I'm Still Breathing

Album: One of the Boys (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This obituary for a dead relationship was produced and co-written by former Eurythmic Dave Stewart. Perry recorded this with Stewart in London, England. In a Songfacts interview with Dave Stewart, he explained that he excels at writing songs with a melancholy kind of atmosphere, and cites this as an example. Says Stewart: "If you go to Katy Perry's album, the one really sad and melancholy song on it is 'I'm Still Breathing.' It's talking about a relationship, but it's putting it into a strange context. It has lines like, 'I'm still breathing, but we've been dead for a while.' You know, 'I think we're losing grip, let's abandon ship,' and all that kind of funny imagery mixed together."
  • Three different ex-boyfriends show up on Perry's One of the Boys album. "I'm Still Breathing" and "Thinking of You" are about the same guy, while "Ur So Gay" and "Mannequin" are about the other two.

Comments: 1

  • John from ThereThis is about us fighting "PTSD-USMC" from and about when I got back from Iraq....she tried soo hard to get with me and I denied her every time...this is all about the time she flew 5 hrs from CA to KY & then drove 2 hrs just to see me for 3 minutes after I kicked her out...this was may-june time frame back in 2008
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.