After her solo version was released as apromotional single on August 17, 2010, the remix of "E.T." was serviced to radio stations as the album's fourth single on February 16, 2011. The song charted at number one in Canada, New Zealand, Poland, and the United States, while reaching the top 10 in Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Scotland, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom. It was the fourth-best selling song of 2011 in the US. It has also been certified Diamond in Brazil as well as the United States, and received multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, and Finland.
The official single version of "E.T." features rap verses byKanye West.
Perry's decision to write "E.T." came after its beat was accidentally played during a recording session she had withDr. Luke,Max Martin, andAmmo. It was originally intended for American hip hop groupThree 6 Mafia.[2] However, after hearing it, Perry chose to work with the track. She toldMTV News: "I heard it and I always knew I wanted to write this futuristic, alienistic song, and they pulled it up and I was like, 'Wait, I can wrap my head around this. I know this seems like a long shot, but I think I have the perfect material to put on top of this sound.' And I did, and it really worked out perfectly."[3]
The solo version of the song was released as a promotional single fromTeenage Dream, first in the United States on August 17, 2010,[4] and six days later in Australia.[5] In December 2010, Perry asked fans throughTwitter to help her select the album's fourth single. On December 13, 2010, she tweeted, "Thanks for all your great suggestions for the next single today!" and "Your voice has been heard! We're on the same page."[6] One month later, Perry announced viaFacebook that "E.T." would be the record's fourth single. The announcement was accompanied with the single's artwork, which features Perry with "cat eye make-up, bangs, and a sequined top".[7] Unlike the original, the single version features rap verses from rapperKanye West.[8]
The remix debuted on February 11, 2011, in Canada,[9] France,[10] and the United Kingdom,[11] before worldwide release five days later.[12] In the United States, this version appeared for digital download on February 18.[13] The remix was issued tocontemporary hit radio format in the United States, and Italy on March 1, and March 4, respectively.[14][15] Furthermore, this version debuted on other American radio formats, such asrhythmic contemporary on March 1,[16]adult contemporary,hot adult contemporary,urban contemporary, andurban AC on April 12,[17][18][19][20] whilst the original impacted pop,[21] rhythmic,[16] and hot AC radios.[22] To further promote the single, an additional set of remixes of the song were made available on digital retailers in March 2011,[23] followed by physical releases in the United Kingdom and Germany.[24][25] The version with West was later included onTeenage Dream: The Complete Confection.[26]
According to Perry, the song is about "falling in love with a foreigner".[1] James Montgomery ofMTV News also noted that Perry sings about a "lover from different dimension".[30] For its single release, the song was reworked to feature two verses fromKanye West, in which he raps about "extraterrestriality".[38] "E.T." opens with the first rap verse by West containing the lines "I got a dirty mind / I got filthy ways / I'm trying to bathe my Ape in your milky way / They callin' me an alien / A big-headed astronaut".[38] Then, using metaphors aboutextraterrestrials, Perry sings, "You're not like the others / Futuristic lover / DifferentDNA".[39] Thechorus has Perry addressing her lover: "Kiss me, kiss me / Infect me with your love and / Fill me with your poison", claiming to be "ready forabduction".[40] West contributes a second verse to the track, before Perry's final refrain, with heavilyauto-tuned vocals: "I know a bar out inMars / Where they driving spaceships instead of cars".[36][39] He finishes with a reference to the fictional animated characterShrek and lyrics about "alien sex": "I'mma disrobe you then I'mma probe you / See, I abducted you so I tell you what to do."[38] Ben Kaplan fromNational Post noted West's presence on the track was similar to the work on his fourth studio album,808s & Heartbreak (2008).[36]
Leah Greenblatt ofEntertainment Weekly felt that Perry shows strength on the song, comparing its sound to a combination of American rock musiciansLita Ford andTrent Reznor.[41] Kerri Mason fromBillboard felt that "E.T." together with some other tracks from the albums is heavier sonically and lyrically, with a boom-boom-pow electro punch and Perry discussing more toxic relationships."[42] Even though Robert Copsey fromDigital Spy stated that West's contribution on the track was "needless", he felt that the track "is a quirky and assured slice of state-of-the-art pop".[43] Ben Kaplan fromThe National Post lauded the track as a "great duet", praising the vocals of both performers.[36] Speaking for West's contribution on the track Brad Wete fromEntertainment Weekly noted that the song was improved from a male perspective.[44]Stephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic commented that Perry "replicatesRyan Tedder's glassy robotic alienation on 'E.T.', but tellingly avoids ripping offLady Gaga".[37]
Matthew Cole ofSlant Magazine disliked the single's "inscrutability" and said that song'sbacking track was reminiscent oft.A.T.u.'s "All the Things She Said".[45] Jason Richards fromNow called the song "awkward" and Sputnikmusic's Rudy Clapper dismissed its attempt at a more mature sound, calling it "cheesy".[46][47]PopMatters' staff writer Steve Leftridge called the song "neither strong nor edgy nor clever nor sonically interesting enough to lend any genuine credibility to Perry as a serious artist with anything to actually say".[48] Amos Barshad ofNew York magazine felt West's alien metaphors went into jarring,misogynistic directions.[39] Genevieve Koski ofThe A.V. Club gave the song a C−, saying that while its lyrical content was "borderline-embarrassing", it did earn "a couple bonus points for showing a relatively darker side" of Perry, whileA.V. Club editor Steven Hyden was more critical of both Perry's and West's lyrics, saying that "borderline-embarrassing" was too generous and that "the whole concept of the song is so beyond either side ofsanity" that it was impossible to grade.[49]
One week before the official release ofTeenage Dream, the solo version of "E.T." was released as a promotional single and debuted on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart at number 42, selling 64,000 digital copies.[4] Following its single release featuring West, the song re-entered theBillboard Hot 100 on March 5, 2011, at number 28 with 110,000 copies being sold.[50] In its fifth week, for the issue dated April 9, 2011, "E.T." topped the chart, giving Perry her fifth and West his fourth number-one single on the Hot 100.[51] It ended the six-week run ofLady Gaga's "Born This Way" and madeTeenage Dream the ninth album in history to yield four number-one singles.[52] "E.T." spent five non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot 100 chart and was replaced one week by "S&M" byRihanna featuringBritney Spears and later byAdele's "Rolling in the Deep." It was certified Diamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold 10 million copies only in the United States, becoming her fifth song reach this status.[53] It topped theBillboardHot Digital Songs chart for seven weeks, the longest sinceEminem andRihanna's "Love the Way You Lie" in 2010.[54] "E.T." is one of thebest-selling singles worldwide, and is the second-highest-selling single of Perry's career. "E.T." was the fourth-biggestBillboard hit of 2011,[31] and third best-selling digital song of 2011 in the United States with sales of 4.83 million.[55]
It debuted the same week on theCanadian Hot 100 at number 13.[56] In Australia, the song debuted at number 12 and peaked at number five for two weeks in February 2011.[57] Since then "E.T." has beencertified double platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association.[58] One week after debuting at number 17, "E.T." topped theNew Zealand Singles Chart on January 31, 2011, becoming her sixth number-one in the country, and has been certified platinum by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand for sales of 15,000.[59] As of July 20, 2011, it also became Perry's third single to be on New Zealand's Best Singles of All Time, just behind "Firework" and "California Gurls".[60] On February 26, 2011, the solo version of the song entered theBillboardHot Dance Club Songs chart at number 36, and later topped it, becoming her sixth number-one on the chart.[61][62]
On theBillboardMainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs), "E.T." set a record for most weekly plays in the 18-year history of the chart: for the tracking week of April 25 – May 1, 2011,Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems registered 12,330 plays over its 131 stations—an average of 94 plays per station. This figure rewrote Perry's previous record held with "California Gurls" in July 2010 (12,159). It went to set a new record the next week with 12,361 spins.[63] That record was later broken yet again by Perry, when her single "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" registered 12,468 plays for the week dated August 13, 2011.[64] Meanwhile, on theRhythmic Airplay Chart, she achieved her first number-one hit, a rare feat for female pop artists considering she was the third to ever do so.[65]
In otherBillboard charts, "E.T." reached number two on theAdult Pop Songs chart, and the top 20 on theAdult Contemporary andLatin Pop Songs charts.[66][67] Its highest sales week according toNielsen SoundScan came in its fourth week at the summit of theBillboard Hot 100, where it sold 344,000 copies following itsAmerican Idol performance.[68] The song sold over 300,000 digital copies in a week four times, becoming one of four songs in history to achieve this.[54] The song sold three million digital copies by May 2011, becoming Perry's sixth song to achieve the feat, more than any other artist in digital history.[69] The song sold four million in digital sales by July 2011, Perry's fifth song to reach this mark, no other artist had more than three 4 million-sellers.[70] "E.T." was the highest selling track for the first half of 2011. The song is Perry's fourth and West's first song to reach the five million range which, for Perry is more than any other female artist in digital history.[71][72] As of August 2020, the song has sold six million copies in the US.[73]
The song re-entered theCanadian Hot 100 at number 18 following its single release and topped the chart in its twelfth week, on May 7, 2011.[74][75] In the British Isles, the single peaked at number three in its eighth week on theUK Singles Chart, becoming her eighth top ten hit there while reaching number three in Scotland and number five in Ireland.[76] It reached the top ten in Austria (7), Germany (9), Italy (9), France (10), and became a top twenty hit in the Walloon region of Belgium (14), Denmark (12), Finland (15), Norway (13), Sweden (12), and Switzerland (14).[57][77][78][79] Elsewhere in Europe, the song charted in its solo version at number 18 on the Slovak airplay chart, 20 on the Czech airplay chart, 27 on theDutch Top 40, and 28 on the Greek airplay chart.[80][81][82][83] As of May 2022, "E.T." has sold 13 million copies worldwide.[84]
MTV debuted the video on March 31, 2011.[85] A backstage picture of West wearing street clothes along with Perry in a pastel-colored makeup and a giant braided headpiece was shown on MTV.[8] On March 21, ateaser trailer was released; it was 12 seconds long and showed clips of anunidentified flying object.[86] Prior to release, Perry aspired to make it "larger than life".[8][86]
The music video was directed byFloria Sigismondi. It was produced by Natasha Alexsa Garcia, Danny Lockwood andKelly Norris Sarno. The director of photography wasJonathan Sela. The video was edited by Jarrett Fijal. The online artist was Bill Pollock. VFX were produced at Dot & Effects byJeff Dotson. Colorist was Beau Leon at New Hat. The style team included makeup artist Kabuki, hair stylist Pamela Neal and costume designer Carol Beadle, along with wardrobe stylist Johnny Wujek.[87]
Perry kissesShaun Ross's character to transform him from a robotic alien being
The video begins with the song "Where in the World Can My Lover Be?" byMidge Williams & Her Jazz Jesters playing in the background. As the music begins, West is shown in aSputnik-like spacecraft revealing pictures before zooming out of the craft.[88] In the video, Perry, as an alien, drifts throughouter space while slowly evolving into a humanoid appearance before landing on an abandonedEarth filled with trash. Clips are interspersed of large felines huntinggame.[89] She comes across a broken robot, resembling a spaceman; upon her kiss, it turns into a naked man, played byShaun Ross.[90] It is eventually revealed that Perry's legs resemble those of agazelle.[91] Meanwhile, West is featured in the video floating in a traveling spacecraft.[92][93] The video also alludes to a presumable future, as Perry finds a box containing a skeleton of apigeon (a species said to have goneextinct in 2030) and a pair ofVogue sunglasses, which she later wears. Throughout the video, Perry wears heavy cosmetics,[94] including blue and pink make-up, catlike and reptile-like eyes, and braids resembling those ofMedusa.[95][96]
The video received positive reviews from critics. Willa Paskin ofNew York magazine praised Perry's looks in the video as "detailed, outlandish, [and] semi-gorgeous rainbow-kabuki".[91] Kara Warner from MTV News also praised her appearance in the video, calling her an "angelic alien princess". She also felt the video was Perry's "most complex, stylized and out-there video production yet".[89] Joseph Brannigan Lynch ofEntertainment Weekly felt that West's rap verses helped the song top theBillboard Hot 100, and called the video an "awesomely bizarre sci-fi video, which impressively resists any obvious Spielberg references".[97] Matthew Perpetua fromRolling Stone described the video as "a sequel toAvatar or a Katy Perry video game", and felt the song and video were "a bold move away from Perry's usual silliness and sexuality".[35]Los Angeles Times described the video as a "sweeping visual manifestation".[98] In a more negative review, Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazine criticized Perry, saying she looked like an "animated video-game character" while saying West was a "non-presence". Cinquemani later went on to say: "It's a step up from bras that shoot whipped cream and fireworks, but this is ultimately Sigimondi's vision, and it's far from her finest five minutes."[99] At the2011 MTV Video Music Awards, the video for "E.T." won awards forBest Collaboration andBest Special Effects, while also receiving nominations forBest Art Direction,Best Direction andBest Editing.[100][101] The video earned a nomination forBest International Artist Video at the2011 MuchMusic Video Awards.
The song was included on the set list of theCalifornia Dreams Tour, Perry's second concert tour.[102] Perry has also performed "E.T." at several venues, including a performance atMadison Square Garden inManhattan on December 10, 2010, forZ100's Jingle Ball.[103] The song was released as a free track onKaty Perry Revenge 2, a game for theiOS applicationTap Tap.[104] A lyrics video for the single was released on March 16, 2011.[105] After playing "We Will Rock You", West performed "E.T." without Perry at the 2011Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[106] Perry performed the single with West for the first time on thetenth season ofAmerican Idol on April 21, 2011. Carried by background dancers, she wore a flickering outfit and was joined by West, who was previously unannounced.[107]
An acoustic version of "E.T." was performed byVersaEmerge in May 2011 at The Fueled By Ramen Studios.[108] On June 27, 2011, the video of a stripped-down cover of the song by the American pop punk/alternative rock bandYellowcard was featured in Billboard's Mashup Mondays series.[109]
In addition, the single was included on the setlists of Perry'sPrismatic World Tour andWitness: The Tour, her third and fourth concert tours, respectively. The song was also used as the opening number in her Las Vegas concert residency,Play.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 24. týden 2011 in the date selector. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
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