Popular Song

Popular Song by Mika
General information
Main artist	Mika
Featured artist	Ariana Grande
Release date	December 20, 2012
Recorded	2012
Studio	Rocket Carousel Studios & Avatar (New York) (Mika) Armoury Studios (Vancouver) (Ariana Grande)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:20 (radio edit) 4:05 (album version)
Albums	Yours Truly, The Origin of Love
Label	Casablanca Music
Songwriter(s)	Mika, Priscilla Renea, Mathieu Jomphe, Stephen Sehwartz
Producer(s)	Greg Wells, Mika
Credits	"Popular Song" credits
s chronology
Previous	"Put Your Hearts Up"
Current	"Popular Song"
Next	"The Way"
Yours Truly track list
"Almost Is Never Enough"
"Popular Song"
"Better Left Unsaid"
Music video

"Popular Song" is a single from Ariana Grande's debut album Yours Truly and Mika's third album, The Origin of Love. It is the eleventh track off her debut album.

The song is an updated cover of the original version, as featured in the musical Wicked. The album version of the song features vocals from the original songwriter, Priscilla Renea, and features low-level expletives, as featured in Wicked. However, the single version removes Renea and replaces her with Grande, removes the expletives, and completely changes the instrumental arrangement and tempo, to create a version which heavily links to Mika's former hits, "Grace Kelly" and "We Are Golden". It peaked at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

The original version of the song was made available on Mika's third studio album, The Origin of Love, and features vocals from songwriter Priscilla Renea. This version is heavily based on the original from Wicked and uses a very rough tempo and instrumentation, to fit in with the theme of the album. It also used the expletives 'b****' and 's***'. However, for the track's release as a single, Mika decided to completely change the arrangement, and create something similar to his hit single "Grace Kelly". To do this, he enlisted the help of American actress and performer Ariana Grande, rewrote some of the lyrics to remove the expletives, changed the instrumentation and tempo, and reworked the song's structure.

The new version was released to the iTunes Store on December 21, 2012, being released as the album's second single in the United States. It subsequently peaked at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mika's second most successful song in the region, following "Grace Kelly". It has not been revealed if the track will be released as a single elsewhere.

Music video

The music video was first confirmed by Mika on February 16, 2013. The music video was released on April 29, 2013. It follows a gothic theme, being set in a 'spooky, dark, "Addams Family"-esque high school'. Mika texts an invite to a dinner party to his popular classmates who are bullying him and Grande. This is interlaced with scenes of the two brewing a potion in a witch's cauldron and scenes of them falling victim to bullying. Mika and Grande later prepare to return to the former's mansion in his talking car. At the dinner party, the bullies consume their drinks drugged with the potion, and turn to stone. They are then smashed into pieces. The video ends with a twist, as Mika and Grande have a toast and the former takes a sip from his drink, the video flashes back to when the two were children and Mika is seen kicking down Grande's castle made of wooden blocks. Mika subsequently turns to stone as well.

Critical reception

Bryon Flitsch of MTV's Buzzworthy noted that "Popular Song" is a different view of Mika's previous efforts, stating that its "peppy beat + catchy melody + playful lyrics = perfect song to bounce around to." Furthermore, Flitsch also praised Grande's vocals in the song for being "flawless" alongside Mika's. Marques Daniels of Examiner devises that "Popular Song" is a song to inspire bullied and unpopular people to stand up. Daniels also praised the song for being a stand out track.

Gallery

“deep breaths, tight chest, life, death” To view the Popular Song gallery, click here.

Videos

Mika - Popular Song (Behind The Scenes)

MIKA - Popular Song (Wicked Cast And Fan Version) ft. Ariana Grande

Trivia

• Grande is only featured on the single version, not on the album version.
• The song was released on December 20, 2012.
• Frankie Grande tweeted about this song.
• Grande laughs at 1:43 because the producer said "Big floppy penis" into her headphones.

Lyrics

Ariana:
La la, la la
You were the popular one, the popular chick
It is what it is, now I'm popular-ish

MIKA:
Standing on the field with your pretty pompoms
Now you're working at the movie selling popular corn
I could have been a mess but I never went wrong
'Cause I'm putting down my story in a popular song

Ariana:
La la, la la

Both:
I said I'm putting down my story in a popular song

My problem, I never was a model,
I never was a scholar,
But you were always popular,
You were singing, all the songs I don't know
Now you're in the front row
'Cause my song is popular
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
And all that you have to do, is be true to you
That's all you ever need to know
So catch up, 'cause you got an awful long way to go
So catch up, 'cause you got an awful long way to go

Ariana:
Always was on the lookout for someone to hate

Both:
Picking on me like a dinner plate

Ariana:
You'd hit during classes and in between them

Both:
Dunk me in the toilets now it's you that cleans em'

MIKA:
You tried to make me feel bad with the things you do
It ain't so funny when the joke's on you

Both:
Ooh

Ariana:
The joke's on you
Got everyone's laughing

Both:
Got everyone clapping, asking
How come you look so cool?
'Cause that's the only thing that I learnt at school, boy
I said that's the only thing I learnt at school

My problem, I never was a model,
I never was a scholar,
But you were always popular,
You were singing, all the songs I don't know
Now you're in the front row
'Cause my song is popular
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
And all that you have to do, is be true to you
That's all you ever need to know
So catch up, cause you got an awful long way to go
So catch up, cause you got an awful long way to go

All you ever need to know
You're only ever who you were
All you ever need to know
You're only ever who you were
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
It's not about who you are or your fancy car
You're only ever who you were
Popular

MIKA:
I know about popular

Both:
And all that you have to do, is be true to you.
That's all you ever need to know

Ariana:
That's all you ever need to know