"We Are Golden" is the first single from English singer Mika's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much.[2] The song was produced and mixed by Greg Wells and features the gospel choir of Andraé Crouch.[2]
Release
The single made its radio airplay debut in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2009, on BBC Radio 2.[3] It was made available for download on 14 August 2009 in Australia and later on 6 September 2009 in the United Kingdom. It was released physically on 7 September 2009 along with the limited edition 7" and 12" gramophone records. In the United States, "We Are Golden" became available exclusively from Apple's iTunes Store for one week starting 18 August 2009.[4]
Description
In an interview with Q magazine, Mika says:
['We Are Golden' is] big sounding and aggressive, but in a good way. It's got a gospel choir on it and a kids' choir, but unlike the first record they're not singing sweetly, they're screaming at the top of their lungs.
— Mika, Q Magazine[5]
Critical reception
The song has received mixed and generally positive reviews.
"We Are Golden" is unlikely to change anyone's mind. It sounds like Jim Steinman doing High School Musical and features two varieties of choir – gospel and kiddie, in case you were wondering. Mika, meanwhile, flits in and out of falsetto whenever he fancies. What do we think? Well, the big old chorus makes his foibles worth putting up with... as long as we don't have to watch the video too.
The music video for "We Are Golden" was shot on 9 July 2009 and 10 July 2009 in Elstree Studios. It was directed by the Swedish film director Jonas Åkerlund.[7] The video premiered on 4 August 2009 in the United Kingdom on Channel 4.[8] The video features Mika dancing around a bedroom in his underwear as a "celebration of all the years Mika spent dancing around his bedroom as a teenager."[9]
In Other Media
The song was featured in many TeenNick promos in Fall 2009. It is also used in an ABC series, Make It or Break It.
In Malaysia, it was used for the kids@fgw promo which was shown in January 2010 on ntv7 and in the first episode of the TV show Hellcats.
The single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number four on 13 September 2009 before dropping out the top 10 on its second week, falling to number 11.[15] Despite becoming Mika's second top-five single, it was his shortest-lasting single, spending only seven weeks in the top 100. The single was released in August in the United States but failed to make any impact. In Italy, it peaked at number three after 18 weeks on the charts. It was certified gold by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI).[16]
^Business Wire (14 June 2009). "Global Pop Phenomenon, MIKA, Releases Sophomore Album, WE ARE GOLDEN, 22 September", Business Wire. Retrieved 14 July 2009.
^ ab"Life in technicolor". The Guardian. London. 14 June 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
^"Radio 2 Programmes - Ken Bruce, 20/07/2009". BBC. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
^"Mika Conquered The World, America Is Next". Billboard. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
^Allen, Matt (1 June 2009). "Exclusive: Mika's Second Coming", Q magazine. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
^Nick Levine (2 September 2009). "Mika: 'We Are Golden' - Music Singles Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
^"Mika in arrivo - Notizie online MTV". MTV. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
^ ab"Italian single certifications – Mika – We Are Golden" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 23 November 2017. Select "2009" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "We Are Golden" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^ds. "Čns Ifpi". Ifpicr.cz. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
^"Radio 538 = 102 FM - Hitlijst". Retrieved 16 August 2009.
^Steffen Hung. "Mika - We Are Golden". lescharts.com. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
^ abcMika - We Are Golden at acharts.us Accessed 25 September 2009
^">> IRMA << Irish Charts - Singles, Albums & Compilations >>". Irma.ie. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.