Who Am I Living For?

"Who Am I Living For?" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry taken from her third studio album Teenage Dream (2010). It was written by Perry, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Brian Thomas, and Monte Neuble and produced by the former two. The song's development was inspired by Perry's religious upbringing.

Containing elements of dubstep and glitch, the downbeat gospel-tinged electro-R&B and electro rock ballad received GeneRally mixed reviews from critics, who praised its dark composition and emotional tone, as well as comparing it to Rihanna and Linda Perry. Lyrically, the song retells the biblical story of Esther; the Jewish Queen of Persia who discovered and foiled Haman's plan to massacre the Jewish community in Persia. Critics drew comparisons from the story to Perry's own life, who said that "Who Am I Living For?" speaks of her "constant battle between staying true to her faith, and falling down in the perils of a celebrity lifestyle." A dramatic dubstep beat, electric and acoustic guitar riffs, glitchy synths, and wailing vocal techniques make up the songs "edgy" atmosphere.

Writing and meaning

While being interviewed by MTV Asia, Perry was asked how having Christian parents influenced her music, which she using "Who Am I Living For?" as an example:

Composition

"Who Am I Living For?" is a slow-paced electro-R&B ballad, which also heavily utilizes the genres of electro rock and dubstep. The song also draws influence from gospel, glitch, and downbeat music. "Who Am I Living For?" is written in the key of A minor, and the tempo moves at 63 beats per minute over a slow beat. Perry's vocals in the song range from the low note of G3 to the higher note of D5. The songs edgy suspense-filled atmosphere is composed of a dramatic dubstep beat, electric and acoustic guitar riffs, and glitchy beats, with Perry's vocals on the song using a "wailing" technique, which was critically praised for showcasing her strong voice.

Lyrically, "Who Am I Living For?" recalls Perry's Christian roots and retells the biblical story of Esther, the Jewish Queen of Persia; who discovered and foiled King Haman's plan to massacre the Jewish community. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said of the song: "Her Christian back story only comes up once, in 'Who Am I Living For,' where Perry riffs on the biblical story of Esther, the Jewish orphan who married the Persian king and uncovered a plot to exterminate the Jews. It's dark and compelling, especially since she sings it like Rihanna." Melissa Garcia of the website OCReloaded interpreted the lyrics as Perry's "constant battle between staying true to her faith, and falling down in the perils of a celebrity lifestyle", and went on to further add that the song "shows an honest insight into a fight that is endless and unyielding in every sense." Perry's vocals on "Who Am I Living For?" have been described as some of the strongest on the album, partially due to the "wailing" vocal technique that she uses.

Critical reception

"Who Am I Living For?" received generally mixed reviews from critics, some of whom felt that the song was a standout on Teenage Dream, while others criticized it as trying too hard. Click Music reviewer Shefali Srivastava declared the song as a stand out moment on the album, while later going on to describe it as anthemic, and enjoyed seeing Perry take a "particularly defiant turn." Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine criticized Perry's vocals on the song, saying that it "is a one-note wallow in self-pity, weighed down by clichéd lyrics, a leaden beat, and a tone-deaf vocal turn from Perry."

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the Teenage Dream liner notes.

Recording
  • Recorded at the Studio at the Palms, Paradise, Nevada, and at The Boom Boom Boom Studios, Burbank, California
  • Mixed at Triangle Sound Studio, Atlanta, Georgia.
Personnel
  • Lead vocals - Katy Perry
  • Songwriting – Katy Perry, Christopher Stewart, Monte Neuble, Brian Thomas
  • Production, instruments, programming  – Tricky Stewart
  • Assistant vocal recording – Jennifer Rosales
  • Engineering – Brian "B-LUV" Thomas, Andrew Weupper
  • Assistant engineering – Pat Thralf, Luis Navarro, Steven Dennis, Mark Gray, Jason Sherwood, Randy Urbanski
  • Mixing – Jaycen Joshua
  • Assistant mixing engineer – Giancarlo Lino
  • Guitar – Katy Perry, Chris O'Ryan, Andrew Weupper
  • Keyboards – Christopher Stewart, Monte Neuble
  • Drums  Christopher Stewart, Brian Thomas