Katy Perry has said that “The One That Got Away” was inspired by singer Josh Groban.

The revelation came years after the song was released and after fans had speculated about several other former relationships.

But the identity of the person behind the song is only part of why it has endured.

“The One That Got Away” is essentially about imagining the life you might have had with someone if circumstances had turned out differently.

It isn’t simply:

I miss my ex.

It’s:

What if that relationship was supposed to become my life?

That question has helped turn a 2011 single into one of 2026’s biggest music revivals.

TikTok named “The One That Got Away” its Global Song of the Summer 2026 after the track soundtracked millions of videos and returned to charts around the world.

Who was “The One That Got Away”?

Perry revealed in 2017 that the song was about Josh Groban.

The two had been romantically linked years earlier.

Groban later reacted with surprise, joking that he hadn’t realised he was the subject of such a famous heartbreak song.

That makes the record slightly different from the dramatic fictional relationship portrayed in the music video.

Songs don’t need to be literal documentaries.

Writers take an emotion, exaggerate it, rearrange events and build a story around it.

The real relationship provides the spark.

The song becomes something much bigger.

What does “the one that got away” actually mean?

The phrase existed long before Katy Perry used it.

“The one that got away” describes someone you once loved or could have loved but lost.

Usually there’s an implication that you still wonder:

What if?

What if we’d stayed together?

What if we’d met at another time?

What if I hadn’t made that decision?

What if we’d tried harder?

The person can become idealised precisely because the relationship never reached its natural conclusion.

Reality never had the opportunity to ruin the fantasy.

Why does the song mention Johnny Cash and June Carter?

Perry uses Johnny Cash and June Carter as a romantic reference point.

Their relationship has become one of music’s most famous love stories.

In the song, the comparison represents the kind of lifelong musical partnership the narrator imagined having.

That’s what makes the breakup hurt.

She’s not simply remembering dates and kisses.

She’s mourning an entire imagined future.

Is “The One That Got Away” a sad song?

Absolutely.

But the production disguises it.

The record is bright, polished pop.

You can easily sing along without paying much attention to what is actually happening.

Underneath, it’s devastating.

The narrator imagines growing old with somebody who is no longer part of her life.

That combination of upbeat music and deeply nostalgic lyrics is probably one reason the song works so well in short-form video.

It can soundtrack both:

funny nostalgia

and

genuine heartbreak.

Why is “The One That Got Away” popular again in 2026?

TikTok is the biggest reason.

The track became attached to videos about:

old friendships
former relationships
childhood memories
TV characters
celebrities
places people miss
different periods of someone’s life

TikTok says it became its global Song of the Summer 2026, with the resurgence introducing the track to a new generation.

Perry’s Lifetimes Tour and subsequent concert film also gave the song renewed visibility.

The important thing is that the trend fits the song perfectly.

People aren’t using an old song randomly.

They’re using a song about remembering something lost to remember things they’ve lost.

Why are old Katy Perry songs becoming huge again?

There’s a broader nostalgia cycle happening.

Teenage Dream was released in 2010.

That means children who heard those songs growing up are now adults.

Meanwhile, teenagers discovering them through TikTok don’t necessarily think of the songs as “old”.

Streaming has flattened music history.

A song from 2010 and a song released yesterday sit beside each other on the same screen.

Listeners care much less about release dates than radio programmers once did.

If a song connects, it connects.

What other songs have the same feeling?

If you love “The One That Got Away”, try:

Taylor Swift – Back to December
Adele – Someone Like You
Lord Huron – The Night We Met
Coldplay – The Scientist
Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man
The 1975 – Somebody Else
Gracie Abrams – I Love You, I’m Sorry
Olivia Rodrigo – drivers license
Joji – Glimpse of Us
Carly Rae Jepsen – Your Type

They’re all different musically.

But each deals with some version of wanting a past relationship that no longer exists.

What is the song really about?

Regret.

But specifically the kind of regret that can never be tested.

You don’t know whether the relationship would actually have lasted.

You simply know that it didn’t.

And that leaves enough empty space for your imagination to create the perfect version of what might have happened.

Sometimes the hardest relationship to get over is the one you never got the chance to finish.