The music video was shot in the Balearic Islands in Spain, whose provincial government said that filming had been conducted without authorization and could have caused environmental damage to the highly protected dunes of S'Espalmador.

Perry co-wrote "Lifetimes" with LunchMoney Lewis, Rocco Valdes, Ryan Ogren, Sarah Hudson, Theron Thomas, and its producers Vaughn Oliver and Dr.

[2][9] Callie Ahlgrim of Business Insider described "Lifetimes" as a generic and formulaic song with repetitive lyrics, seeing Perry attempt to emulate the sound of Teenage Dream (2010).

[11] It features Perry riding a boat off the coast of Ibiza, being driven by a biker across Formentera, and playing water sports with a group of people in a bikini on a beach before dancing with a DJ at a nightclub.

[12][13] On August 13, 2024, the Department of Environment and Mobility of the Government of the Balearic Islands opened an investigation on Perry to determine whether the music video caused environmental damage to the highly protected dunes of S'Espalmador; claiming her production crew did not obtain proper authorization to film on the ecologically rich area.