Teenage Dream

Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'

You've got to hand it to Katy Perry: She's really hitting on all cylinders these days. "California Gurls," the first single from her album Teenage Dream, was the official anthem of the first half of summer, a fun and flirty song that probably served as the soundtrack to your various beachfront flings. And now, she's back with the album's title track — and second single — which will undoubtedly serve as the soundtrack to one of those flings blossoming. She's got you covered every step of the way ... it's sorta brilliant, really.

Both "Teenage Dream" and its accompanying video are about falling madly in love, about losing your inhibitions and getting jelly-kneed by the mere thought of being near that certain someone. Sure, you may have snogged your fair share of guys or gals down the shore this summer (that's what "California Gurls" was for), but now you've found the one that makes you feel all giddy inside, and you're ready to let your guard down and go head-over-heels. "Dream" is all those gooey feelings turned into a pop song.

The video was directed by Yoann Lemoine, who fills it with gauzy, sunset-tinged scenery: a beach in the waning light, the rapidly darkening hills of California, the incandescent glow of a pool in the early evening. Much like the song itself, the entire clip feels like a whooshing, love-drunk dream. Perry frolics with a frequently shirtless hunk (actor Josh Kloss) and is giddy throughout. She brings her friends (including L.A. socialites Ana Calderon and DJ Skeet Skeet) along to share in the merriment, and they throw impromptu dance parties all over Southern California.

It all possesses an unwound, unabashed glee — the kind of bliss that only comes when you first fall in love, when everything seems to be taken from a movie (or, in this case, an Abercrombie & Fitch billboard) and nothing seems impossible. In that regard, it fits the feel of the song perfectly. Perry always stays on message. There is no deviation. It's ingenious, not to mention a little frightening.

Welcome to your favorite song of the second half of 2010, the one you'll fall in love with (and to). You are powerless to resist.