Sixteen years ago today, a bubblegum blast of whipped cream and beach sunshine took over the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and refused to budge.
On June 19, 2010, Katy Perry‘s “California Gurls,” featuring Snoop Dogg, reached No. 1, where it stayed for six straight weeks and became the undisputed song of the summer.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
What no one knew yet was that the breezy single was only the opening act.
A Record Only Michael Jackson Had Matched
“California Gurls” was the lead single from Perry’s album Teenage Dream, and it set off one of the most dominant chart runs in pop history. The album went on to produce five No. 1 hits on the Hot 100: “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Firework,” “E.T.” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).” That made Teenage Dream the only album besides Michael Jackson‘s 1987 blockbuster Bad to spin off five No. 1 singles on the Hot 100, a record the two albums still share alone in 2026.
The streak turned Perry from a rising star into one of the biggest pop acts on the planet and cemented Teenage Dream as a defining album of the era.
Related: Canadian Rap Superstar Just Broke One of Michael Jackson’s Most Legendary Billboard Records
The Summer ‘California Gurls’ Owned
The candy-colored single dominated radio for months and became 2010’s definitive summer anthem. Its music video, which dropped Perry into a fantasy candyland of cotton-candy clouds and gummy bears, became an instant pop-culture touchstone, and the song has since crossed a billion Spotify streams.
Perry, now 41, still keeps “California Gurls” in her live sets, including her recent Lifetimes Tour, proof that the song that ruled the summer of 2010 can still fill an arena 16 years later.
Next: ‘Dance Queen,’ With Six No. 1 Hits, Turns 64
Leave a Reply