Production and release

Before the release of an accompanying music video for "Hey Hey Hey", Perry began teasing it with a series of Marie Antoinette-themed pictures of herself.^[12] The clip was subsequently uploaded onto the singer's official YouTube channel on December 20, 2017,^[13] with a behind-the-scenes video premiering on January 4, 2018 on the same platform.^[14] When posting the clip on her Instagram account, Perry added the caption:

After a year of peaks and valleys (remember, it's all a journey), I wanted to end 2017 with a fun, triumphant piece of pop candy. Just think of it as a glam little stocking stuffer from me to you. 'Hey Hey Hey' is one of my favorite songs from "Witness" and for me, it embodies the fighting spirit I always want you to be able to find within yourself, and to see in me.^[15]

The song's video was filmed in Beverly Hills, California by Isaac Rentz, and was produced by Nina Dluhy-Miller and Danny Lockwood. Six backup dancers were hired; Megan Lawson was credited as their choreographer. During the accompanying behind-the-scenes video, Perry resumed the clip's message: "You don't have to be just one thing if you're a woman, you can be all things. And just 'cause you're vulnerable does not make you weak".^[13][14][16] Reviewers said the music video depicts events occurring in the 18th century and Ancien Régime,^[15][17] while also incorporating modern elements.^[16] During the clip, Perry wears a sculptural blonde wig with curls, and her looks resemble those of French heroine Joan of Arc and Antoinette.^[15][18][19] Joey Nolfi of Entertainment Weekly found similarities between the singer's wardrobe and that of Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette.^[20]

Synopsis

Perry's costumes in the music video resemble those of French heroine Joan of Arc (left; miniature from the 15th century) and the last Queen of France before the French Revolution Marie Antoinette (right; painted by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1783).

The music video opens with a shot of a castle and one of its French-inspired hallways.^[18] Lying in her bed, Perry is awakened by the sound of a horn blown by three women,^[20] and is given a brown drink ("Napoleon's Coffee")^[19] and her smartphone, where she communicates in-video with Prince Piggy (played by Tad Brown^[14]) regarding their date. The three women are seen cleaning Perry's underwear, lacing her corset and walking with books on their heads, among other activities. Perry, seemingly overwhelmed, falls down and sees a book titled "JOAN!", with its cover displaying a female warrior. The video subsequently transitions to a scene depicting Perry holding a sword and wearing a dress with an eye placed on her breast. She dances with three female background dancers and eats cake with them.

Following this, a scene shows Perry's and Prince Piggy's date; the latter makes advances towards Perry and arranges his vegetables on his plate to spell DTF.^[11][20] Disgusted, Perry seeks the advice of her friend Lord Markus on her phone, who tells her to "get out of there!". Perry then fights with Prince Piggy in a video game theme, defeating him. Returning to the video's main plot, Perry and the prince dance together and watch a puppet show. Prince Piggy tries to kiss the singer; she slaps him and gets decapitated, but her head is picked up by the version of Perry seen earlier.^[21] The clip ends with Perry running with her sword towards the prince and his servants.^[13]

Reception

Critics gave mixed reviews of the music video upon its premiere. Nina Braca from Billboard called it "triumphant",^[15] while The Malay Mail said it was "humorous",^[16] and Nolfi from Entertainment Weekly described it as "candy-colored".^[20] Direct Lyrics' Kevin Apaza wrote: "We totally dug this video. We liked the high budget, all the perfect details, the deep message conveyed, and of course Katy's humor too".^[21] Ross McNeilage from MTV UK similarly praised the video, pointing out its "high-concept" and stating: "The [...] singer's visual treatment brings the lyrics to life, highlighting its themes of resilience with a fitting storyline. Despite the serious undertones of defiance, the video is jam-packed with Katy's goofy humour throughout and doesn't take itself too seriously at all."^[22] Evan Jorssen of NRJ likened the three women seen in the clip accompanying Perry to characters from the 1993 American comedy horror fantasy film Hocus Pocus and the 1899 French film Cinderella.^[23] Julien Goncalves of Pure Charts compared parts of the video's concept to Madonna's live performance of "Vogue" (1990) at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.^[18] In a negative review, Highsnobiety's Gorsler wrote: "The visuals are, to put it kindly, less than stellar, with over-the-top production and a lavishly nonsensical plot making the music video one of the weirdest things to come out this year. But all that is to be expected from an artist like Katy Perry, who is famous for her eccentricity." He also criticized the heavy product placement and the use of an air horn rap trumpet sound at the beginning of the video, which "sound[s] like Katy Perry spent a little too much time playing around with Virtual DJ".^[11] Vice magazine also slightly criticized the product placement sequences.^[19]

Recording

• Recorded at MXM Studios (Los Angeles, California), MXM Studios (Stockholm, Sweden) and Wolf Cousins Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)

Personnel