Composition and lyrical interpretation
How was the song described by Andrew Hampp?
Part of Me (Katy Perry song)
"Part of Me" is a power pop song set to a house beat. It is composed in the key of D minor and set in a 4/4 time signature at a tempo of 130 beats per minute. The melody spans the tonal range of D4 to D5, while the music follows the chord progression of Dm–F–Bb-C. Production was done by Perry's frequent collaborator, Dr. Luke. The song begins with Perry's somber and emotional delivery of the line, "Days like this I want to drive away/ Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade." At the bridge, the beat amplifies and Perry's lyrics become more aggressive as she commands "Now Look at Me! ", signalling to her ex that she is still strong, regardless of what he tries to do to bring her down. The beat reaches a peak at the chorus, and Perry's tone and the song's lyrics become more aggressive and prominent as she sings, "This is the Part of me that you're never-ever gonna take away from me." As the song continues, Perry's lyrics become strong and empowered: "So you can keep the diamond ring/ It don't mean nothing anyway/ In fact you can keep everything Yeah/ Yeah Except for me". Perry repeats the ending chorus as the beat fades. James Dinh of MTV noted that "the pop star appears strong, bold and just a tad resentful after a breakup" on the track. His analysis of the lyrics observed that "The singer declares herself unbreakable after a breakup, evident in lines such as "Days like this I want to drive away/ Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade/ 'Cause you chewed me up and spit me out/ Like I was poison in your mouth/ You took my light, you drained me down/ But that was then and this is now, now look at me." Dinh pointed out similarities between "Part of Me" and Perry's previous single "California Gurls", noting that "the tune's steady beat amplifies" as the chorus starts. Andrew Hampp of "Billboard" described the song as a "dance-floor rave up", and compared the song's composition to Jessie J's "Domino". Edna Gundersen from" USA Today" stated: "Katy Perry could be addressing her ex or her detractors on this defiant slapdown, a gleaming "Firework"-like pop torpedo propelled by slick beats and a brazen chorus." Chris Ryan, also of MTV, inferred that the song was aimed at Perry's ex-boyfriend Travie McCoy, while "New York" magazine journalist Amanda Dobbis described it as "another break-up anthem". Fans and media noted differences in the lyrics between the demo and the single, and claimed that the changes redirected the song's subject from McCoy to Perry's ex-husband Russell Brand, from whom she had recently divorced. Perry declared it was not about Brand, stating:I wrote it two years ago, which is funny because everybody is like "God, it sounds so current," and some people that I work with were like "You should just say you wrote it a couple of weeks ago." I'm like "I'm not a dick, I'm going to tell the truth." I wrote it two years ago when I was writing and recording Teenage Dream, it didn't feel right on the record. I would've had to take out one of my other songs that [made the album a nice, complete package.