| "Thinking of You" | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Katy Perry | |||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album One of the Boys | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | January 12, 2009 (See Release history) |
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| Format | Digital download, CD single | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 2007-2008 at Deathstar Studios, Butch's Old House(Los Feliz, CA) |
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| Genre | Pop, soft rock | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:06 (Album Version) 3:58 (Radio Edit) |
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| Label | Capitol | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Katy Perry | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Butch Walker | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Katy Perry singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||
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"Thinking of You" is a song by American singer and songwriter Katy Perry from her 2008 album One of the Boys and the fourth single from the album. It is one of three tracks from the album written solely by Perry and the first single since "Ur So Gay" to be produced by another producer (Butch Walker)[1] other than Dr. Luke. "Thinking of You" received mixed reviews from music critics. Many critics enjoyed the music, and complimented the lyrics.
The song became one of Perry's lowest charting singles to date worldwide. The song peaked at number 29 on the Hot 100 chart, her only song not to break the Top 10. It also peaked at number 27 in the United Kingdom.
Two versions of a music video were released. One was a promotional video which was directed by a friend of hers where she is in a white and dark apartment. The second version was the commercial released version, which received positive reception from music critics.
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"Thinking of You" was written by Perry and produced by Butch Walker. The song is a pop ballad song and features acoustic instruments. The single was released on January 12, 2009, in the US, and in Australia seven days later. The CD single was released in Australia and Europe on March 9, 2009. The digital download was released soon after.[2]
Perry performed the song on MuchMusic HQ's MuchOnDemand on December 15, 2008.[3] The song was included in the international soundtrack to India, a Love Story, a Brazilian telenovela. She also performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Early Show, and Last Call with Carson Daly.
Outside of the US, Perry performed it on This Morning in the UK, and on at the Echo 2009 in the O2-World in Germany.
The Beat Review gave four out of five stars for the song, calling, Thinking of You "an absolutely astounding ballad that features Katy’s amazing range with her raspy, rocky yet sultry vocals. She delivers the song with full emotion and conviction in accordance to the pop/rock theme of the whole melody. All in a while Katy shows her versatility in singing these kinds of songs which she is doing exceptionally."[4] Paul W of OMG.MUSIC praised the song, saying that "'Thinking Of You' is Miss Perry in a reflective mood and dare say it, it's the first time we hear a more serious side of the queen of shock. Taking the pace down a step from last single 'Hot 'N' Cold', 'Thinking Of You' is a slow pop-rock ballad. Katy's vocals are convincingly seeped in emotion and tug at the heart strings, proving she doesn't need to rely on gimmicky lyrics to get noticed. It makes a welcome change and shows a versatility to her songwriting skills. No one could can accuse her of being predictable."[5]
BBC also gave a positive review for the song, saying, "Thinking Of You is a four-minute plus ballad which laments the end of a relationship, and it seems that Katy's true voice shines through here. On some tracks, it feels like she's doing songs 'in the style of', but on this song you can hear an edge and a rawness that makes you feel like you're finally listening to the real Katy." Jon Caramanica wrote for The New York Times that "“Thinking of You,” produced by the underappreciated Butch Walker, is gently and compellingly angry. Turns out that feeling deeply is shocking enough."[6] Nicole Frehsee wrote for Rolling Stone that ""Thinking of You," which compares an unrequited lover to "an Indian summer in the middle of winter," is generic Dawson's Creek schlock."[7]
"Thinking of You" debuted at number 79 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It later rose to number 29 and stayed there for three consecutive weeks. It became Perry's first and only single to peak outside the top ten. The song debuted at number 58 on the Canadian Singles Chart and later peaked at number 34 on the charts, becoming Perry's first single there to miss the top ten, but it still managed to be certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[8]
In Europe, the song received moderate success. The song debuted at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart. After seven weeks on the chart, the song peaked at number 27. The song peaked at 38 on the Irish Singles Chart. In France, the song was highly successful, as it debuted at number 11 on the singles chart, and stayed in the charts for 32 weeks, Perry's longest charting single there.[9] The song peaked at number 29 on the Swedish Singles Chart and number 14 on the Italian Singles Chart. In Australia, the song debuted at number 34 on the Australian Singles Chart, where it peaked. The single stayed in the charts for six weeks. The song did not chart in New Zealand, becoming Perry's only single to not chart there, but it did chart on New Zealand's Official Radio Hot 100 at number 51.[10]
As of September 2011, the song has sold 953,000 downloads in the United States.[11]
The first music video was released in 2007 and surfaced on YouTube in May 2008. The video includes multiple rooms, including a white room with Perry that suggests violence (e.g., red wine), a dark room with an unhappy Perry in an unsatisfactory relationship, and a cloudy location. It also previews in the video that Perry is smoking a cigarette as her relationship starts to stir up. The video uses a cross-cutting technique that compares the two relationships: one with Perry reminiscing and another showing regret. The video ends with the revelation that Perry stabbed a man in the back in the white room. Perry stated in an interview that the aim of the video was never to get a commercial release, but that it is just a simple video "made by a friend".
Perry revealed on her blog that she had already started filming a second and official music video in the first week of December 2008, directed by Melina. The video premiered exclusively on iTunes on December 23, 2008.[12] The music video is presented as a flashback montage with a young woman whose lover is killed in France during World War II. Perry is clearly unhappy with her new love and longs for her deceased lover. It features actor Matt Dallas as Perry's soldier love and model Anderson Davis as Perry's second love in the video. The music video for the song has received more than 14 million views on YouTube as of January 2012.
The video received largely positive reviews from the critics.
Charts
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Certifications
Year-end charts
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| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | January 12, 2009 | Airplay |
| Australia | January 19, 2009 | |
| Europe | February 20, 2009 | CD single, digital download |
| United Kingdom | March 9, 2009[35] | |
| Australia | March 14, 2009[36] | CD single |
| Brazil | May 26, 2009 | Airplay |
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