Katy Perry Recalls "One That Got Away"

Katy Perry shows true vulnerability and sadness in her just-released moody video for "The One That Got Away," the sixth single from "Teenage Dream." The tune was built on a relentless drum beat and a music box melody which highlights Perry's breathy voice. The contemplative clip perfectly encapsulates both the joy of falling in love and the heartbreak of letting go. It travels through time and space and recalls the melancholic story of Perry's one that got away. It's actually pretty powerful stuff.
This sweet mid-tempo dance-pop ballad with sad structure of the lyrics in combination with nostalgia, is about lost love finds Perry and her guy get matching tattoos on her 18th birthday. Later she hears that he's got his tattoo removed, so she knows the relationship is over. "I'm so pleased to select 'The One That Got Away' as my sixth single because this song shows a very different side of me that I haven't shown with my past singles on this record," said Perry. "I think that everyone can relate to this song. I wrote (it) about when you promise someone forever, but you end up not being able to follow through. It's a bittersweet story. Hopefully, the listener learns from hearing it and never has to say they had 'The One' get away."
Directed by Floria Sigismondi, the video opens with Perry, as a nostalgic, elderly woman, returning home from a trip as her husband asks how it went. She then walks up the stairs of her contemporary mansion to reflect on the past. As she settles into her place at home, little things begin to recalls her fiery, sexy love affair with her boyfriend played by Mexican actor Diego Luna. The two share moments and enjoy life and things seem perfect between the pair. However, all good things must come to an end. Eventually, their art splits them up.
As he drives tragically and unexpectedly crashes off a cliff, leaving no chance for reconciliation. The video closes with Perry driving Luna's old car. She eventually goes to the scene of the tragedy as Johnny Cash's "You Are My Sunshine" plays. As an old Perry looks over that cliff, the sun radiating over her, she's visited by the ghost of her one true love and, for a moment, feels the love they once shared. Sometimes you promise someone forever but it doesn't work out that way. Watch Perry and Luna star in the sixth chapter of the "Teenage Dream" story. Do you have "The One That Got Away"?