girlpuppy and her “Teenage Dream”
Graphic by Sarah Fournell
By Julia Norkus
As the anti-hero to Katy Perry’s bubblegum, sugar-coated ‘10s pop anthem “Teenage Dream,” girlpuppy (she/her) released her single of the same name on Oct. 5 .
girlpuppy, the alias of artist Becca Harvey, started releasing music after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in her layoff. This afforded her more time to put into her songwriting. She released her first EP, Swan, in August of 2021.
“Teenage Dream” is the final single girlpuppy will release before her debut album, When I’m Alone, drops on Oct. 28.
The single itself is anything but a teenage dream, with mention of worries about dying and Harvey’s cynical perspective on love. One of the opening lines — “How can I not think about it / when it’s all around me / holding hands and laughing in my face” — acknowledges the post-breakup tunnel vision that exaggerates the happiness of other couples.
The chorus of the piece acts almost as a reminder of what’s been lost, as it repeats over and over again, “Leave me / Leave me / Leave me.”
Rhythmically, the song sounds like it should be upbeat, with a bouncy drum beat and the joyous plucking of a mandolin or banjo. Meanwhile, the heavily accented bass gives the song emotional weight. Mix it together with Harvey’s haunting vocals and the song mimics the feeling of being overcome with somberness on a gloomy day.
In an interview with DIY magazine, girlpuppy shared that she wrote “Teenage Dream” about a guy that looked like Keanu Reeves, whom she cried over at an Atlanta United soccer game. She acknowledges his actor-ly looks in the song, but referencing no movies that included Reeves himself. There’s a nod to to “10 Things I Hate About You” and lyrics in line with Kat Stratford’s infamous sonnet as girlpuppy sings, “Maybe it’s your long dark hair / or the way you make me cry.”
Referencing the teenage-centered rom-com further adds to this idea of how we should perceive and anticipate young romance. Society wants us to aspire to have the “perfect partner,” one that will stand outside in the rain with a boombox, or maybe ride around on a lawn mower at 6 a.m. to get your attention. However, not everyone has this at seventeen and not everything feels like the so-called “teenage dream” that Katy Perry made out to be so sparkly and aspirational.
girlpuppy creates an artfully crafted single with references to the teenage experience that should traditionally be fun and silly, but are framed as the opposite.
Despite being about heartbreak incorporated with some amount of nonsense, girlpuppy creates an artfully crafted single with references to the teenage experience that should traditionally be fun and silly, but ultimately amount to heartbreak. But regardless of what some may say, the heartbroken still find it in them to love again, and while it might no longer be a teenage dream, dreaming doesn’t stop just because we’ve woken up from one part of our lives. New chapters begin, new dreams emerge, and the world keeps spinning happily.