We had a hard time narrowing the list down, but here are top seven reasons why Katy Perry's "Roar" rules!

Though we've had more than 15 hours to revel in Katy Perry's recently released "Roar," the lead single off of her upcoming album, Prism, we're nowhere NEAR through with it! Hmm, how to describe it... Imagine a fiercely competitive game of "Hungry Hungry Hippos," only instead of hippos you've got our emotional insides, and instead of white marbles you've got nothing but deeply felt FEELS. UGH, it's so wonderful, BUT SO INTENSE, and made only more intense by the fact that Katy will perform "Roar" live for the first time ever at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards." And once again our friends at Pepsi® are back as an official presenting sponsor of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

Anyway, because writing is cathartic, we figure we've gotta work through our tumultuous emotional fugue state by listing our top seven reasons why "Roar" rules one-by-one. Ready? let's do this!

1.) "ROAR"'S EMOJI-NAL LYRIC VIDEO: Though the song has yet to get the proper music video treatment, you've got to watch Katy's "Roar" lyric video, which was released this morning and is illustrated entirely through Emoji. You know, those ah-mazing Japanese emoticons? Shout-out to Katy's cat, Kitty Purry, who makes a cameo toward the end!

2.) THE "IT'S A HARD-KNOCK LIFE"-ESQUE INSTRUMENTAL: Maybe it's coincidence, but it seems a little TOO well planned that "Roar"'s plinking piano work shares more than a passing resemblance to the "Annie" song famously sampled by Jay Z in "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." We love that instead of making the whole track about what's held her down, Katy focuses instead on why she's too amazing to be held down period.

Check out more reasons why Katy Perry's "Roar" rules after the jump.

3.) "ROAR" IS THE PERFECT RUNNING SONG: In fact, it's almost too perfect. I put it on this morning at about minute two of my 20-minute morning jog, and by minute five I realized I was completely out of breath. Basically, Katy Perry telling me that I'm a champion got me straight sprinting, which I #DontDo. Reluctant runners, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

4.) THE "ROCKY" REFERENCES: The lyrics say everything from "I've got the eye of the tiger" to "I am a champion." ALWAYS HERE FOR ROCKY REFERENCES.

5.) THE INADVERTENT "AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" REFERENCE: When I first heard Katy sing "I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything," all I could think of was Robin from ANTM Cycle 1. Or, more specifically, Robin's famous, self-eliminating last words: "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." Couple this with the "Rocky" homage, and "Roar" essentially runs the entire Kinsey Scale of pop cultural references.

6.) ITS NON-LITERAL DELIVERY: When we first heard that Katy Perry's new song would be called "Roar," we assumed it might just be her belting at full blast for about four minutes. But the final product does anything but follow some kind of "YELLING = EMOTION" mantra. A roar isn't necessarily quantitative, and Katy's hits every qualitative mark.

7.) KATY PERRY WILL DEBUT "ROAR" AT THE VMAS: That's right, Katy will perform "Roar" LIVE for the first time ever at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards!!!! That leaves you... 13 days to compose yourself following your likely freak-out after hearing this news. And, GO.

Cast your vote NOW for this year’s Video Music Award winners from the 2013 VMA Nominees. The 2013 Video Music Awards air Aug. 25 on MTV and VMA.MTV.com, live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center. No sleep till Brooklyn!

Photo credit: MTV