Since her new singles are abysmal, here’s a ranking of the worst Katy Perry songs ever

It is an atrocious time to be Katy Perry. To say that her latest album cycle for 143, set to be a huge pop comeback from a 2010s icon who’s been in a constant flop era since 2017, is going disastrously would be putting it kindly. The two new singles we’ve heard from the record – Woman’s World and Lifetimes – have been critically panned. Whilst a lot of criticism has gone towards Perry’s choice to work with Dr Luke on the records, it’s not the only qualm. Both have been dragged for sounding dated and tired and being sloppily written. Katy Perry’s legacy in pop music speaks for itself – but it wasn’t always plain sailing. Here are the worst nine Katy Perry songs ever – including the new ones and some classic piles of sh*t from the archives you might have been blessed enough to forget about.

9. Hey Hey Hey

The much maligned single from the equally much maligned Witness, Hey Hey Hey is bad. Not quite as bad as the streets would have you believe, but it is rotten. I cannot forgive songs that has lyrics like “Marilyn Monroe in a monster truck” and a chorus as dismal as “Hey, hey, hey / You think that I’m a little baby / You think that I am fragile like a Fabergé.” Chop.

8. This Is How We Do

A song that contains the lyric “Getting our nails did all Japanesey.” What more needs to be said.

7. Lifetimes

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A completely generic and soulless misfire. Hard to believe the pop star who excelled in piano house bangers when she did amazing album track Walking On Air has gone on to drop this song that sounds like it exists for bombshells to walk into the Love Island villa to. Not too late to rename it Lifeless!

6. Not The End of the World

Correct! It’s not! But very well could have been the end of her career. Because this is horrid. The sample in this should be illegal. It’s deeply jarring.

5. Smile

A truly horrible single from the worst Katy Perry album yet, Smile sees Perry go in a disco groove direction that just misfires completely. Whereas her previous dalliances in the genre, like the infectious Birthday, have been amazing – Smile is just utterly annoying. The melody drills an itchy hole into my head every time I hear it. Just very, very bad.

4. Ur So Gay

Whilst melodically this is a decent song, the lyrics and title just can’t really be overlooked. It’s all very 2008, but she should have known better. How are you going to have a song with such negative queer tropes on it that basically shame a guy for being not masculine enough and starts with “I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf”. Just bizarre to be honest, and weirder still to make a song tonally like this on the same record as I Kissed a Girl. Weird.

3. Into Me You See

Horrible track name and even more horrible song. One of her laziest and most eye rolling songs lyrically she’s ever released. “Into me you’ll see / You broke me wide open, open sesame”. Does she take us for mugs?

2. Never Worn Shite

Oh sorry. Typo. At number two on the Katy Perry worst songs ever rundown, please welcome, Never Worn White!!!

1. Woman’s World

As bad as everyone says and then somehow even worse. When she teased that first snippet I thought it was a practical joke. Say what you want about Katy Perry – she normally knocks a lead single out of the park. Even if the album flops (which it often does, at least for the past seven years) we start off with a pop classic. Not this time. A haunting misfire that will be the stain on her discography and career for the remainder of it. Hell and horror.

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