.169 --> 00:16:35.529 internet virality of Rebecca Black with the deep 00:16:35.529 --> 00:16:38.429 80s nostalgia of Feldman and Gibson, the video 00:16:38.429 --> 00:16:40.870 became a four -minute cultural touchstone that 00:16:40.870 --> 00:16:43.710 appealed to literally everyone. The public agreed. 00:16:43.970 --> 00:16:46.590 The video went on to win the Favorite Music Video 00:16:46.590 --> 00:16:49.789 Award at the 38th People's Choice Awards. It 00:16:49.789 --> 00:16:51.750 translated incredibly well to the live stage, 00:16:51.870 --> 00:16:54.470 too. Perry performed it everywhere, from the 00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:56.309 launch of the album in Berlin to the California 00:16:56.309 --> 00:16:59.889 Dreams Tour, the Prismatic World Tour, Witness 00:16:59.889 --> 00:17:02.970 the Tour, her play residency, and even the upcoming 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:06.490 Lifetimes Tour. It's a staple. There was a legendary 00:17:06.490 --> 00:17:09.289 televised performance at Rock in Rio, broadcast 00:17:09.289 --> 00:17:12.309 by Multishow, where they projected photos of 00:17:12.309 --> 00:17:14.970 actual fans on the screens during the song. It 00:17:14.970 --> 00:17:18.180 became an interactive anthem. That level of multimedia 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:21.140 integration, the touring, viral video marketing, 00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:24.119 radio dominance, and strategic remixes shows 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:26.900 exactly why this song achieved what it did. So 00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:28.460 what does this all mean? When we take a step 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:30.279 back and look at the whole picture, Last Friday 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:32.960 Night isn't just a disposable silly party track 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:34.920 about drinking too much and streaking in a park. 00:17:35.099 --> 00:17:37.880 Not at all. It is a masterclass in pop songwriting. 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:40.779 It's an example of brilliant outside -the -box 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:43.839 marketing. And it proved to be a cultural juggernaut 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.140 that secured Katy Perry a permanent spot right 00:17:46.140 --> 00:17:48.259 next to the king of pop in the Billboard record 00:17:48.259 --> 00:17:50.839 books. A well -deserved spot. The next time you 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:53.440 hear a seemingly simple pop song come on the 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:55.890 radio or stream on your phone, I want you to 00:17:55.890 --> 00:17:58.650 remember this story. Remember the meticulous 00:17:58.650 --> 00:18:01.289 mathematical architecture, the deliberate chord 00:18:01.289 --> 00:18:04.450 progressions, and the massive coordinated strategy 00:18:04.450 --> 00:18:07.190 operating just beneath the surface of that easy, 00:18:07.329 --> 00:18:09.950 breezy beat. This raises an important question, 00:18:09.990 --> 00:18:12.490 though, as we look to the future of music. What's 00:18:12.490 --> 00:18:15.240 that? The teenage dream era. And this song in 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:18.140 particular relied heavily on massive, coordinated 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:22.160 radio pushes and digital iTunes downloads to 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.059 tie a record that Michael Jackson set back in 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:27.859 the physical vinyl and cassette era of 1988. 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:29.900 Right. Totally different ecosystems. We have 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:32.180 now moved into a landscape dominated by highly 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:35.119 fragmented streaming platforms and the fleeting, 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:38.170 unpredictable nature of TikTok virality. With 00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:40.049 attention spans more divided than ever, will 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:42.910 we ever see a single album or a single pop campaign 00:18:42.910 --> 00:18:45.490 universally dominate the cultural conversation 00:18:45.490 --> 00:18:48.609 and the church in this exact monolithic way ever 00:18:48.609 --> 00:18:50.809 again? Or was Katy Perry's tying of the record 00:18:50.809 --> 00:18:53.849 the last gasp of the traditional pop music monoculture? 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:56.500 That is a fascinating thought to leave on. The 00:18:56.500 --> 00:18:58.900 landscape has definitely shifted. Thank you so 00:18:58.900 --> 00:19:01.019 much for joining us on this deep dive into pop 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:03.839 history. We hope you enjoyed exploring the hidden 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.420 depths of your everyday playlists with us. Until 00:19:06.420 --> 00:19:07.839 next time, keep listening closely.