"Daisies" is a song by American singerKaty Perry. It was released on May 15, 2020, byCapitol Records as the lead single from her sixth studio album,Smile (2020). The song was serviced to USadult contemporary andpop radio formats on May 18 and June 9, 2020, respectively. She co-wrote the track withJon Bellion, Jacob Kasher Hindlin,Michael Pollack, and its producers Jordan K. Johnson and Stefan Johnson ofthe Monsters & Strangerz. "Daisies" reached number four in Scotland and the top 20 in Croatia and Hungary as well as number 27 in Ireland.
On May 7, 2020, Perry announced through social media that her upcoming sixth album's first single, entitled "Daisies", would be released on May 15, 2020.[1] Its cover art was also posted that day, featuring Perry smiling in a field of yellowdaisies.[2] The following day, in a promotional campaign for "Daisies", coinciding with Mother's Day, a digital flower shop called "Katy's Daisies" which offers 12 free multicolored bouquet options to "tell someone you care, you love them, you miss them, or simply thank them for believing in you" was opened.[3] A remix fromMK followed on May 29, 2020.[4]
"Daisies" is apop andelectropop song with acoustic guitars[5][6] that runs for 2 minutes and 53 seconds.[7] The track "celebrates the strength of the human spirit as it overcomes adversity".[8] Perry said it took on a new meaning of revitalizing lost dreams discovered through the challenges of quarantine during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[9] During a Facebook live stream, the singer shared details about the song, saying, "It's a song for all of the dreams that you guys have been dreaming about, and all the things you want to achieve".[10] When "Daisies" premiered, she also revealed on social media that the song was written "a couple of months ago as a call to remain true to the course you've set for yourself, regardless of what others may think".[11] Its lyrics include "They told me I was out there / tried to knock me down / took those sticks and stones / showed 'em I can build a house / They told me I was crazy / But I'll never let 'em change me / 'til they cover me in daisies."[12]
Alexa Camp ofSlant Magazine described "Daisies" as an "atmospheric ballad".[13] Brittany Spanos ofRolling Stone described the song as a "booming, empowering [...] bright track".[14] Jem Aswad ofVariety called the song a "Firework"-style slow burner that shows off how far she's come as a singer".[15] Vulture contributor Chris Murphy also praised the song, calling it a "pretty good" acoustic-guitar-driven pop song.[5] Jessica Castillo, editor ofTeen Vogue, praised the song's themes of self-esteem and inspiration, concluding that "Daisies" is "a perfect reminder to stay your path and pay no mind to people who doubt you".[12] Kate Solomon ofThe Guardian wrote that "this song is basicallyUnconditionally and Tsunami and every other power ballad [Perry]'s ever done".[16]
"Daisies" debuted at number 40 on the USBillboard Hot 100, giving Perry her 25th top 40 song in the country.[17] It also reached number three on the USDigital Song Sales chart.[18] On theAdult Top 40 chart, "Daisies" became Perry's 16th top-ten single, charting at 9, becoming her highest-charting entry on the chart since "Chained to the Rhythm" (2017). By having 16 songs reaching the top ten, Perry became the fifth artist with the most top-ten songs on the chart and has been certifiedgold by theRecording Industry Association of America for equivalent sales of 500,000 units in the United States.[19][20]
Elsewhere, the song peaked at number 37 on the UKOfficial Charts Company, and on number six on theUK Singles Downloads Chart.[21] The song has reached number 33 on theCanadian Hot 100 chart.[22] It peaked at number 4 on the Spanish Sales Chart, Perry's highest-charting single since appearing onCalvin Harris's 2017 single "Feels" withPharrell Williams andBig Sean.[23] It reached higher peaks on other charts, including number 4 on Scotland, number 2 on the Ultratip Belgium chart, 12 in Croatia and 3 on New Zealand Hot Singles.
Perry performing "Daises" during her residencyPlay.
On May 15, 2020, Perry performed a stripped-down take of "Daisies" and participated in a Q&A with fans onAmazon Music's weekly Friday Live performance series.[24] She also performed the song onHouseparty's "In the House" event on the same day.[25]
The first televised performance of the song occurred during theeighteenth season finale ofAmerican Idol on May 17, 2020; the performance utilizedmixed reality technology, using a soundstage in Los Angeles equipped with LED screens andaugmented reality graphics to allow Perry to see and interact with a digital environment in real-time (rather than usingchromakey).[26][27][28] On May 22, 2020, Perry performed live onGood Morning America, kicking off Good Morning America's 2020 Concert Series.[29] She also performed Daisies along with her 2010 hitFirework on YouTube'sDear Class of 2020 event.[30] Perry also performed adeep house remix virtually for the Can't Cancelpride benefit concert on June 26, 2020.[31]
A music video, directed by Liza Voloshin, was released along with the single on May 15, 2020. She later revealed that the music video was not what was originally planned, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial shoot set to happen on March 13, 2020, was cancelled.[32]
In support ofLGBT Pride, Perry released an alternative video titled "Daisies (Can't Cancel Pride)" on June 26, 2020.[33] The video uses thedeep house remix of "Daisies" byOliver Heldens and is a recording of Perry performing the song virtually at the Can't Cancel Pride benefit concert. This remix alsointerpolates lines from her back catalogue of songs including: "I Kissed a Girl", "Peacock", "Walking on Air" and "Swish Swish".[31]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 21. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Top 40, Stichting Nederlandse."Tipparade week 24 van 2020".Top40.nl (in Dutch).Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. RetrievedJune 12, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 21. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
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