This celestial electronic ballad that sees singing Perry singing about a lover from "a different dimension" was co-written and co-produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald and Max Martin. The serial hitmakers were also behind Perry's breakthrough hit "
I Kissed a Girl."
The song was originally intended for the rap group Three Six Mafia. Perry told MTV News: "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," she explained. "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.' And I did, and it really worked out perfectly.
It's a whole different vibe for me. It's kind of a bit harder, it does have that urban feel underneath it. I think that's why Kanye added even another layer on top of it," the singer added. "And it has amazing sonics - I mean, there's so much to it, there's a lot in the song if you really put your headphones on and sink into the song."
Perry got her fans to help her in choosing the fourth single from Teenage Dream by means of Twitter. They selected this spacey dance tune and a new version was recorded with two additional verses by Kanye West about alien sex.
Perry jokily told the crowd before performing this song at Z-100's January 2011Jingle Ball, "This next song is about falling in love with a foreigner, like far away... not even in England."
Kanye West also appeared in the song's music video, which was directed by Floria Sigismondi (David Bowie, Björk, Marilyn Manson).
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The song has a science-fiction theme, and Katy admitted in an interview with Company magazine that outer space fascinates her. "E.T. is a metaphor about finding someone who is just obviously not from this world because how could they love me like this? Even though it's a metaphor, I'm very interested in all things futuristic. I mean, I complain every day that the Hoverport has still not been invented!" she said. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous. I look out into the sky and to the stars and I feel there is so much out there."
Among the Hot 100's first 1,000 #1s, no title consisted of just two letters. However, in 2011 abbreviation-infused texting reigned. The 1,001th and 1,002nd chart-toppers, which both reached the summit in that year were "E.T." and "
S&M."
The song was Perry's fourth straight Hot 100 #1 single from Teenage Dream. The previous act to pull four chart-topping singles from one album was Usher, who achieved that feat with 2004's Confessions.
The music video was directed by filmmaker Floria Sigismondi, who has created clips for David Bowie, Muse and Christina Aguilera. It features Perry as an alien floating in space whilst West flies around in his own spaceship and albino male model Shaun Ross plays the Californian singer's love interest.
Perry admitted to MTV News correspondent Sway that it was a challenge for her to remain patient during the extensive makeup process involved in the clip. "It was, like, five and six hours, each makeup look," she said. "It was hard for me! It was really a patience thing for me on this video," she said. "But, you know, it's like when you're doing a film. Sometimes you have to do prosthetics, and you have to get really old or turn into an animal or a monster - and that's kind of what this process was."
The song's lyrics include the phrase "different DNA." Coincidentally, the track that this replaced on top of the Hot 100, Lady Gaga's "
Born This Way," features the phrase "same DNA."
Perry experienced mixed fortunes on the Billboard Hot 100 dated April 30, 2011. Whilst this song fell to # 2 after three weeks at the summit, the singer rewrote chart history by spending a 49th consecutive week in the top 10 of the Hot 100. Her run began with "
California Gurls," which debuted at # 2 the week of May 29, 2010, and continued with "
Teenage Dream" and "
Firework" prior to this song. Perry's long stay on the top 10 overtook Ace of Base's record of 48 straight weeks in the top tier with "
All That She Wants," "
The Sign" and "
Don't Turn Around" from October 16, 1993, through to September 10, 1994.
This won Song of the Year at the People Choice awards, which were held on January 11, 2012. Perry won four other trophies at the ceremony, snagging awards for Favorite Female Artist, Tour Headliner, Music Video for "
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," and TV Guest Star for her appearance on the sitcom
How I Met Your Mother.
This song sold over five million in digital copies, Perry's fourth single to hit the five million mark following "Firework," "California Gurls," and "
Hot n Cold." In doing so, the singer became the first ever artist to have four songs hit the five million milestone.