Katy Perry’s ‘E.T.’ Has a Beat Written for These Famous Rappers
“E.T.” is one of Katy Perry’s most atypical songs. Interestingly, its beat wasn’t meant for Perry, but for some famous rappers. During an interview, Perry explained how she ended up using it in one of her songs. She also said a fantasy she had about a foreign planet helped inspire “E.T.”
Why Katy Perry wrote ‘E.T.’
In a video she posted to her YouTube channel, she discussed the origin of “E.T.” She wanted each of the songs on her album Teenage Dream to have a strong concept. Perry revealed she often thinks about outer space. She said she sometimes imagined there might be a planet full of attractive men out there and that she might come in contact with one of these men.
Perry decided to write a song about meeting an extraterrestrial, so she wrote “E.T.” She said the main character of the song was a “super lover.” Perry said “E.T.” contained elements of European club music and hip-hop.
Katy Perry heard a beat she wasn’t supposed to hear
It makes sense “E.T.” contains elements of hip-hop considering how Perry created the song. “I’ll tell you, it’s funny … this song, I remember writing with Max Martin and Dr. Luke, and there’s this producer they wrote with, named Ammo as well, and they were just showing me different samples of songs or tracks or beats, and they accidentally pulled up this beat, and it was for Three 6 Mafia,” Perry told MTV News.
Perry explained how the beat inspired her. “I heard it and I always knew I wanted to write this futuristic, alienistic song, and they pulled it up and I was like, ‘Wait, I can wrap my head around this. I know this seems like a long shot, but I think I have the perfect material to put on top of this sound,'” she said. “And I did, and it really worked out perfectly.”
Perry compared “E.T.” to her previous work. “It’s a whole different vibe for me,” she opined. “It’s kind of a bit harder, it does have that urban feel underneath it. I think that’s why Kanye [West] added even another layer on top of it.” She said the song was very layered.
How the world reacted to ‘E.T.’
“E.T.” became a massive hit. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 30 weeks. Its parent album, Teenage Dream, topped the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 250 weeks.
“E.T.” was a success in the United Kingdom as well. The Official Charts Company reports it reached No. 3 in the U.K., staying on the chart for 24 weeks. Teenage Dream peaked at No. 1 in the U.K., staying on the chart for 199 weeks. Little Mix performed a cover of the song on The X Factor that became famous in its own right. Perry’s producer didn’t write the beat of “E.T.” for Perry — but Perry catapulted it to the top of the charts.
