 Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone noted that the " sunny effervescence " from Teenage Dream was present on the song . Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine said that the " sexy and playful " song was " offset by brackish fare " . Alexis Petridis from The Guardian considered that the song resembled a four to the floor remix of a Mariah Carey song , but complimented its melodies for being " significantly stronger " than those of Jessie J 's album , Alive ( 2013 ) . Rob Harvilla from Spin criticized the song 's " sensuality " , which he described as being of " an off @-@ kilter , grade @-@ school goofy , beanie @-@ propeller sort of sensuality " . Evan Sawdey of PopMatters deemed " Birthday " the " catchiest thing " on Prism , but he also thought it was a " rewrite " of Jessie J 's hit " Domino " and Perry 's former song " Last Friday Night ( T.G.I.F. ) " . Lewis Corner from Digital Spy classified it as a " flirty pop @-@ gem " , while HitFix 's Melinda Newman awarded it a B + grade , calling it a " delectable pop confection " . James Reed from The Boston Globe called the song 's double entendre lyrics " hilarious " . 
