"Lollipop"
Single by Mika
from the album Life in Cartoon Motion
B-side"Relax, Take It Easy"
Released31 December 2007
Recorded2006
GenreBubblegum pop
Length3:03
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr.
Producer(s)Greg Wells
Mika singles chronology
"Happy Ending"
(2007)		 "Lollipop"
(2007)		 "We Are Golden"
(2009)
Music video
"Lollipop" on YouTube

"Lollipop" is a song by Mika from his 2007 debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion. When the album was released, "Lollipop" had high numbers of downloads, even before it had been released as a single, charting in the Top 75 UK Singles Chart. In April 2007, it was released to radio in the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and Australia. On 31 December 2007, it was released as a double A-side single with "Relax, Take It Easy" in the UK. The single was available for digital download on 24 December 2007. Mika has said in interviews that the song was written as a message to his younger sister. The single performed moderately in the UK Singles Chart considering that it was released as a fifth single from Life in Cartoon Motion, peaking at number 18 as an A-side to the double-A-side single "Relax, Take It Easy".

Background and writing

Mika wrote the song as a message to his younger sister, warning her not to have sex too soon as it would "mean something very different to guys than it would to her".[1]

The little girl who appears at the beginning saying, "Hey! What's the big idea?" and again saying the "I went walking..." part is Mika's cousin.[1]

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from music critics. Alexander Berntsen from Sputnikmusic said that the track is "just funny to listen to. You're bound to be smiling by the end of the song".[2] Craig McLean from The Guardian wrote that the song is "terrific kiddie boogie destined for a slot on CBeebies."[3]

However, Mika's voice was criticized by Heather Phares from AllMusic, who wrote that on the song, Mika "straddles the line between adorable and annoying".[4] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine commented that the song "features a sick-sweet falsetto hook that is, perhaps, irony-free".[5] Alex Fletcher from Digital Spy was direct, writing that "with candyfloss-sweet pop melodies and more high-pitched Mika vocal action than should be allowed by Government law, the song is intensely irritating".[6]

Track listing

UK CD1

  1. "Relax, Take It Easy" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Lollipop" (Live from L'Olympia Paris)
  3. "I Want You Back" (Live from L'Olympia Paris)
  4. "Relax, Take It Easy" (Dennis Christopher Remix) (Radio Edit)
  5. "Lollipop" (Fred Deakin's Fredmix)

UK CD2

  1. "Relax, Take It Easy" (New Radio Edit)
  2. "Lollipop"

Limited edition USB memory stick

  1. "Relax, Take It Easy" (New Radio Edit)
  2. "Lollipop"
  3. "Relax, Take It Easy" (Alpha Beat Remix)
  4. "Relax, Take It Easy" (Frank Musik Mix)
  5. "Relax, Take It Easy" (Ashley Beedle's Castro Vocal Discomix)
  6. "Relax, Take It Easy" (Video - Live in Paris) (5.1 Surround)
  7. "Lollipop" (Video - 16:9 Bunny Action)

Music video

The animated music video for "Lollipop" was released in November 2007. It is a parody of Little Red Riding Hood, and features the "Lollipop Girl" walking around a colourful land based around the album art of Life in Cartoon Motion. The music video was originally set to contain a drawn version of Mika singing, but plans were scrapped. It was released by the name of "Lollipop 16:9 Bunny Action" on the internet. Passion Pictures’ Paris based studio gathered 5 young french animators under the name Bonzom to create the video. [7]

Chart performance

At the beginning of 2007, the chart rules were changed allowing downloads to be eligible for the chart with or without a physical equivalent. "Lollipop" became on 11 February 2007 the first track from a newly released album that wasn't a single to register enough sales to enter the Top 75. It was officially the 62nd best selling "single" in the UK that week despite only being an album track.[1] By 18 April 2008, the single had sold 66,594 copies in the UK.[8]

In other media

This song is a playable track in the video game Just Dance 3. The song was also covered a cappella in the 2015 film Pitch Perfect 2.

The song was featured in the 16 February 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live, in a sketch performed by Don Cheadle and Beck Bennett as two men who want to start a bar fight with Lollipop playing on the jukebox.[9]

Charts and certifications

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lollipop by Mika Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  2. ↑ Berntsen, Alexander (10 February 2007). "Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion (album review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  3. ↑ McLean, Craig (21 January 2007). "CD: Mika, Life in Cartoon Motion | Music | The Observer". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Life in Cartoon Motion - Mika | Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  5. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (17 March 2007). "Mika: Life in Cartoon Motion | Music Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  6. ↑ Fletcher, Alex (12 December 2007). "Mika: 'Relax (Take It Easy)'/ 'Lollipop' - Music Singles Review - Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  7. ↑ https://motionographer.com/2007/11/27/bonzoms-video-for-mikas-lollipop/ as downloaded on July 21 2023
  8. ↑ Jones, Alan (18 April 2008). "Madonna adds another 4 Minutes to her 27 weeks spent at chart summit". Music Week. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  9. ↑ SNL. "Bar Fight". YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ "Mika – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Mika.
  14. ↑ "lescharts.com – Français" (in French). Les classement de telechargement single.
  15. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  16. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Mika" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  17. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop". VG-lista.
  19. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop". Singles Top 100.
  20. ↑ "Mika – Lollipop". Swiss Singles Chart.
  21. ↑ "Mika: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  22. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2008". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "British single certifications – Mika – Lollipop". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
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