"The One That Got Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, both of whom also co-wrote the song with Perry. The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love. It features a reference to the rock band Radiohead, and compares the strength of the relationship to that of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The song was released on September 30, 2011, by Capitol Records as the album's sixth single.
"The One That Got Away" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, with Teenage Dream becoming the seventh album in the 53-year history of the Hot 100 to generate at least six top 10s. The single reached the top of the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, Adult Top 40, and Mainstream Top 40 charts.
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Floria Sigismondi and premiered in November 2011, featuring actor Diego Luna. An official remix featuring rapper B.o.B was released to digital retailers on December 20, 2011. An official acoustic rendition was released to digital retailers on January 16, 2012, this version was included in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection edition. The song has been covered by several artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray, Richard Marx, Jordan Pruitt, Selena Gomez & the Scene, and Tate McRae.
Release and artwork
On September 13, 2011, at the New York City's Irving Plaza, Capitol Records confirmed to Billboard that "The One That Got Away" would be the sixth single from Teenage Dream. Perry said in a statement from the label:
Later that month, Perry wrote the following message on her Twitter account: "The One That Got Away... It's happening!!!", along with a picture of the official single artwork. The artwork shows a pink-haired Perry looking up at the sky while wearing a disc-shaped hat. The photo gives a whimsical nod to the 1970s, with its distinctively retro appearance. On September 30, the song received radio airplay release in France. Soon it was followed by the release of the song to American mainstream and rhythmic contemporary radio stations on October 11. The single was issued to Italian radios through EMI Music Publishing on October 28. On December 2, the remix EP of "The One That Got Away" was released. The remix featuring American rapper B.o.B was issued by Capitol Records to American pop and rhythmic radios on December 15, followed by a digital release of the song five days later. Acoustic rendition of the song was released on January 16, 2012.
Capitol Records said that they are not specifically releasing the song in hopes of it reaching number one and rewriting Hot 100 history (since Perry was the first woman to obtain five number ones on the chart from one album), rather the decision came out of "Perry's fondness for the song, its ear-catching hook and her obvious track record of success at pop radio". EMI Music/Capitol Records EVP/marketing and promotion Greg Thompson told Billboard that, "if it goes to No. 1, that would be great, If not, we still have a Katy song on the radio in fourth quarter", presumably boosting sales for Teenage Dream in the Christmas season.
Composition and writing
Originally titled "In Another Life", the song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, both of whom co-wrote it with Perry. It is a midtempo pop song positioned on the piece of E major and has a tempo of 134 beats per minute. Joanna Holcombe from Yahoo! Music noted that the song is about first loves. Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly, said that the song is "a midtempo ode to a summer-after-high-school love with whom she recalls sharing Mustang makeout sessions to Radiohead'". Michael Wood from Spin magazine said that the song is one of the album's quieter cuts and that it recalls "Perry's singer-songwriter days at L.A.'s Hotel Café". The song follows the chord progression of E–G♯m–C♯m–A, and Perry's vocal range spans from B3 to E5. Kitty Empire noticed that Perry's vocal is wistful throughout the song and that the references to June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash were unexpected. Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated that when Perry sings, 'I was June, and you were my Johnny Cash,' "it's understood that she's thinking of the scrubbed-up Hollywood version of June and Johnny, from Walk the Line." After death of actor Johnny Lewis, media outlets speculated that the song was about him. In 2017, the singer revealed that "The One That Got Away" was about Josh Groban.