Damn girl. I mean damn girl. You have just tied Michael Jackson for the most #1 singles off of one album. And if I were Capitol Records, I would release one more. Because frankly, I listened to Teenage Dream on the way back to Philadelphia yesterday and I genuinely enjoyed every song except for the remixes on it and "E.T." I'm sorry, but I don't know how that got to number one. I think you surfed on Kanye's back a bit. That being said, besides "Firework," that music video is the best one off the album.
But I digress.
As I said, I totally think you should go for beating the record. As stated in this article from Billboard, records are meant to be broken. While I don't think you'll ever be a Michael Jackson, nor be quite as talented or original as Lady Gaga, Teenage Dream is the only album ever that I've enjoyed from start to finish. There is no way, given your rep and the sound of the album, that the next one wouldn't reach number one, as long as Capitol chose carefully.
It's a bit tricky because it's fall, which means fun, something everyone can dance to. The only "fun" one left, besides "Peacock" (which, let's be serious, won't get there because of its lyrics), is "Hummingbird Heartbeat." This is cool because it talks about sex in a butterflies sort of way, the excitement of it but also the teenage romance behind it. The downside is that it's a slightly more honed in, in-your-face version of the album's title.
"Pearl" is awesome, it seems like it has more of a winter sound. And feminists and women will love you everywhere, it sends a great message about empowerment. The same happens with "Circle the Drain," but its angrier tone may not fare too well with fans.
"Not Like The Movies" could be ok, but is kind of downright depressing. I don't think everyone is in to a ballad on the radio right now. Celine Dion stole that from everyone forever when she sang about a sinking boat. Damn it Celine!
If you're looking to ride off the "Last Friday Night" wave, go with the hummingbird. If you can wait a bit, go with the pearl. If you really wanna go for it, release one then the other. They're definitely different enough so that they could do well.
Here's how I see your album, and part of me wishes Capitol Records had released it this way. It's almost a journey. The first songs released, "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream", were all about youth and having fun and all that stuff. Then "Firework" came out and was this big growth, all about self-esteem. Then "Last Friday Night" came out and was just another summer fun song, which was a step back. But, as I'm sure you're aware, the more powerful songs come towards the end. The ones that say "I'm angry about this," or "Be who you want to be" or "Life isn't like the movies" come mostly as a more mature sound. This album was a huge growth for you. Long ago are the days when you had to use gay as an negative adjective in "Ur so Gay" or gather attention by talking about how you kiss girls.
The album is a great piece of art (albeit heavily mainstream manufactured, and has so many messages that makes you grow from a Teenage Dream into an Adult Reality. As for releasing a sixth single, what have you got to lose? No risk, no reward. If it doesn't make it to number one, and even if people get tired of you, so what? Michael Jackson released a sixth and seventh, and while they didn't make it to the top, the man obviously went down as arguably the greatest artist in history.
Sincerely,
Matt
