From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Part of Me" is a song by American singer , released as the
from . It was written by Perry and , with production and additional writing by , , and . The song was not included on the original edition of Teenage Dream because Perry felt that it did not fit the composition of the album. A demo of the song leaked online in late 2010, amid speculation that the lyrics were directed to the singer's ex-boyfriend . "Part of Me" was re-worked and officially released on February 13, 2012, through
by art director Gavin Taylor and photography by .
song with a distinctive
beat, it has been compared to 's 2011 single "" and Perry's 2010 singles "" and "". Its lyrics describe a female protagonist who declares herself as unbreakable and strong following a break-up. Contemporary
praised the song's production and gave it mixed-to-positive reviews, although some criticized Perry's vocals. Many theorized that the lyrics addressed Perry's divorce from , although Perry stated it was not about him since it was written in early 2010.
"Part of Me" was a commercial success. It was the twentieth song to debut at No. 1 on the , Perry's seventh number-one single on the chart, and her ninth consecutive number-one single on the
chart. The single debuted at No. 1 in Canada and the United Kingdom and has been certified Platinum in , , and the . Marketing campaigns for
have featured it.
An accompanying
was filmed at the '
in . The video depicts Perry enlisting in the
following a heartbreak. It garnered generally positive reviews for Perry's "" message but drew criticism from feminist author , who denounced it as military . Perry debuted the first televised performance of song on at the
and has also performed the song at the , the , and .
I wrote 'Part of Me' two years ago and I always knew that 'Part of Me' was a special song, It feels like my life plays out with these songs. I feel like I'm in some kind of weird '' where I'm like, 'Why is this single appropriate now and it wouldn't have been appropriate then?' It's just so crazy.
— Perry on the relevance of "Part of Me" following its release.
"Part of Me" was written by Perry herself, Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee, and Max Martin during the 2010
writing sessions, which also produced the Hot 100 number-one singles "", "" and "." Perry and McKee had been casual friends prior to Perry's request for her help with a song that Perry had been writing called "Part of Me". According to , McKee stayed up all night writing the lyrics. When Perry was presented the song, she shouted "We're buying you a car!" by the time she heard the third line.
Perry recorded a demo of the track that
in full on December 30, 2010. The song was rumored to be a leftover cut from her Teenage Dream recording sessions, and fans speculated that the track might be included in an as-yet-unconfirmed re-release of the LP. This re-release was confirmed in January 2012, when Perry announced through her official website that the album would contain all twelve songs from the original album, plus three new songs and a remix, and would be released on March 26, 2012. Perry's press release stated: "This is the complete story of Teenage Dream. It was an incredible honor to tie the 's Billboard Hot 100 record, but I'm moving forward and had a few things left to get off my chest. So this is the complete special edition of my album for my fans."
On February 13, 2012, "Part of Me" received an official release as the lead single from the album's re-release. Perry had planned all along to release the song on the deluxe edition of the album rather than the original, as it did not fit that album's composition. On February 11, two days before its worldwide premiere, the song was leaked for a second time with a reworked production and slightly changed lyrics. "Part of Me" was released to most
stores worldwide on February 18, 2012, following her performance at the . In the , "Part of Me" was sent to
playlists on February 21, 2012. The song was released in , , , , and
on March 18, 2012 under the digital download and CD single formats. Perry revealed via
that all profits raised from the sales of the single would be donated to . The photograph by Mary Ellen Matthews that was used on the single cover was part of a photographic essay for Perry's appearance in episode 710 of the television program .
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A 22 second sample of the song's , in which Perry declares herself unbreakable to her ex-lover as she sings "This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me" over a
Problems playing this file? See .
"Part of Me" is a
song set to a
beat. It is composed in the key of
and set in a
of 130 . The melody spans the tonal range of D4 to D5, while the music follows the
of Dm–F–Bb-C. Production was done by Perry's frequent collaborator, Dr. Luke. The song begins with Perry's somber and emotional delivery of the line, "Days like this I want to drive away/ Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade." At the , the beat amplifies and Perry's lyrics become more aggressive as she commands "Now Look at Me!", signalling to her ex that she is still strong, regardless of what he tries to do to bring her down. The beat reaches a peak at the chorus, and Perry's tone and the song's lyrics become more aggressive and prominent as she sings, "This is the Part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me." As the song continues, Perry's lyrics become strong and empowered: "So you can keep the diamond ring/ It don't mean nothing anyway/ In fact you can keep everything Yeah/ Yeah Except for me". Perry repeats the ending chorus as the beat fades.
James Dinh of
noted that "the pop star appears strong, bold and just a tad resentful after a breakup" on the track. His analysis of the lyrics observed that "The singer declares herself unbreakable after a breakup, evident in lines such as "Days like this I want to drive away/ Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade/ 'Cause you chewed me up and spit me out/ Like I was poison in your mouth/ You took my light, you drained me down/ But that was then and this is now, now look at me." Dinh pointed out similarities between "Part of Me" and Perry's previous single "California Gurls", noting that "the tune's steady beat amplifies" as the chorus starts. Andrew Hampp of
described the song as a "dance-floor rave up", and compared the song's composition to Jessie J's "". Edna Gundersen from
stated: "Katy Perry could be addressing her ex or her detractors on this defiant slapdown, a gleaming ""-like pop torpedo propelled by slick beats and a brazen chorus." Chris Ryan, also of MTV, inferred that the song was aimed at Perry's ex-boyfriend , while
magazine journalist Amanda Dobbis described it as "another break-up anthem". Fans and media noted differences in the lyrics between the demo and the single, and claimed that the changes redirected the song's subject from McCoy to Perry's ex-husband Russell Brand, from whom she had recently divorced. Perry declared it was not about Brand, stating:
I wrote it two years ago, which is funny because everybody is like "God, it sounds so current," and some people that I work with were like "You should just say you wrote it a couple of weeks ago." I'm like "I'm not a dick, I'm going to tell the truth." I wrote it two years ago when I was writing and recording Teenage Dream, [but] it didn't feel right on the record. I would've had to take out one of my other songs that [made the album] a nice, complete package.
of Rolling Stone gave the song three stars out of five, criticizing its generic topic but praising its production. Steven Hyden and Genevieve Koski of
were positive of the song, with Hyden, giving it a B+, noted that, although the lyrics seemed "dopey", the production and the chorus are "pretty damn sticky", while Koski, giving the song a B, noted that the song follows a similar formula to several of Perry's previous singles but went on to say that "the template works well in the context of a break-up anthem" and positively remarked that it comes off as "a chintzier, 2012 version of '.'"
A reviewer from
criticized Perry's decision to create an uplifting song about such a serious subject matter as divorce: "Framing the song in terms of her divorce from Brand, though 'Part of Me', puts a much more somber and serious spin on things. This is no mere breakup. It's the demolition of a marital covenant. So no matter how bad things were in her relationship, no matter how much better she feels now, no matter how cathartic the pulsing beats (courtesy of hitmeisters Max Martin and Dr. Luke) might feel, the ultimate end here is a very sad one indeed." Priya Elan of
panned the song: 'This is the part of me, that you're never going to take away from me,' "she sings in that strange angry robot voice of hers. The sentiment, as ever, is punch you in face crystal clear and probably meant something to one of the (probably) 17 writers who wrote the song. As it stands, it's another de-humanised slab of radio pop from Perry INC."
In the United States, "Part of Me" debuted at number one on the
and the U.S.
chart, with 411,000 copies sold in its first week. It was the twentieth song to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, and achieved that feat almost exactly a year after the previous, 's "" (2011). "Part of Me" became Perry's sixth number one single from the Teenage Dream album, her seventh number-one song, and her sixth in the . The single debuted at number 36 on the
chart, with 35 million radio impressions in its first week, and was Perry's ninth song to top the
chart. It is Perry's tenth single to be certified Platinum by the , for sales of over 1 million copies. As of January 2015, the single has sold 2,780,000 copies in the US.
"Part of Me" debuted at number one on the , with sales of 46,000 downloads in its first week. In Brazil, it reached the top spot on the . In Mexico, the song peaked in the top 10 of the . It also peaked at number 1 in Venezuela. The song was Perry's first single to debut at number one on the , and as her seventh to reach that spot, tied her with
as the artist with the most number-one hits in New Zealand. It has received a Platinum certification by the RIANZ, with over 15,000 copies sold. In Australia, "Part of Me" debuted at number 22 on the chart, and peaked at number 5. The recording has been certified 2× platinum by the , with 140,000 copies sold.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at the top of the
on March 25, 2012 ― for the week ending date March 31, 2012 ― selling 79,079 copies in its first week and becoming Perry's third number-one single in Britain, following "" in 2008 and "" in 2010. "Part of Me" was certified silver by the
with sales of over 200,000. Acctording to the , the song has sold 333,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of December 2012. In the Republic of Ireland, "Part of Me" peaked at number five on the
and was Perry's twelfth single to reach the top ten in the Irish Republic. In Italy, the song was certified Gold for sales of over 15,000.
for "Part of Me" was directed by Ben Mor. Filming began on February 16, 2012, and took place over the course of three days at
Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. Perry announced the video shortly after the song's release, tweeting, "Holy power of the Grammy's, Part Of Me is already top 10 on itunes! U guys are killing it! NICE! Can't wait to shoot this video! #grateful." Her preparation for the video shoot included vigorous training in military basics, including , , and .
As filming began, pictures from the video set surfaced online, showing Perry with short hair and dressed in . The music video premièred on its announced date during the program MTV First: Katy Perry, in which she discussed her experiences filming the video and the background of the video's :
Well, I actually had the idea, I wrote the story about what it is actually like to be in the Service, and it does take a lot of physical strength, but now that I've been through it – and even just for the three days I was there, [it's] a lot of mental strength. We used only Marines, no actors or actresses. We used all of the Marine's equipment and they were so lovely to us, I always have fun even though it's a lot of work. Even though I was sore and exhausted, I was so educated on people in the service, who I've always respected but the stuff they go through, and the kind of loyalty they possess, it's very communal, and community. Not to sound weird, but it seems like the heart of America. Seriously, the heart.
Perry featured in , signaling her final transformation into a Marine
As Perry sits in her car outside of her boyfriend's job, she sees her boyfriend (played by actor and model Lucas Kerr) interacting flirtatiously with a woman (). She confronts him in his office, and ends their relationship. The titular track begins as she drives to a gas station, where she buys a can of tea. After paying for her items, she sees a moto-sticker on a notice board which reads, "All women are created equal, then some become Marines". The increasingly emotional Perry gathers her possessions from her car trunk, enters a nearby restroom, and begins her change of identity. She cuts her hair short (at this point bursting into tears), removes her bracelets, flattens her breasts, and changes into a hoodie and jeans.
Perry enlists in the , and after a brief scene of recruit training, reports to the School of Infantry for the Marine Corps' rigorous basic combat instruction course. She reminisces over her experiences with her ex-boyfriend, yet remains spiteful towards him. She then burns a love note from him and vents her frustration through the . The remainder of the video depicts Perry's training, and shows her dancing beneath a large garrison flag. Perry ultimately transforms into a trained warrior, clad in Marine Pattern (MARPAT) camouflage utilities, body armor and camouflage face paint.
The video garnered positive reviews from critics, who praised its self-empowerment theme and its different approach in comparison to Perry's previous music videos. Bruno Nessif of
compared the video to 's role in . Ray Rahman from
echoed the similarity of the G.I. Jane influence in the video, and called it an "intense ride". MTV's James Montgomery praised the video and Perry's role, saying:
"Over the years, Perry has been a California Gurl, a nerdy teenager, an alien and just about everything in between, but up until now, she's never really been an actual person." He went on to praise the video stating: "Part of Me" is unlike any pop video in recent memory. Rihanna did military chic in her "" video (she even straddled a tank), and just about every one of Perry's pop contemporaries have ventured down the same path. But they were never re they were just making it more fabulous. Perry takes the opposite tact []: She cuts off her hair, she eschews makeup, she fights, crawls, suffers. It's a commendable level of commitment. Your move, everybody else."
Feminist author Naomi Wolf criticized the video as
for the Marine Corps, stating "I really want to find out if she was paid by them for making it ..... it is truly shameful. I would suggest a
of this singer whom I really liked if you are as offended at this glorification of violence as I am." Glenn Selig, founder of The Publicity Agency, responded to these claims on , stating, "In her efforts to boycott the video, Naomi Wolf has , without her comments, most people would clearly have seen the military simply as a metaphor and not as an attempt by Katy Perry to glamorize the military or war." Perry told MTV that she chose the military plot because it represented the song, saying, "It's an affirmation of strength, so I wanted to go the strongest route I ever could."
Perry performing "Part of Me" at the premiere of Katy Perry: Part of Me.
"Part of Me" was given its first live performance on February 12, 2012, at the . The performance began with "" with dancers and a singer who appeared to be Perry on a darkened stage. It ended partway through the chorus as
and the lights andsound suddenly went out, implying technical difficulties. Wearing sunglasses and a metallic bodysuit with the appearance of golden armor, a blue-haired Perry, slowly singing the first part of "Part of Me," descended from the roof of the venue in a transparent cube, revealing the singer on the stage below to be a body double. Perry shattered the cube, fireworks went off around the stage, and Perry began "Part of Me" as the dancers present during "E.T." reappeared, lifted her up, and performed a routine behind her.
On March 19, 2012, Perry performed "Part of Me" as part of a
special for , along with "" (2011), "Firework" (2011), "" (2009) and a censored version of "" (2011). The performances were closely similar, through their depiction of Perry as a
and their theme of self-empowerment. Katie Brine of MTV commented that "Even when Katy is getting serious, there's always fun to be had."
On April 26, 2012, Perry performed the track for
of . This was similar to her previous performances and the video, but was pre-taped due to illness. After a short, introductory military-style video, Perry made a simulated airdrop onto a military base peopled by female background dancers, all clad in military clothing. It was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans, who criticized Perry's decisions to pre-tape her performance and to . However, the complexity and originality of the performance were praised. Brian Mansfield, of , called it a "pretty impressive production", but criticized Perry's vocal abilities.
Perry included the song in the
of her June 9, 2012 performance at 's
festival, during which she wore a fifties-style black and white polka dot dress and a black fringe haircut.
had also made a mashup called "Fly" for the Summertime Ball and included "Part of Me" and Perry's previous single, "The One That Got Away" in the mashup. On June 26, 2012 Perry performed "Part of Me" in her set list at the
for her July 2012,
autobiographical -
as part of 's "Summer Beats" concert series. During the performance, Perry emerged from a large box of popcorn, wearing a shirt that resembled a
with the stage decorated with life-sized lollipops and . This was Perry's final performance prior to her taking a musical hiatus after two years of continuous promotion for Teenage Dream.
"Part of Me" was used in a national marketing campaign for
limited-edition expansion pack, . Perry filmed a 30-second commercial, in which she performed the song onstage as a Sim version of herself. The expansion pack includes Katy Perry-themed items, inspired by the concept and artwork of her album Teenage Dream (2010), that players can use on their own Sims. In May 2012, Perry signed a deal with Pepsi to promote Katy Perry: Part of Me. This deal was a part of Pepsi's first global campaign titled, "Live For Now" which partners with entertainment artists and properties to promote their work. "Part of Me" was used in a series of
as part of this deal as well as various other media related campaigns to promote the film. The track is available as downloadable content for the video game .
US Digital download
"Part of Me"  – 3:35
US Digital remix download
"Part of Me" ('s Thin White Duke Mix)  – 6:02
UK remix EP
"Part of Me"  – 3:35
"Part of Me" (Jacques Cont's Thin White Duke Mix)  – 6:02
"Part of Me" (Jacques Cont's Thin White Duke Radio Edit)  – 3:47
"Part of Me" (Instrumental)  – 3:35
"Part of Me"  – 3:35
"'s Megasix Smash-Up"  – 7:03
Part of Me  – The Remixes
Part of Me ( Radio Edit)  – 3:57
Part of Me (Freemasons Mixshow Edit)  – 5:48
Part of Me (Freemasons Dub)  – 7:58
Part of Me (Freemasons Club Mix)  – 8:18
Part of Me (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Remix
Part of Me ('s Thin White Duke Remix)  – 3:57
Part of Me ("'s Megasix Smash-Up")  – 5:48
Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.
Chart (2012)
Australia ()
Hungary ()
New Zealand ()
UK Singles ()
, a film by Perry
Edwards, Gavin. . Rolling Stone Middle East 2012.
Dinh, James. . .
Daw, Robbie.
Mitchell, James.
"Part of Me" was released to most
stores worldwide following Perry's performance at the
on February 13, 2012:
. iTunes (BE). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (CZ). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (CZ). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (DK). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (FI). Apple 2012.
(in German). iTunes (DE). Apple 2012.
(in Italian). iTunes (IT). Apple 2012.
(in Japanese). iTunes (FI). Apple 2012.
(in Dutch). iTunes (FI). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (NZ). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (NO). Apple 2012.
. iTunes (PT). Apple 2012.
(in Spanish). iTunes (ES). Apple 2012.
(in Swedish). iTunes (SE). Apple 2012.
(in German). iTunes (CH). Apple 2012.
. All Access Music Group 2012.
. . Esound 2012.
. . February 16, .
Ryan, Chris. . MTV.
Rosen, Jody (February 14, 2012). .
McKay, Holly (March 29, 2012). .
Mitchell, John. . MTV News. MTV Networks 2012.
"Katy Perry – Part of Me Sheet Music (Digital Download)". . .
Unteberger, Andrew. . PopDust 2012.
Hampp, Andrew. . Billboard 2012.
Gundersen, Edna (February 20, 2012). .
Dobbins, Amanda. . . New York Media, LLC 2012.
James, Montgomery. . MTV News. MTV Networks 2012.
Hyden, S Koski, Genevieve (March 3, 2012). . . The Onion, Inc 2012.
Elan, Priya. .
Trust, Gary. . Billboard 2012.
. Bilboard. Archived from
on June 10, .
Trust, Gary (January 25, 2015). .
. . Archived from
on 27 April 2012.
(in Spanish). Record Report. . Archived from
George, Kat. . .
. . March 26, .
Dan Lane (7 December 2012). . The Official Chart Company 2012.
. . March 23, .
(PDF). In Italian) (PDF GfK Retail and Technology.
Lewis, Brittany. .
Jean, D.J. . Global Grind.
Gayles, Contessa. .
Robert, David. . MTV News. MTV Networks 2012.[]
Nessif, Bruna. . .
Rahman, Ray. .
Montgomery, James. . MTV News. MTV Networks 2012.
. NME. March 28, .
. Daily News (New York: Daily News, L. P). March 30, .
Vena, Jocelyn (March 21, 2012). . MTV.
Fowler, Tara. . .
(in Portuguese). . February 13, .
Suddath, Claire (February 12, 2012). .
Brooks Adickman, Erika. . .
Bryne, Katy. . MTV Networks. MTV 2012.
Willot, Carl. .
Mansfield, Brian (April 26, 2012). . USA Today (Ganett Company) 2012.
Fahy, Collete (June 10, 2012). . Daily Mail (London) 2012.
Staff, Billboard. . Billboard 2012.
Lipshutz, Jason. . Billboard 2012.
Vena, Jocelyn. . MTV. MTV News 2012.
Webb, Charles. . MTV. MTV Networks 2012.
Graiser, Mark. .
. Just Dance 2014.
. . . February 13, .
(in German). iTunes Store. Apple Inc 2012.
. iTunes Store. Apple Inc 2012.
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" (in Dutch). . Retrieved May 19, 2012.
" Airplay Top 5. .
for Katy Perry. Retrieved July 2013.
for Katy Perry. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201213 into search. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
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" (in Hungarian). . Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Sz?vetsége. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
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"". Israeli Airplay Chart. . Retrieved May 18, 2012.
. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana 2015.
(in Spanish). Impacto El Diario. 4 April .
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" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert {{{year}}}{{{week}}} into search. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
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for Katy Perry.
for Katy Perry.
for Katy Perry.
for Katy Perry.
for Katy Perry.
for Katy Perry.
(in Italian). . Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Katy Perry in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
. . Enter Part Of Me in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
. . If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
. . May 9, .
(in Hungarian). Mahasz 2013.
. . . 31 December .
. Billboard.
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