Katy Perry is a "Teenage Dream" come true

If you’ve got a sweet-tooth for pop gems filled with diabetic hooks, Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” is sure to suck(er) you in. High fructose puns aside, it is a sure frontrunner for one of the top albums of the summer.

“California Gurls,” the album’s lead single, kicks things off to a glittery start. YouTube videos mashing it up with Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” have pointed out the similarities between the two monster jams. But what Ke$ha’s breakout single lacked in pomp, “California Gurls” makes up for in circumstance. Her girls are the hottest ones on the beach, “in the sand in their stilettos” makin’ the “boys break their necks to creep a little sneak peek.”

What’s not to love? Perry plays the melancholy Lolita to fine effect by giving and taking away her treats.

In Perry’s kitchen, she serves hefty doses of sauce with bleacher stompers like “Peacock.” Without saying a whole lot, we can understand exactly what a “peacock” is. 

And as much of an irresistible party as “Teenage Dream” is, it broods and gets deep on occasion as well.

“Circle the Drain” laments the loss of a flame to prescription medication, (Travie McCoy, anyone?).  As if that’s not enough, she spits venom with the stinger, “You fall asleep during foreplay.”

“Who Am I Living For?” contemplates spiritual warfare in a world of doom and gloom, a well-crafted response to critics of her Christian upbringing.

This schizophrenia represents the kind of tension that turns pop stars from rock salt to hard candy. Growth has always been measured by struggle — just ask Britney — and Perry chooses to do this in a way that makes us feel our own teenage angst while floating on cloud nine because that longtime crush finally asked us to the prom.