• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
People shocked to find out the real meaning behind 'California Gurls' lyric by Katy Perry

Home> Celebrity> News

Updated 12:47 25 Jun 2024 GMT+1Published 12:42 25 Jun 2024 GMT+1

People shocked to find out the real meaning behind 'California Gurls' lyric by Katy Perry

Katy Perry got Super Bowl ticket holders to sing the line during her 2015 half-time show

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

Featured Image Credit: Capitol Records/YouTube/@NFL

Topics: Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Super Bowl, Music, Celebrity

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

When you think of Katy Perry, let's just say Snoop Dogg probably doesn't come to mind.

However, the two joined forces on the 2010 hit 'California Gurls'.

And it seems fans have figured out the true meaning behind a line from the song's lyrics which has left them shocked.

Snoop and Perry's tune has been streamed over 834 million times on Spotify, and perhaps a fraction of those understood what the 13-time Grammy nominee was referencing in the opening lines.

It was the lead single for her third studio album, Teenage Dream, and was famously played during that NFL Super Bowl half-time show - yeah, the one with the sharks.

Advert

During the performance in 2015, the pop star was allegedly told she wasn't able to sing the lyrics, so what did she do? Perry held the mic up for ticket holders at the former University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to sing it for her.

Iconic.

Katy Perry on stage during the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Katy Perry on stage during the 2015 Super Bowl half-time show. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

It was heartache for Seattle Seahawks fans as the team lost 28 - 24 to the New England Patriots with Hall of Famer quarterback Tom Brady lifting the trophy.

Advert

But it was the 'left shark' which caught the eye of millions, as the back-up dancer in the seven-foot costume stole the half-time show with its out-of-sync choreography - while the 'right shark' was dancing seamlessly.

I digress... So what did Perry call on the audience to bellow in her absence?

With the song featuring Snoop 'Doggy' Dogg, if you guessed something weed-related, you're right.

Snoop opens with: "Greetings loved ones / Let's take a journey."

Advert

Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg onstage at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg onstage at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Perry starts: "I know a place / Where the grass is really greener."

Yes, she's referencing cannabis - with it being legal in California for medical use since 1996, although the song was released six years before weed was legalized for recreational use in 2016.

The reference comes just 11 seconds in, then after that Snoop reframes from rapping about it himself.

Advert

During another performance, the 'Firework' hit-maker mimics smoking while singing the lyrics.

This led to people putting two and two together and coming to the realization.

One person wrote on Reddit: "I was today years old when I realized 'where the grass is really greener' from California Gurls is a weed reference."

Advert

Another added: "Lol I didn't make the connection it would mean a weed... I always assumed it would be for describing California as the perfect paradise and just how you imagined it to be and the 'really' stressing on the point."

While a third commented: "Oh my gosh, I get it on another level now."

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
a day ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Fantastic Four star Julian McMahon dies aged 56 as wife releases heartbreaking statement

    The star has died after battling cancer, his family have confirmed

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Brad Pitt admits his ‘diabolical’ behavior on movie set caused production to pause

    The actor said that 'something hit him' suddenly

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Lizzo breaks down exactly what caused dramatic weight loss as she reveals ‘truth’ behind Ozempic use

    The music icon claimed people often attribute her new look as the result of being on weight-loss dugs

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Caitlyn Jenner's manager Sophia Hutchins dies aged 29 after crash threw her 350 feet down a ravine

    The pair struck up a friendship in 2015, with Jenner calling Hutchins her 'best friend'

    Celebrity
  • Awkward moment Katy Perry had to rank her exes live on air based on how good they were in bed
  • Katy Perry left in tears by school shooting survivor's American Idol audition
  • Snoop Dogg says only one person can outsmoke him
  • Snoop Dogg turned down $100 million OnlyFans offer claiming ‘no amount of money’ could make him join