An unabashed pop siren who made her name with lighthearted, hook-filled pop, Perry brings a different kind of energy to "The One That Got Away." Whereas many of her previous singles ("Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.), "Teenage Dream," "California Gurls") all had the production sizzle and effervescent, feel-good flair of Dr. Luke, "The One That Got Away" finds Perry's smile turned upside down.
As she sings about regret and reflects upon how her June-and-Johnny-Cash relationship would have played out if she hadn't let her guy go, the beat chugs along more like "E.T." than "Firework." The song itself is more moody and atmospheric than her previous efforts, so it's no wonder that Coldplay's Chris Martin was rumored at one point to be featured on a remix.
The video for the single proves to be just as moody. As promised by the trailer, "The One That Got Away" will be every bit "We Found Love" (don't miss the introspective, spoken bit) as it gets. Why mess with a winning formula? After all, "We Found Love" just hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, so who's to say "The One That Got Away" won't do the same in about a month?
Riding on the popularity and hit-making power of The X Factor in the U.K., Perry performed "The One That Got Away" in mid-October. This live version sees a pink-coiffed Perry with guitar in hand for a stripped-down performance. And while the arrangement does justice to Perry's unique delivery and her guitar-playing skills, it's the somber delivery that makes it clear why she's outlasted the bombast of her whipped-cream boob cannons from the "California Gurls" video.
Movers & Shakers: Rihanna topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "We Found Love," featuring Calvin Harris. It's the eleventh time she's been at the summit, either as a solo artist or a featured one. Adele's "Someone Like You" fell down a spot, to number two, while LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" continued its ascent to number one, inching up from the fourth to the third slot. The biggest shift in the top ten this week came from Kelly Clarkson, whose single, "Mr. Know It All," moved from nineteen to ten.
On the Billboard 200, Clarkson's fifth album, Stronger, debuted at number two after a strong week of sales for Coldplay's fourth release, Mylo Xyloto, landed the band a number-one debut. Adele dropped three spots, as 21 went from number seven to number four, and Michael Bublé's Christmas album, simply titled Christmas, debuted at number three. Lower on the chart, a Christmas album by She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), A Very She & Him Christmas, checks in at number twelve. A bit lower, R&B crooners Boys II Men returned with Twenty, the tenth Boyz II Men album, named for the group's twenty years together. Twenty debuted at, coincidentally, number twenty.
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