Prepare to Feel Old: Katy Perry Released ‘California Gurls’ with Snoop Dogg How Long Ago?
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Eleven years ago today, American Idol judge Katy Perry released the hit single “California Gurls” featuring the legendary rapper, Snoop Dogg. Do you remember what you were doing when you heard the timeless verse, “California girls, we’re unforgettable, daisy dukes, bikinis on top…?”
‘California Gurls’ Received Widely Positive Reviews
In its first week, “California Gurls” sold 294,000 digital downloads. It also debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Digital Songs chart. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
This was Perry’s highest debut on the chart at the time and solidified her as a pop superstar.
Around the same time, “Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys topped the charts, so Perry thought there needed to be a song about California. It had been a while since a single was written about California, especially from a female perspective. Thus, “California Gurls” was born.
At first, the song was going to be titled “California Girls”, but the spelling was changed to “California Gurls.” This was an homage to Big Star member Alex Chilton and their song, “September Gurls.”
As of August 2020, the song has been certified platinum eight times by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Katy Perry’s Album ‘Teenage Dream’ Remains a Cultural Reset
“California Gurls” was the lead single from Katy Perry’s album “Teenage Dream.” To this day, “Teenage Dream” remains one of the Perry’s most successful, well-known and favorite albums.
It kicked off one of the biggest album eras in music history. The album spent six weeks at number one on the Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination. The bestselling album sold approximately six million copies in the United States.
Some of Perry’s other popular songs from the album are “Teenage Dream”, “E.T.” (featuring Kanye West, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”, “The One That Got Away” and my personal favorite “Firework”, among others.
The album and its singles earned her seven Grammy nominations including “Album of the Year”, “Best Pop Vocal Album”, and “Record of the Year”. In 2011, it also won International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.
Not many pop artists can say that they produced an album with this many chart topping hits and party favorites. Katy Perry is truly in a league of her own. What a firework.
