From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2009 studio album by Mika
The Boy Who Knew Too Much
[3] is the second
studio album by British singer-songwriter
Mika . It was released on 21 September 2009,
[4] under
Casablanca /
Universal Republic in the United States and
Island in the United Kingdom.
Background
Mika worked with producer
Greg Wells , who also produced his debut album
Life in Cartoon Motion .
[1] The album was written in
Olympic Studios ,
London , which began in June 2008. In September 2008 he moved to Rocket Carousel Studios,
Los Angeles , where the album was recorded.
[1] Mika has described the album's themes as dealing with his teenage years, and "in a sense is kind of part two" of his first album.
[5] In contrast to his first album, which "contained innocent fairytales", Mika pitches the new album's songs as "gothic
Tim Burton -esque fantasies."
[6]
The album was originally titled We Are Golden after the first single from the album, "
We Are Golden ". On 20 July 2009 in an on-air interview with
DJ
Jo Whiley on
BBC Radio 1 , Mika revealed he was considering renaming the album, because he wanted "something a little more ridiculous."
[7] On 6 August 2009 it was confirmed that the album's title would change to The Boy Who Knew Too Much .
[8] As with Mika's debut album Life in Cartoon Motion , the album artwork has been designed by Mika's sister (who works under the
nom de plume DaWack), the Australian illustrator
Sophie Blackall ,
Airside collaborator Richard Hogg and Mika himself. The artwork has been inspired by children's picture books from the 1940s to 1970s.
[9]
Critical response
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 70/100 from Metacritic.
[22]
Singles
"
We Are Golden " was the first single from the album. It received its UK radio debut on BBC Radio 2 on 20 July 2009. It peaked at number 4 on the
UK Singles Chart .
"
Rain " was the second UK and German single, released on 23 November 2009 in both digital and physical format.
[23]
[24]
[25] It peaked at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Mika's first UK single to miss the top 40. In Germany it peaked at number 56.
[26] It was released as the third UK single, on 15 February 2010.
[27]
"
Blame It on the Girls " was the second American and Japanese single from the album.
[28]
[29] It peaked at number one in Japan but failed to make any impact in the United States. It was released as the third UK single, on 15 February 2010.
[27] It peaked at number 72.
The song "Good Gone Girl" charted within the
Romanian Top 100 on airplay only, without being released as a single.
[30]
Track listing
Standard edition Title Writer(s) 1. "
We Are Golden "
Mika 3:58 2. "
Blame It on the Girls " Mika 3:34 3. "
Rain " Mika, Jodi Marr 3:43 4. "Dr. John" Mika 3:44 5. "I See You" Mika,
Walter Afanasieff 4:17 6. "Blue Eyes" Mika 2:50 7. "Good Gone Girl" Mika, Jodi Marr 3:02 8. "Touches You" Mika 3:19 9. "By the Time" Mika,
Imogen Heap 3:21 10. "One Foot Boy" Mika,
Rob Davis 2:58 11. "Toy Boy" Mika, Jodi Marr 2:56 12. "Pick Up Off the Floor" Mika 3:24
Deluxe edition bonus tracks Title Writer(s) 13. "Lady Jane" Mika 3:20 14. "Lover Boy" Mika 3:13
Japanese edition bonus track Title Writer(s) 13. "We Are Golden" (Acoustic) Mika 3:08
American deluxe edition bonus DVD: The Boy Who Didn't Know Enough Title Writer(s) 1. "We Are Golden" (The Making of the Video) Mika 3:00 2. "We Are Golden" (Video) Mika 4:02 3. "Making the
Parc Des Princes Show " (Video) Mika 15:00 4. "Grace Kelly" (Live from Parc Des Princes) Mika, Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Dan Warner 4:35 5. "Lollipop" (Live from Parc Des Princes) Mika 6:22 6. "Love Today" (Live from Parc Des Princes) Mika 7:08
Asian deluxe edition bonus disc: B-Sides & Rarities
[32]
[33] Title Writer(s) 1. "
Kick Ass (We Are Young) " Mika, Jodi Marr,
RedOne 3:14 2. "We Are Golden" (
Calvin Harris Remix) Mika 6:58 3. "Rain" (
Benny Benassi Remix) Mika 6:10 4. "Blame It on the Girls" (Not on the Starsmith Remix) Mika 6:53 5. "Poker Face" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Session) Stefani Germanotta, Nadir Khayat 3:05 6. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Remix) Mika, Jodi Marr,
RedOne 3:53 7. "Relax, Take It Easy" (
Ashley Beedle 's Castro Vocal Discomix) Mika 6:18 8. "Grace Kelly" (Tom Neville Full Vocal Remix) Mika, Jodi Marr, Dan Warner 9:03 9. "Love Today" (
Switch Remix) Mika 5:31 10. "Happy Ending" (
Kleerup Mix) Mika 6:31 11. "Rain" (P Zombies Remix) Mika 6:34
Summer deluxe edition bonus disc: The Best of
Life in Cartoon Motion Title Writer(s) 1. "Any Other World" Mika 4:19 2. "Grace Kelly" Mika, Jodi Marr, Dan Warner 3:07 3. "Lollipop" Mika 3:03 4. "My Interpretation" Mika, Jodi Marr 3:35 5. "Relax, Take It Easy" Mika 3:44 6. "Love Today" Mika 3:55 7. "Happy Ending" (The LA Edit) Mika 3:54 8. "Over My Shoulder" Mika 4:45
Personnel
Mika – vocals, piano, keyboards, background vocals, background violin
Additional musicians
Cherisse Osei – drums
Owen Pallett – violin
Tim Pierce – guitar
Fortune Penniman – background vocals
Paloma Penniman – background vocals, additional vocals
Zuleika Penniman – background vocals
Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horns
Dan Rothchild – bass guitar, background vocals
Fabien Waltmann – keyboards
Martin Waugh – guitar, background vocals
Greg Wells – keyboards, drums, bass, percussion, guitar
Ida Falk Winland – background vocals
Lyle Workman – guitar
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Country
Date
Hong Kong
[69]
5 September 2009
Netherlands
16 September 2009
France
18 September 2009
Australia
Germany
Italy
Ireland
United Kingdom
21 September 2009
Argentina
[70]
Mexico
South Korea
[71]
United States
22 September 2009
Brazil
Canada
South Korea (Korean Special Edition)
[72]
27 May 2010
Hong Kong (Asia Tour Edition)
[73]
2 June 2010
South Korea (Asia Tour Edition)
[74]
15 June 2010
References
^
a
b
c
d Allen, Matt (1 June 2009). "
Exclusive: Mika's Second Coming
Archived 18 May 2009 at the
Wayback Machine ",
Q Magazine . Retrieved 2009-07-12.
^ Business Wire (14 June 2009). "
Global Pop Phenomenon, MIKA, Releases Sophomore Album, WE ARE GOLDEN, 22 September ",
Business Wire . Retrieved on 2009-07-14.
^
"Mika | Official Store | Merchandise, T-shirts, Tickets, Albums, MP3 Downloads, Live Album, Posters, Bags, Mikasounds.com" . Mikastore.sandbag.uk.com . Archived from
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^ Medioni, Gilles (11 June 2009). "
Exclu Mika: tout sur son nouveau CD... et sa playlist ",
L'Express . Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
^ Mazumdar, Tulip (9 June 2009). "
Mika pens 'teenage' second album ",
BBC Radio 1 . Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
^ Youngs, Ian (21 September 2009).
"Entertainment | Mika conquers his growing pains" . BBC News. Retrieved 27 September 2009 .
^
"BBC — Newsbeat — Music — Mika promises fans 'gig at home' " . BBC News. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009 .
^
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^
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^
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Metacritic . Retrieved 10 April 2015 .
^
The Boy Who Knew Too Much at
AllMusic
^
"The Boy Who Knew Too Much · Mika · Music Review Mika: The Boy Who Knew Too Much · Music Review" . The A.V. Club .
^
"The Boy Who Knew Too Much - EW.com" . Entertainment Weekly's EW.com .
^ Caroline Sullivan (17 September 2009).
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^
"Pop & Hiss" . Los Angeles Times . 21 September 2009.
^ Peter Robinson (5 September 2009).
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^
"Mika" . PopMatters .
^
"Album Reviews, Ratings, and Best New Albums" . Rolling Stone . Archived from
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^ Sam C. Mac.
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Slant Magazine . Archived from
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^
"Mika, 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' (CasablancaUniversal Republic)" . Spin .
^
"Login" . Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk .
^
"The Boy Who Knew Too Much reviews at" . Metacritic.com. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2012 .
^
"iTunes releases Mika's second single "Rain" " . apple.com . Retrieved 28 March 2022 .
^
"Rain by MIKA: Amazon.co.uk: Music" . Amazon UK .
^
"MikaSounds / Latest News / Mika Set To 'Rain' Supreme" . Mikasounds.com . Retrieved 23 May 2010 .
^
"Hitlist Germany" . Archived from
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^
a
b
"MikaSounds / Latest News / Next Single - 'Blame It On The Girls' - Out February 15th" . Mikasounds.com . Archived from
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^ Shepherd, Fiona (21 September 2009).
"CD review: Mika — The Boy Who Knew Too Much — Scotsman.com News" . News.scotsman.com . Edinburgh. Retrieved 27 September 2009 .
^
"Radio Times - TV listings guide" . RadioTimes .
^
"Topul celor mai difuzate piese în România în 2010" .
România Liberă (in Romanian). Archived from
the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011 .
^
"Mika - Boy Who Knew Too Much (Special ed) - Amazon.com Music" . Amazon.com .
^
"Photographic image of Korean album cover" (JPG) . Image.kyobobook.co.kr . Retrieved 28 March 2022 .
^
"YESASIA : Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much (2CD) (Korea Special Edition) (Korea Version) 鐳射唱片 - MIKA - 西方/世界音樂 - 郵費全免" . Yesasia.com . Retrieved 28 March 2022 .
^
"Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música" . CAPIF. 31 January 2010. Archived from
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^
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^
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^
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^
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^
"Mika Chart History (Canadian Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
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^
"Dutchcharts.nl – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Lescharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Offiziellecharts.de – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in German).
GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
a
b
"Swisscharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Irish-charts.com – Discography Mika" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Italiancharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . mexicancharts.com . Archived from
the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010 .
^
"Charts.nz – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Norwegiancharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
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^
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^
"Swedishcharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" . Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
"Official Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved 3 June 2019.
^
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^
"Jaaroverzichten 2009" . Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2020 .
^
"Rapports Annuels 2009" . Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2020 .
^
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^
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^
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SNEP . 10 June 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2015 .
^
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^
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^
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^
"Canadian album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" .
Music Canada . Retrieved 29 June 2012 .
^
"Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2009" .
Ultratop . Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2012 .
^
"French album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 October 2021 . Select MIKA and click OK.
^
"Italian album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in Italian).
Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 16 November 2015 . Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
^
"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (' The Boy Who Knew Too Much' )" . IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2012 .
^
"British album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" .
British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 May 2022 .
^
[1] [
dead link ]
^
[2] [
dead link ]
^
"HYANG MUSIC 향뮤직" . Hyangmusic.com . Retrieved 28 March 2022 .
^
"HYANG MUSIC 향뮤직" . Hyangmusic.com . Retrieved 28 March 2022 .
^
"YESASIA : The Boy Who Knew Too Much (Asia Tour Edition) (2CD+Tofu) 鐳射唱片 - MIKA, 環球唱片(香港) - 西方/世界音樂 - 郵費全免" . Yesasia.com . Retrieved 28 March 2022 .
^
"HYANG MUSIC 향뮤직 : The Boy Who Knew Too Much (Asia Tour Edition)" . Hyangmusic.com . Retrieved 30 August 2023 .
External links
Studio albums Compilation albums Extended plays Singles Concert tours DVDs