"Hey Hey Hey" is a song recorded by American singer

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

for her fifth studio album ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

'' (2017). It was sent to Italian

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

stations on January 12, 2018 by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

as the album's fifth single. The song was written by Perry,

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, Sarah Hudson,

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

and

Ali Payami Ali Payami is an Iranian-Swedish record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Payami's first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was The Weeknd's single "Can't Feel My Face". In 2016, he won a Grammy for Album of the Year for his contributions on ...

, while production was handled by Martin and Payami. "Hey Hey Hey" is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

-influenced, dark

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

and

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

track about female empowerment. Reviewers speculated that the song was also about the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...

nominees

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

. Music critics gave mixed reviews of "Hey Hey Hey", with some praising it as one of the highlights of ''Witness'' and others deeming it mediocre. It was also compared to the works of American singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and New Zealand singer-songwriter

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

. To accompany the track, a music video was uploaded onto Perry's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

account on December 20, 2017. The clip was filmed by Isaac Rentz in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

and is set in the 18th century and the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, with the singer's outfits resembling those of the last Queen of France before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

and French heroine

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

. For further promotion, Perry gave several live performances of "Hey Hey Hey", including those during her concert tour Witness: The Tour (2017–2018) and her four-day YouTube live stream Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide (2017). Commercially, the song appeared on charts in Czech Republic, New Zealand and Sweden.

Recording and composition

"Hey Hey Hey" was recorded at MXM Studios in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and at Wolf Cousins Studios in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden. It was mixed at MixStar Studios in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, by Serban Ghenea and John Hanes, and mastered at Sterling Sound in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

by Randy Merrill. It was written by

, Sarah Hudson,

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

and

, and was produced by Martin and Payami. Martin performed percussion on the track and Payami provided percussion, bass, synths and piano. Cory Bice and Jeremy Lertola both served as engineer assistants and Peter Karlsson was credited as vocal producer. Perry sang lead and background vocals for "Hey Hey Hey", with

Astrid S Astrid Smeplass (born 29 October 1996) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. In 2013, she placed fifth in the Norwegian version of '' Pop Idol'', entitled '' Idol – Jakten på en superstjerne''. In 2020, she released her debut studio album, ' ...

providing additional background vocals. The song is the second track on ''

'' (2017), Perry's fifth studio album. Musically, "Hey Hey Hey" is a

and

-influenced, dark

and "

2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled durin ...

song. It lyrically "asserts that women can be complex people with a multitude of personality traits" and deals with themes of female empowerment.

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...

of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' wrote that "the song depicts a narrow version of femininity and success—lipstick and a dress, and being rich, respectively—and it perpetuates irksome stereotypes about strong women". Lyrics from "Hey Hey Hey" include: "A hot little hurricane/'Cause I'm feminine and soft, but I'm still a boss, yeah/Red lipstick but still so raw, yeah/ ..I smell like a rose and I pierce like a thorn", and "I ain't got no strings/I'm no one's little puppet". Throughout the recording, Perry denies "she's a fragile little Fabergé", and refers to herself as "a seasoned PR pro". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' writer Leonie Cooper described the line, "

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

in a monster truck" as "retro-meets-trashy" and

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

-influenced.

Critical reception

Upon its release, music critics gave "Hey Hey Hey" mixed reviews. Sal Cinquemani of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' praised Perry for being "at her most effective and comfortable".

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

writer Mike Wass positively likened the track to material from American singer

' seventh studio album ''

Femme Fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

'' (2011), and called it a highlight of ''Witness''. Although labelling the production of "Hey Hey Hey" formulaic, Andy Gill of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' also highlighted the song as one of the best on the album. Cooper of ''NME'' compared the recording's "languid, spacious sound" to the works of New Zealand singer

. Other reviewers speculated that "Hey Hey Hey" dealt with the

nominees

and

, with Perry taking side with the latter. Zaleski of ''The A.V. Club'' was negative towards the track, calling it "galling" and "particularly oblivious". She noted the line, "'Cause I'm feminine and soft, but I'm still a boss, yeah", was not in concordance with the "not ..warm or relatable" Clinton, whom Perry supported on multiple occasions. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' Mikael Wood negatively wrote: "'Hey Hey Hey' plays like a weak attempt to duplicate the success of her uplifting 2013 smash ' Roar', this time with a paper-thin tune and clunky words". Fabian Gorsler from

Highsnobiety Highsnobiety is a global fashion and lifestyle media brand founded in 2005 by David Fischer. It was bought by German e-commerce giant Zalando in 2022. Highsnobiety is headquartered in Berlin and has offices in Amsterdam, London, Milan, New York ...

described the single as "underwhelming".

Music video

Production and release

Before the release of an accompanying music video for "Hey Hey Hey", Perry began teasing it with a series of

-themed pictures of herself. The clip was subsequently uploaded onto the singer's official YouTube channel on December 20, 2017, with a behind-the-scenes video premiering on January 4, 2018 on the same platform. When posting the clip on her

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account, Perry added the caption:

After a year of peaks and valleys (remember, it's all a journey), I wanted to end 2017 with a fun, triumphant piece of pop candy. Just think of it as a glam little stocking stuffer from me to you. 'Hey Hey Hey' is one of my favorite songs from "Witness" and for me, it embodies the fighting spirit I always want you to be able to find within yourself, and to see in me.

The song's video was filmed in

Isaac Rentz Isaac Rentz (born August 21, 1982) is an American feature film, music video, and commercial director. Biography Rentz was born in Japan, and was raised in Tempe, Arizona. He was signed to Draw Pictures for UK and US music video representati ...

, and was produced by Nina Dluhy-Miller and Danny Lockwood. Six backup dancers were hired; Megan Lawson was credited as their choreographer. During the accompanying behind-the-scenes video, Perry resumed the clip's message: "You don't have to be just one thing if you're a woman, you can be all things. And just 'cause you're vulnerable does not make you weak". Reviewers said the music video depicts events occurring in the 18th century and

, while also incorporating modern elements. During the clip, Perry wears a sculptural blonde wig with curls, and her looks resemble those of French heroine

and Antoinette. Joey Nolfi of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' found similarities between the singer's wardrobe and that of

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

's 2006 film ''

''.

Synopsis

The music video opens with a shot of a castle and one of its French-inspired hallways. Lying in her bed, Perry is awakened by the sound of a horn blown by three women, and is given a brown drink ("Napoleon's Coffee") and her smartphone, where she communicates in-video with Prince Piggy (played by Tad Brown) regarding their date. The three women are seen cleaning Perry's underwear, lacing her corset and walking with books on their heads, among other activities. Perry, seemingly overwhelmed, falls down and sees a book titled "JOAN!", with its cover displaying a female warrior. The video subsequently transitions to a scene depicting Perry holding a sword and wearing a dress with an eye placed on her breast. She dances with three female background dancers and eats cake with them. Following this, a scene shows Perry's and Prince Piggy date; the latter makes advances towards Perry and arranges his vegetables on his plate to spell DTF. Disgusted, Perry seeks the advice of her friend Lord Markus on her phone, who tells her to "get out of there!". Perry then fights with Prince Piggy in a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

theme, defeating him. Returning to the video's main plot, Perry and the prince dance together and watch a puppet show. Prince Piggy tries to kiss the singer; she slaps him and gets decapitated, but her head is picked up by the version of Perry seen earlier. The clip ends with Perry running with her sword towards the prince and his servants.

Reception

Critics gave mixed reviews of the music video upon its premiere. Nina Braca from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called it "triumphant", while ''

The Malay Mail ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' said it was "humorous", and Nolfi from ''Entertainment Weekly'' described it as "candy-colored".

Direct Lyrics MRC II Distribution Company L.P., doing business as MRC (formerly Media Rights Capital), is an American film and television studio. Founded by Mordecai (Modi) Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, the company funds and produces film and television programming. ...

' Kevin Apaza wrote: "We totally dug this video. We liked the high budget, all the perfect details, the deep message conveyed, and of course Katy's humor too". Ross McNeilage from

MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & I ...

similarly praised the video, pointing out its "high-concept" and stating: "The ..singer's visual treatment brings the lyrics to life, highlighting its themes of resilience with a fitting storyline. Despite the serious undertones of defiance, the video is jam-packed with Katy's goofy humour throughout and doesn't take itself too seriously at all." Evan Jorssen of

NRJ NRJ (NRJ is an acronym read as Nouvelle Radio Jeune, or ''énergie'' in French, pronounced , literally "energy") is a private French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981, and was widely popularized than ...

likened the three women seen in the clip accompanying Perry to characters from the 1993 American

comedy horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary genre, literary, television genre, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three ty ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

'' Hocus Pocus'' and the 1899 French film ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. Julien Goncalves of

Pure Charts Pure may refer to: Computing * A pure function * A pure virtual function * PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012 * Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool * Pure-FTPd, F ...

compared parts of the video's concept to

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's live performance of "

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

" (1990) at the

1990 MTV Video Music Awards The 1990 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 1990, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1989, to June 1, 1990. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This year saw the elimination of ...

. In a negative review, Highsnobiety's Gorsler wrote: "The visuals are, to put it kindly, less than stellar, with over-the-top production and a lavishly nonsensical plot making the music video one of the weirdest things to come out this year. But all that is to be expected from an artist like Katy Perry, who is famous for her eccentricity." He also criticized the heavy product placement and the use of an air horn rap trumpet sound at the beginning of the video, which "sound like Katy Perry spent a little too much time playing around with Virtual DJ". ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' magazine also slightly criticized the product placement sequences.

Live performances

Perry promoted "Hey Hey Hey" with several live performances and included the song in the closing segment of her Witness: The Tour (2017–2018) concert tour, where she performed it on a ''

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer a ...

''-style motorcycle. Perry also sang the track during her four-day YouTube live stream Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide (2017); at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

near

Pilton, Somerset Pilton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the A361 road in the Mendip District, Mendip district, 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Shepton Mallet and 6 miles (10 km) east of Gl ...

, England, on June 24, and for British radio station

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

on June 26, 2017, where she performed an acoustic version of the song.

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of ''Witness''.

Recording

* Recorded at MXM Studios (

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

), MXM Studios (

, Sweden) and Wolf Cousins Studios (Stockholm, Sweden) * Mixed at MixStar Studios (

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

)

Personnel

– songwriting, lead vocals, background vocals *

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

– songwriting, production for MXM Productions, programming, percussion, Max's tooth *

– songwriting *

– songwriting, production for Wolf Cousins Productions, programming, percussion, bass, synths, piano * Sarah Hudson – songwriting *

– background vocals * Sam Holland –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Cory Bice – engineering assistant * Jeremy Lertola – engineering assistant * Peter Karlsson – vocal editing * Serban Ghenea – mixing * John Hanes – mixing engineering * Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2017 songs Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc Cultural depictions of Hillary Clinton Cultural depictions of Marie Antoinette Dream pop songs Electropop songs Katy Perry songs Songs about Donald Trump Songs written by Katy Perry Songs written by Max Martin Songs written by Sia (musician) Songs written by Ali Payami Songs written by Sarah Hudson (singer) Songs with feminist themes