TGJ Replay: Celebrating 10 Years of Katy Perry’s Master Class in Pop Perfection #TeenageDream

Welcome, once again, to TGJ Replay.

Designed much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ features, ‘Replay’ is That Grape Juice‘s most in-depth retrospective segment – a written quest to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday.

Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase entire albums (and eras) from a library of Pop and Urban music hits.

As today marks the 10th anniversary of Katy Perry‘s major label sophomore album, ‘Teenage Dream,’ it’s only fitting we shine a spotlight on the sensational LP.

Join us inside:

Katy Perry’s major label debut album, 2008’s ‘One of the Boys,’ made her one of the girls leading the aggressive EDM-infused Pop movement of the late 2000s, early 2010s. In addition to cranking out four Hot 100 top 40 hits (including the #1 smash ‘I Kissed a Girl’ as well as two other top 10 hits), ‘Boys’ brought on serious pressure for the relative newcomer to deliver with her junior LP.

To aid the endeavor, Perry not only reassembled some of the boys who took ‘Boys’ to top 10 glory on the Billboard 200 (Greg Wells, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco) but also called for contributions from some of the music’s leading hitmakers: Tricky Stewart and Stargate. Together, they crafted ‘Teenage Dream’ – a 12-track affair executive produced by Luke.

It birthed 7 singles: “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Firework,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” “The One That Got Away,” and “Hummingbird Heartbeat.”

“California Gurls”

Hot 100 Peak: #1

RIAA: 8x Platinum

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“Teenage Dream”

Hot 100 Peak: #1

RIAA: 8x Platinum

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“Firework”

Hot 100 Peak: #1

RIAA: 12x Platinum

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“E.T.”

Hot 100 Peak: #1

RIAA: 8x Platinum

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“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”

Hot 100 Peak: #1

RIAA: 6x Platinum

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“The One That Got Away”

Hot 100 Peak: #3

RIAA: 6x Platinum

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“Hummingbird Heartbeat”

Hot 100 Peak: n/a

RIAA: n/a

A hit factory and master class in Pop, music historians could easily write a dissertation about the diva’s third era (especially if stats from its re-release – ‘Complete Confection’ – are factored into the equation).

In a world then-dominated by Lady Gaga for reinvigorating dance music and offering what many thought were peerless advances in the medium of music video, ‘Dream’ shot Perry into the stratosphere as an unexpected but worthy challenger to the eccentric singer’s throne as female Pop leader.

Standing as the most certified era of any artist in history, ‘Teenage Dream’ is a dream indeed as it cranked out 5 consecutive #1 hits (a feat known only by Michael Jackson‘s 1987 LP ‘Bad’), saw six of its seven singles certified 6x Platinum or higher, and sits in history as one of only three albums to produce six or more Hot 100 top 10 hits. RIAA certification of the album sits at 8x Platinum as of time reported. Regarding the industry front, ‘Dream’ and its singles earned Perry seven Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year – despite garnering no wins.

At its prime, some critics slammed ‘Dream’s content for waxing more quirky than qualitative. Yet, on this side of history, we recognize the effort in its totality as what it truly was: a holistic blueprint for modern Pop perfection.

As we press play on our jam ‘California Gurls,’ look below to tell us: