Katy Perry 'Pays Homage' To Past Videos In 'Wide Awake'

Katy Perry already knew "Wide Awake" was the "perfect" end to her enormously successful Teenage Dream era, so it was only appropriate that the superstar paid homage to some of her recent video themes in the dreamy song's visual.

During "MTV First: Katy Perry," an exclusive 30-minute chat with MTV News, Perry spoke about why she decided to spark some life into her old video references, saying, "It pays homage to videos in the past like 'Firework.' You see me having that firework again. It starts with finishing 'California Gurls,' which was the first single off this whole record. And then it ends with me onstage, which is kind of like the clip of me in my movie," she said, referencing her upcoming 3-D spectacle "Katy Perry: Part of Me."

Perry's breezy smash "Teenage Dream" also plays as the clip fades to black.

Asked why she chose to pinpoint those particular images from her video catalog, Perry said, "It's kind of like the beginning and the end and all the different things in between and the obstacle and the maze."

Beyond her own video references, the chameleonesque pop star also dished on the clip's light-to-dark concept, saying, "Obviously, like, there's some kind of vague symbolism with me eating the strawberry and taking a bite of all that sweetness and ending up in the hospital."

It's a message that was inspired by a very real moment from her California Dreams world tour, which is depicted in "Katy Perry: Part of Me."

"It wasn't always sugar on tour. Sometimes there were hard moments, and you see that in the movie. There's literally a moment where I have to drag myself onstage. I'm, like, bending over, very upset, trying not to make my false eyelashes come off," she said, adding, "I just kind of throw myself on this lift, which I got on every night for my show."

What is your favorite part of Katy's "Wide Awake" video? Let us know in the comments below!