Avery Sullenberger

Prof. Leonard

English 1201

10 February 2022

Teenage Dream Essay

“Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry and the cover by Fort Rose Falling use the same lyrics

to show two different kinds of high school love. In one version a couple is driving around and

partying while in the other there is a group of teenage boys hanging out and singing in a

basement. The original “Teenage Dream” was released in 2010 and is a pop, upbeat song. The

cover by Fort Rose Falling was released in 2014 and is a punk, heavy metal version that includes

more instrumentals. Fort Rose Fallings cover and Katy Perry's “Teenage Dream” share a similar

claim and theme however, Katy Perry's music video appeals to a teenage girl audience with its

more romantic storytelling while Fort Rose Falling cover appeals to the rebellious man

stereotype.

At the beginning of “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry, she says “you think I’m pretty

without any make-up on,” she then describes how she feels comfortable in her relationship with

her boyfriend. “I know you get me, so I let my walls come down.” This relates to how the song is

about a teenage girl wanting to find love. “You and I will be young forever” is referring to the

way her relationship with her boyfriend makes her happy and how she is serious about him. The

listener could interpret this song as a nerdy girl falling in love with a jock and wanting to run

away with him. The video from Katy Perry's perspective but it shows her in many different

places, in a car, at a party, in a hotel room, and at the beach. She is reminiscing on the fact that
her teenage self and many other teenage girls would have been elated to be in that kind of

relationship in high school.

Both videos contain the same lyrics due to the fact that the second one is only a cover.

However, even though they contain the same lyrics the second video could be interpreted very

differently. The cover by Fort Rose Falling came out four years later and is a totally different

genre of music. The original is a pop and dance song while the cover is a heavy metal, punk

version. At the beginning of the cover, the lead singer aggressively sang “before you met me I

was alright but things were kinda heavy.” These lyrics are the same as the original, but due to the

fact that they were sung very differently, they can be interpreted very differently. The lead singer

sang these lyrics with so much anger, it seems that he is angry about the way his life was before.

“Just love” the lead singer also aggressively sings this line, which shows that he does not take

love very seriously. The band also begins the song dressed in some “nerdy” outfits but as soon as

the beat drops they change into “trendy” outfits. This change is very obvious and it plays into the

high school aspects of the video. The listener can view this video as a group of teenage boys

hanging out together and making music. The video takes place in a basement it contains much

more instrumentals.

Each video contains different versions of high school teenagers. Though they both have

similar claims and themes of love in high school. The intended audiences for each video are very

different. Katy Perry’s video is aimed at teenage girls, the video appeals to pathos by showing a

couple falling in love. The lyrics also appeal to pathos in both videos, lyrics such as “my heart

stops when you look at me.” These lyrics relate to the falling love aspects of both videos.

However, even though the cover by Fort Rose Falling also appeals to pathos, the intended

audience is actually males who are angry when it comes to love. The cover relates more to men
because it is punk and so much more aggressive. The original is sappy and romantic while the

cover is so aggressive it grasps male attention.

Although the videos use the same lyrics they both convey different high school lifestyles.

The original version shows a woman who felt as though her falling in love is just like how she

dreamed it would be in high school. While the cover is a group of teenage boys hanging out and

signing in their basement. They are angry about what being in love has done to them. Both the

original version and the cover have very similar themes and claims. However, Katy Perry’s

version appeals to a teenage girl audience due to the storytelling while Fort Rose Falling’s cover

appeals to males who are angry with the way love treated them.
 Works Cited

Perry, Katy. “Teenage Dream.” Katy Perry Vevo, Capital Records, 2010.

www.youtube.com/watc

h?v=98WtmW-lfeE.

Fort Rose Falling. “Teenage Dream.” Fort Rose Falling, Cl Media, 2014.

www.youtube.com/watc

h?vCOWgmv6yjpo.