Peacock (song)
song by Katy Perry
"Peacock" is a song by American singer Katy Perry, taken from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song was written by Perry alongside Ester Dean and Stargate, the latter group also producing the song. Because the dance-pop song was filled with suggestive lyrics pertaining to male genitalia, Capitol Records initially opposed the idea of including it on her record. Similar to what happened with another song of hers – "I Kissed a Girl" (2008) – she refused to withdraw it from the record. The song was initially released as a Radio Promotional Single with focusing on the Billboard Dance Club Songs on September 6, 2010. On March 26, 2012, a remix version by Cory Enemy and Mia Moretti was later released as a promotional single on iTunes.
"Peacock" was panned by music critics and, musically, was compared to the 1980s song "Mickey" by Toni Basil, and Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" (2005). The song charted at number 52 in the Czech Republic, number 56 in Canada, number 101 in South Korea, and number 152 in the United Kingdom. It has also received platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Perry has performed "Peacock" on several occasions, including during her 2011 world tour California Dreams Tour.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Peacock (song)” as song by Katy Perry. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as song by Katy Perry. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q743963. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2010, 2008, 2012 and 2005.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Peacock (song)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Peacock (song) primary sources, Peacock (song) archive and Peacock research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Peacock (song)”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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This entry incorporates text from “Peacock (song)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.