The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

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 Perry's serious tone. The song was released on October 4, 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, 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.)". In a bid for the top spot, an official remix featuring rapper B.o.B was released to digital retailers on December 20, 2011.[1] The single reached the top of Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart, the seventh song from Teenage Dream to reach the top of the chart, the most by any album.[2]





On September 13, 2011, at the New York City's Irving Plaza, Capitol Records confirmed to Billboard that "The One That Got Away" would be the sixth single from Teenage Dream.[3] Perry said in a statement from the label:

"I'm so pleased to select 'The One That Got Away' as my sixth single because this song shows a very different side of me that I haven't shown with my past singles on this record, I think that everyone can relate to this song. I wrote (it) about when you promise someone forever, but you end up not being able to follow through. It's a bittersweet story. Hopefully, the listener learns from hearing it and never has to say they had 'The One' get away."[4]

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".[3] 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.[3] The label serviced "The One That Got Away" to US mainstream top 40 stations on September 28, 2011, at noon ET.[4]

On September 28, 2011, Perry tweeted the words "The One That Got Away... It's happening!!!", along with a picture of the official single artwork, via TwitPic.[5] 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 1970s, with its distinctively retro appearance.[6] 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."[7]
[edit] Remixes

An official remix featuring rap singer B.o.B was released in December 2011. It added two verses, one at the beginning and another replacing the bridge of the album version of the song. The remix has been released in an effort to make "The One That Got Away" Perry's sixth straight number-one single. Accomplishing this feat will give her the record for most number-one songs from a single album, for which Perry currently shares with the late pop singer Michael Jackson.
[edit] Criticism

The decision for Capitol Records to release a remix and reduce the price of the song to give Perry a sixth number-one song has been criticized by some, noting that this is not Perry's first time adding a featured guest to her songs in order to boost sales. The hit single "E.T." was modified with verses from Kanye West, while "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" was given a remix featuring Missy Elliott.[8]

However, Billboard, which compiles the charts, wrote an article defending Perry and Capitol, underlining that they are operating under chart rules and that numerous other acts, such as Rihanna and Britney Spears, used the same tactics for charting purposes.[9]
[edit] Composition and writing

"The One That Got Away"
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A 22 second sample of "The One That Got Away", which features Perry belting the song title after the final chorus.
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"The One That Got Away" was written by Perry, Lukasz Gottwald and Max Martin and produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin.[10] It is a midtempo dance-pop song positioned on the piece of E major and has a rhythm of 138 beats per minute.[11] Joanna Holcombe from Yahoo! Music noted that the song is about first loves.[12] 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'".[13] Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that in the song she and the guy get matching tattoos on her 18th birthday.[14] 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".[15] 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".[7] The song follows the chord progression of E–G#m–C#m–A and Perry's vocal range and spans two octaves from B3 to E5.[11] The song was built on a relentless drum beat and a music box melody which highlights Perry's breathy voice.[7] Kitty Empire noticed that Perry's vocal is wistful throughout the song and that the references to June and Johnny Cash was unexpected.[16] 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."[14]
[edit] 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 Boys.[17] 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'.[15] Similarly, Kitty Empire from The Guardian praised the collaboration, stating that Perry and Luke are at their most appealing in the song.[16] 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".[18] 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".[19] 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.[7] 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.'"[20] 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.[13] Robert Copsey of the website Digital Spy awarded the song with four out of five stars and said:

"'Summer after high school, when we first met/ We make out in your Mustang, to Radiohead,' Katy Perry reminisces on the opening of her latest, potentially record-breaking single. We've always known that she had a penchant for the alt-rock, but we wonder if KP's 18-year-old self ever thought she'd be substituting the sounds of Thom Yorke and co. for the sugar-coated melodies that have made her one of the best-known artists on the planet today? 'Used to steal our parents' liquor, and climb through the roof/ Talk about our future, like we had a clue,' she continues over a toe-tapping drum beat and delicate piano riff as she agonises over the loss of her one true love. 'In another life, I would be your girl/ We'd keep all our promises/ Be us against the world,' she mourns on a chorus as instantly satisfying as a mugful of Kenco. Word of advice Katy, we'd keep this one well away from Russell if you want to avoid history repeating itself."[21]

[edit] Music video
[edit] Background

On September 28, 2011, Capitol Records told Billboard that the video for "The One That Got Away" will be filmed "in the coming days".[22] Perry started filming for the video on September 30, 2011.[23] Filming ended on October 2, 2011.[23] Mexican actor Diego Luna plays Perry's boyfriend in the video.[24] 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.[25] The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi.[26] The music video premiered on November 11, 2011.[27]

On November 4, 2011, a teaser for the video was released, narrated by Stevie Nicks.[28] 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.[29]
[edit] Synopsis
Perry in her younger and older self in the video for "The One That Got Away".

The video was released on November 11, 2011. It begins with an old Perry at a modernistic home with who is her husband (played by Herman Sinitzyn). 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 Luna). 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 sun visor 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 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.
[edit] Reception

Jillian Mapes of Billboard commented that the video was "beautifully-shot" and praised the interesting plot.[30] 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."[31] Entertainment Weekly's Erin Strecker compared the video with Titanic (1997) and Rihanna's video for "We Found Love". Strecker also noted that the video was more "tragic" than he was expecting from Perry.[32] Jessica Misener of The Huffington Post gave a positive review towards the outfits in the video.[33] 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."[34] 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.)".[35] 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]."[36]
[edit] 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 Marilyn.[37]
[edit] Chart performance

"The One That Got Away" debuted at number 87 in Australia on the week ending October 10, 2011.[38][39] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 40 and later peaked at number 12. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) after selling 7,500 copies there.[40][41] On the week ending October 16, 2011, the song debuted at number 94 on Billboard Hot 100.[42] 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.[43] The single has since entered the Billboard Hot 100 top 5, making Teenage Dream one of three albums to have six or more top 5 singles from one album in the U.S.
[edit] Live performances and Cover version
Perry signing autographs for fans after performing the song on X-Factor.

"The One That Got Away" was part of the setlist of Perry's worldwide 2011 concert tour, California Dreams Tour. 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.[44] On October 16, 2011, she also performed the song on the UK version of the The X Factor.[45][46] 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 Perry as the only female to have five #1 singles from the same album.[47]