Roar

The lead single from Katy Perry's Prism album was written by the singer in collaboration with her friend Bonnie McKee and produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke. The same team also helped craft most of Perry's biggest hits on Teenage Dream, the exception being "Firework."

The song is a bouncy statement by Perry of moving forward into the next stage of her life after the tumultuous end of her marriage to Russell Brand. Talking to BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, she revealed: "It's a bit of a self-empowering type of song. I wrote it because I was sick of keeping all these feelings inside and not speaking up for myself, which caused a lot of resentment. Obviously I've been through a lot of therapy since my last record and that's what this is about."

The song has hit #1 in 15 countries and entered the Top 10 in 38 charts worldwide; it is easy to see why when looking at the fine songwriting craft on display. Of course, as with any smash hit, the song employs a great deal of repetition to ingrain itself in the listener's head, making it hooky and memorable; however, the repetition suitably expresses the songs primary theme, which is one of empowerment. The titular "roar" appears 16 times in the song, cleverly emphasized at the end of chorus lines (and even beginning one) to squeeze out every last bit of its sing-a-long credentials. This makes the title almost a mantra for those who are listening for the empowerment themes (a subject Perry has tackled before, notably on her smash hit "Firework"). There is also the added payoff of the sing-along "o-o-o-o-ar", a songwriting technique that, through its transcending of language, universalizes the song. The song also piques our curiosity as it may be interpreted as a commentary on her much publicized divorce with comedian Russell Brand. As her first release since their split, many of her fans were curious to hear how she responded musically to this development in her personal life. Though the song's generic similarities to previous hits like "Firework" show a conservative attempt to maintain her current fan base, the pop culture references to Muhammad Ali, Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman," and the Rocky movie franchise show Perry's attempt to connect with a more mature audience.