In another life
I would be your girl
In “The One that Got Away” Katy Perry thinks about a prior boyfriend and wonders how her life might be had things worked out a different way. What if they hadn’t broken up? What if she had valued their relationship more? In a different world—one where she made different decisions–she might be still with him all these years later.
The fact that those decisions can be so small but lead to such a largely different future is a complicated concept to grasp when you’re young. One movie that deals with this concept well is Sliding Doors.
Perry reminisces about how close she and her ex were—they were inseparable. They spoke of forever, made promises, even got matching tattoos. Were they just clueless about the difficulties of making relationships last? Or was it all just meaningless? I think we know how she feels.
However, what she is really wondering is if he feels the same way about her. Is she “the one that got away” for him, just as he is for her? She heard he got their tattoo removed and is beginning to come to the realization that he does not romanticize her the same way she does him.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the song is how personal it seems. If one has these feelings, is it appropriate to be seriously involved with another person? How can a new boyfriend compete with a romanticized ghost?
The sound of the acoustic version really captures the emotional aspect of the lyrics well. The regular version is completely off. Her feelings are regretful, sad, nostalgic; these emotions are perfectly captured in the acoustic version. It is a different sound that what one might expect from Katy Perry. One could argue that the song could even be stripped down more.
Perry’s voice sounds good—especially the lower notes. I think most artists would be tempted to sing those a couple octaves higher. The song has a great sounding verse and chorus—making for an altime great song. The bridge does a decent job of transitioning between the two while summarizing the meaning of “The One Who Got Away”. This is Perry’s best work.
The One Who Got Away Lyrics
Summer after high school when we first met
We’d make out in your Mustang to Radiohead
And on my 18th birthday we got matching tattoos
Used to steal your parents’ liquor and climb to the roof
Talk about our future like we had a clue
Never planned that one day I’d be losing you
In another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away
I was June and you were my Johnny Cash
Never one without the other, we made a pact
Sometimes when I miss you I put those records on (whoa)
Someone said you had your tattoo removed
Saw you downtown singing the blues
It’s time to face the music, I’m no longer your muse
But in another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away
The one
The one
The one
The one that got away
All this money can’t buy me a time machine, no
Can’t replace you with a million rings, no
I should’ve told you what you meant to me (whoa)
‘Cause now I pay the price
In another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away
The one (the one)
The one (the one)
The one (the one)
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say you were
The one that got away
The one that got away
Songwriters: Katy Perry / Lukasz Gottwald / Max Martin