Katy Perry‘s team was initially hot and cold about “Teenage Dream.”
Bonnie McKee, who co-wrote the 2010 hit with the singer, revealed that the track went through a few different lyrical renditions before landing on the chorus known today.
“It was the most difficult to write,” Bonnie explained during a May 6 episode of The DaddyMommy Show podcast. “We wrote like five different versions to it.”
The songwriter—who’s credited on the track alongside Katy, Max Martin and producers Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke—recalled the first version of the hook starting out with the lines: “You make me feel like I’m born again / All brand new, come on, Peter Pan.”
Of course, that concept didn’t stick. In fact, after deciding those lyrics were “too young” and “needed to be sexier,” they went back to the drawing board and worked on a few more ideas, including one that was called “Try Me On.”
“It was all kind of fashion references,” Bonnie recounted. “Even though that’s a really cute idea and worth writing, it felt a little bit camp, and the song was a little more earnest.”
