Harleys in Hawaii


"Harleys in Hawaii" is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry, on her upcoming sixth studio album, Smile. It was released as a single on October 16, 2019, by Capitol Records, along with its music video. The song was written by Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Perry and its producers Charlie Puth and Johan Carlsson.

Development and release

On October 14, 2019, Perry revealed the song's cover art and announced it would be released two days later, with Fox News calling the image "retro". She stated on the Zach Sang Show that the inspiration for the song was a trip to Hawaii with fiancé Orlando Bloom, saying: "I can remember specifically where I was, the street corner I was at in Oahu and turning that corner and whispering to Orlando, going 'I'm going to write a song called 'Harleys in Hawaii.
Perry shot a music video for the song in Hawaii in July 2019, and Puth commented in September 2019 that he was in the process of approving a mix of the song, as well as that he had "a lot of fun" creating the song with Perry. The video was directed by Pau Lopez, Gerardo del Hierro, and Tomas Pena under the name Manson and was released on October 16, 2019.

Composition

"Harleys in Hawaii" is a tropical pop song, which describes Perry's emotions as she rides Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Hawaii with her lover. It has a moderately fast tempo of 140 beats per minute and follows a common time signature of 4/4. It is played in the key of B minor and follows a chord progression of B♭m-E♭m-Fm. The song has a duration of three minutes and five seconds.

Critical reception

Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that Perry "switches it up with a soft and sexy bop" after "delivering a double dose of emotional pure-pop" with her previous singles "Never Really Over" and "Small Talk". He also stated that the song is "a mid-tempo earworm" and a "refreshingly grown pop song" despite its "kitsch title". Conversely, Forbes magazine named "Harleys in Hawaii" the 7th worst song of 2019, calling it a "disaster coming from Perry" and said that the "regression from the indelible, confectionary hooks of Teenage Dream to her recent flurry of forgettable singles is one of the decade's greatest pop tragedies".

Publicity for Harley-Davidson

Mark Gardiner from The New York Times noted the song's marketing value for the Harley-Davidson company. He said that "Harleys in Hawaii" has been viewed extensively by a demographic that "the motorcycle maker has had a hard time reaching." According to Business Insider, the publicity is estimated to be worth over $40 million for Harley-Davidson.

Chart performance

"Harleys in Hawaii" debuted at number one on the New Zealand, 40 in the United Kingdom, 67 in Scotland and 71 in Canada. The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but landed at number 10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.

Track listing

  1. "Harleys in Hawaii" — 3:06
  1. "Harleys in Hawaii" — 3:26
  1. "Harleys in Hawaii" — 2:45

    Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Release history