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The Boy Who Knew Too Much (album)

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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.

The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Studio album by
Mika
Released21 September 2009
RecordedJune 2008–2009[1]
StudioCapitol Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Olympic Studios
(London, England)
Rocket Carousel Studio
(Los Angeles, California)
GenrePop
Length41:06
Label
Producer
Mika chronology
Songs for Sorrow
(2009) 		The Boy Who Knew Too Much
(2009) 		The Origin of Love
(2012)
Singles from The Boy Who Knew Too Much
  1. "We Are Golden"
    Released: 7 September 2009
  2. "Rain"
    Released: 23 November 2009
  3. "Blame It on the Girls"
    Released: 15 February 2010

Background

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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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
The A.V. ClubA−[12]
Entertainment WeeklyA[13]
The Guardian     [14]
Los Angeles Times    [15]
The Observer     [16]
PopMatters          [17]
Rolling Stone     [18]
Slant     [19]
Spin     [20]
The Times     [21]

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 70/100 from Metacritic.[22]

Singles

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  • "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

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Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Are Golden"Mika3:58
2."Blame It on the Girls"Mika3:34
3."Rain"Mika, Jodi Marr3:43
4."Dr. John"Mika3:44
5."I See You"Mika, Walter Afanasieff4:17
6."Blue Eyes"Mika2:50
7."Good Gone Girl"Mika, Jodi Marr3:02
8."Touches You"Mika3:19
9."By the Time"Mika, Imogen Heap3:21
10."One Foot Boy"Mika, Rob Davis2:58
11."Toy Boy"Mika, Jodi Marr2:56
12."Pick Up Off the Floor"Mika3:24
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Lady Jane"Mika3:20
14."Lover Boy"Mika3:13
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."We Are Golden" (Acoustic)Mika3:08
Summer edition bonus tracks[31]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Kick Ass (We Are Young)"Mika, Jodi Marr, RedOne3:12
14."Lover Boy"Mika3:13
15."Lady Jane"Mika3:20
16."Lonely Alcoholic"Mika3:08
17."Rain" (Acoustic)Mika3:06
18."Poker Face" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Session)Stefani Germanotta, Nadir Khayat3:09
19."Satellite"David J. Matthews4:14
20."Ring Ring"Mika2:48
UK deluxe edition bonus disc: Mika: Live at Sadler's Wells
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Grace Kelly"Mika, Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Dan Warner4:24
2."Lady Jane"Mika3:04
3."Stuck in the Middle"Mika6:06
4."Lonely Alcoholic"Mika3:17
5."Blue Eyes"Mika3:34
6."Toy Boy"Mika, Jodi Marr3:55
7."Billy Brown"Mika3:32
8."Good Gone Girl"Mika, Jodi Marr3:10
9."Over My Shoulder"Mika4:11
10."Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)"Mika4:12
11."Love Today"Mika3:45
12."Blame It on the Girls"Mika6:18
13."Happy Ending"Mika5:22
14."Lollipop"Mika7:08
15."My Interpretation"Mika, Jodi Marr, Richie Supa3:15
16."Rain"Mika5:07
17."Relax, Take It Easy"Mika5:38
American deluxe edition bonus DVD: The Boy Who Didn't Know Enough
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Are Golden" (The Making of the Video)Mika3:00
2."We Are Golden" (Video)Mika4:02
3."Making the Parc Des Princes Show" (Video)Mika15:00
4."Grace Kelly" (Live from Parc Des Princes)Mika, Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Dan Warner4:35
5."Lollipop" (Live from Parc Des Princes)Mika6:22
6."Love Today" (Live from Parc Des Princes)Mika7:08
Asian deluxe edition bonus disc: B-Sides & Rarities[32][33]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kick Ass (We Are Young)"Mika, Jodi Marr, RedOne3:14
2."We Are Golden" (Calvin Harris Remix)Mika6:58
3."Rain" (Benny Benassi Remix)Mika6:10
4."Blame It on the Girls" (Not on the Starsmith Remix)Mika6:53
5."Poker Face" (BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Session)Stefani Germanotta, Nadir Khayat3:05
6."Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Remix)Mika, Jodi Marr, RedOne3:53
7."Relax, Take It Easy" (Ashley Beedle's Castro Vocal Discomix)Mika6:18
8."Grace Kelly" (Tom Neville Full Vocal Remix)Mika, Jodi Marr, Dan Warner9:03
9."Love Today" (Switch Remix)Mika5:31
10."Happy Ending" (Kleerup Mix)Mika6:31
11."Rain" (P Zombies Remix)Mika6:34
Summer deluxe edition bonus disc: The Best of Life in Cartoon Motion
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Any Other World"Mika4:19
2."Grace Kelly"Mika, Jodi Marr, Dan Warner3:07
3."Lollipop"Mika3:03
4."My Interpretation"Mika, Jodi Marr3:35
5."Relax, Take It Easy"Mika3:44
6."Love Today"Mika3:55
7."Happy Ending" (The LA Edit)Mika3:54
8."Over My Shoulder"Mika4:45

Personnel

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  • Mika – vocals, piano, keyboards, background vocals, background violin
Additional musicians

Charts and certifications

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Release history

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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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Business Wire (14 June 2009). "Global Pop Phenomenon, MIKA, Releases Sophomore Album, WE ARE GOLDEN, 22 September", Business Wire. Retrieved on 2009-07-14.
  3. ^ "Mika | Official Store | Merchandise, T-shirts, Tickets, Albums, MP3 Downloads, Live Album, Posters, Bags, Mikasounds.com". Mikastore.sandbag.uk.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  4. ^ Medioni, Gilles (11 June 2009). "Exclu Mika: tout sur son nouveau CD... et sa playlist", L'Express. Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
  5. ^ Mazumdar, Tulip (9 June 2009). "Mika pens 'teenage' second album", BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
  6. ^ Youngs, Ian (21 September 2009). "Entertainment | Mika conquers his growing pains". BBC News. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  7. ^ "BBC — Newsbeat — Music — Mika promises fans 'gig at home'". BBC News. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  8. ^ "MikaSounds / Latest News / The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Mikasounds.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  9. ^ "MikaSounds / Blog / YO YO! Enough marketing psychobable dish dash! Now I write". Mikasounds.com. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
  10. ^ "Critic Reviews for The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  11. ^ The Boy Who Knew Too Much at AllMusic
  12. ^ "The Boy Who Knew Too Much · Mika · Music Review Mika: The Boy Who Knew Too Much · Music Review". The A.V. Club.
  13. ^ "The Boy Who Knew Too Much - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
  14. ^ Caroline Sullivan (17 September 2009). "Mika: The Boy Who Knew Too Much". The Guardian.
  15. ^ "Pop & Hiss". Los Angeles Times. 21 September 2009.
  16. ^ Peter Robinson (5 September 2009). "Mika: The Boy Who Knew Too Much". The Guardian.
  17. ^ "Mika". PopMatters.
  18. ^ "Album Reviews, Ratings, and Best New Albums". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009.
  19. ^ Sam C. Mac. "Music". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009.
  20. ^ "Mika, 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' (CasablancaUniversal Republic)". Spin.
  21. ^ "Login". The Times.[dead link‍]
  22. ^ "The Boy Who Knew Too Much reviews at". Metacritic.com. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  23. ^ "iTunes releases Mika's second single "Rain"". apple.com. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Rain by MIKA: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK.
  25. ^ "MikaSounds / Latest News / Mika Set To 'Rain' Supreme". Mikasounds.com. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  26. ^ "Hitlist Germany". Archived from the original on 14 February 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  27. ^ a b "MikaSounds / Latest News / Next Single - 'Blame It On The Girls' - Out February 15th". Mikasounds.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "Radio Times - TV listings guide". RadioTimes.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. ^ "Mika - Boy Who Knew Too Much (Special ed) - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com.
  32. ^ "Photographic image of Korean album cover" (JPG). Image.kyobobook.co.kr. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". CAPIF. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  35. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  36. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  37. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  38. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  39. ^ "Mika Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  40. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  41. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  42. ^ "Lescharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  43. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Swisscharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  45. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Mika". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  46. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  47. ^ "Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much". mexicancharts.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  48. ^ "Charts.nz – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  49. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  50. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  51. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  52. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  53. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  54. ^ "Mika Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  55. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  56. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  57. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2009". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  58. ^ "European Top 100 Albums". Billboard. 31 December 2010.
  59. ^ "Le Top de l'année : Top Albums Fusionnés - Année 2009". SNEP. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  60. ^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  61. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  62. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2010" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  63. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  64. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2009". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  65. ^ "French album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 October 2021. Select MIKA and click OK. 
  66. ^ "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. Type "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  67. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Boy Who Knew Too Much')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  68. ^ "British album certifications – Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  69. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  70. ^ [2] [dead link‍]
  71. ^ "HYANG MUSIC 향뮤직". Hyangmusic.com. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  72. ^ "HYANG MUSIC 향뮤직". Hyangmusic.com. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  73. ^ "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.
  74. ^ "HYANG MUSIC 향뮤직 : The Boy Who Knew Too Much (Asia Tour Edition)". Hyangmusic.com. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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