"Grace Kelly" is the second single by the British singer

Mika Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footbal ...

. It is the opening track on Mika's debut studio album ''

Life in Cartoon Motion ''Life in Cartoon Motion'' is the debut album released by British recording artist Mika. The album was produced by Greg Wells, mixed by Wells, with co-production on two songs by Jodi Marr and John Merchant. The album was released via Casablanca ...

'' (2007). Produced and mixed by

Greg Wells Greg Wells is a Canadian musician, record producer, songwriter and audio engineer. Wells has songs on over 130 million albums sold. He has worked with John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana Grande, Jazmine Sullivan, Kid Cudi, Adele, Rufus Wai ...

, the song entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number three and the

UK Official Download Chart The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The main chart co ...

at number one. One week later, it jumped to the top of the UK Singles Chart on download sales alone. The track was number one on the

for five weeks, and ended 2007 as the year's third biggest-selling single in that country. In the US, "Grace Kelly" was made available for digital download on 16 January 2007. This song was also No. 89 on ''

MTV Asia MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-languag ...

''s list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. It was designed to be a mocking satire of musicians who try to reinvent themselves to be popular. The song is titled after

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning American film and stage actress, and

Princess of Monaco Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

. The bit of dialogue used in the song is from the film '' The Country Girl'', which stars Kelly. Mika claims the song was inspired after a bad experience with a record company executive, in which he was told to be more like

Craig David Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta), Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger (UK band), Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ' ...

.Times UK – "Oh, Mika, you're so fine"
Retrieved 15 May 2009 The lyric "So I tried a little Freddie" is a reference to

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

, to whose singing voice Mika's has been compared. On at least one occasion, Mika confirmed that he used the main melody from Figaro's famous aria "

Largo al factotum "" (Make way for the factotum) is an aria from ''The Barber of Seville'' by Gioachino Rossini, sung at the first entrance of the title character, Figaro. The repeated "Figaro"s before the final patter section are an icon in popular culture of oper ...

", from the opera ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'' by

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

. Mika performed the song at the

MTV Europe Music Awards 2007 The 14th annual MTV European Music Awards were held at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany on 1 November 2007. The show received a total of 78 million votes, the most in MTV Europe Music Awards history. Foo Fighters opened the show, with frontman ...

in Munich and at the 2008 BRIT Awards at the

Earls Court Exhibition Centre Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, ...

, London, where it was nominated for Best British Single, but lost to " Shine" by

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singe ...

. The song has sold over 630,000 copies in the UK, as stated by the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

Background and composition

Mika wrote the song after he felt frustrated with record label executives that wanted him to change his sound to fit the common pop mold. In the song, Mika points out how he can pretend to be anyone he likes to win approval – in this case the glamorous actress

. He wrote the song after the record company told him that they wanted to model his look and sound on

, who was popular at the time in the UK. Mika rejected this idea and wrote "Grace Kelly" as a way of expressing his individuality. The song's melody is based on the aria "Largo al factotum", from the opera ''

'' by

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Heather Phares from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote a positive review for the song, stating that "Mika's singles are his most charming moments, including the instant sunshine of "Grace Kelly," which crams tap-dancing rhythms, filmic dialogue,

Elton Elton may refer to: Places England * Elton, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire), a village ** Elton Hall, a baronial hall * Elton, Cheshire, a village and civil parish * Elton, County Durham, a village and civil parish * Elton, Derbyshire, ...

's pianos, Freddie's vocal harmonies, and

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...

's guitars into just over three minutes." Christian John Wikane from

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

wrote an extensive article about the comparisons between Mika and Freddie Mercury, writing that "he sounds a lot like Mercury and wears the influence like a badge of honor, even name-checking the late front man of

in the first verse. Mika vacillates between the affected theatricality of Mercury's full-throttled voice and his own strong falsetto, where he earnestly implores "Why don't you like me?" no less than 12 times. Beth Johnson from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' wrote that "Nothing quite matches the crystal-shattering exuberance of hit Grace Kelly." John Murphy from

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

wrote that "It's big, joyous, dumb pop, and the only danger with it is that you'll be utterly sick of it fast." Lizzie Enever from

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

was direct, writing that "Grace Kelly is a great pop song – it's catchy, you can't help singing along and it grates on you after a few days when you can't get it out of your head but you still go back for more – flawless credentials." Graham Griffith, also from

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

, wrote that the song "is an outrageously irresistible and infectious pop gem." Dom Passantino from ''

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

'' criticized the track, writing that "it seems to suggest the boy has some level for musicals, being as it is all

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

flittering and hackneyed attempts at conveying a story with its lyrics. But here's the problem: he's got no tales to tell, just a tab at his local make-up supplier. "Am I too dirty, am I too flirty?" he sings at one point."

Accolades

At the 2007 World Music Awards, Mika won for Best Selling British Artist, Best Selling New Artist, Best Selling Male Entertainer, and World's Best Selling Pop Rock Male Artist.

Live performances and covers

*Top 50 contestant of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' Josiah Leming performed a rendition of the song in Hollywood for the judges, which received great praise. *A version by Mika appears on the 2007

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

'' The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show''. *Mika performed this song on series 4 episode 3 of ''

The Friday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...

'' on 19 January 2007.

James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994) ...

was the host that night. *

The Whiffenpoofs The Yale Whiffenpoofs is a collegiate a cappella singing group. Established at Yale University in 1909, it is the oldest such group in the United States. The line-up is completely replaced each year: the group is always composed of rising senio ...

performed the song on

The Sing-Off ''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...

on 6 December 2010. * Bindi Irwin and

Derek Hough Derek Bruce Hough (; born May 17, 1985) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer. From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the ABC dance competition series ''Dancing with the Stars'', wi ...

performed the song on

Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 21) Season twenty-one of the American television competition series ''Dancing with the Stars'' premiered on September 14, 2015. On November 24, conservationist Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough were crowned the champions, while Backstreet Boys singer Nic ...

*Josef Fečo performed the song on The Voice Česko Slovensko on 1 March 2019 *In September 2021,

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

users, including

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

and

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...

, took part in a challenge where the user records the different vocal parts of the chorus on top of each other making a full harmony. *In May 2022, Mika performed this song as part of the interval medley at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and h ...

, which he co-hosted.

Parodies

Rory Bremner Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...

recorded a parody version to illustrate the problems of UK Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

. *

Amateur Transplants Amateur Transplants was a parody music band fronted by London-based, British comedian Adam Kay and Suman Biswas (born 1978). Amateur Transplants came to prominence in 2005 with a song about the London Underground, parodying the Jam song "Going ...

's song "Libel Case" from their 2008 album ''Unfit to Practise''. *

Subwoolfer Subwoolfer is a British-Norwegian pop duo formed in 2021. The two members perform in black suits with white shirts with distinctive yellow stylized wolf-head masks and yellow gloves and ties and go by the pseudonyms Keith and Jim. Their identitie ...

released a parody song of Mika's "Grace Kelly" titled "Space Kelly" a parody Eurovision round-up song of their competitors and making light of their true identities.

Appearances

*'' The Hills'' *''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

'' *A Turkish

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

advertisement *An Israeli advertisement of "Misdar Zihoi" *A trailer for ''

Disney Cinemagic Disney Cinemagic was a European television brand that consisted of a group of television channels owned by Walt Disney Company Limited (UK) plus two programming blocks by Disney Channels Worldwide. It used to be broadcast on most countries in Wes ...

'' *A trailer for ''

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ''I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry'' (also simply known as ''Chuck & Larry'') is a 2007 American buddy comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters Chuck and Larry, respectively, two New Yo ...

'' *A trailer for '' The Ugly Truth'' *The 2008 episode of Silent Witness "Lost Child", as a 27-year-old transforms himself into a schoolboy *An advertisement for ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' *'' What Happens in Vegas...'' *''

Dead Set ''Dead Set'' is a British zombie horror miniseries written and created by Charlie Brooker and directed by Yann Demange. The show takes place primarily on the set of a fictional series of the real television show '' Big Brother''. The five epi ...

'' *The ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' novel "

The Pirate Loop ''The Pirate Loop'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Simon Guerrier and based on the long-running science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. It was published on 26 December 2007 alon ...

" *''

The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC sc ...

'' episode "

The Mark of the Berserker ''The Mark of the Berserker'' is the fourth serial of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. It was first broadcast in two weekly parts on CBBC on 3 and 10 November 2008. Due to Elisab ...

" *An episode of ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...

'' *An advertisement of '' Confessions of a Shopaholic'' *Autumn 2007 episodes of '' Corazón de Otoño'' *The European

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

version of ''

Band Hero ''Band Hero'' is a spinoff video game as part of the ''Guitar Hero series'' of music rhythm games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles. The game is structu ...

'' *A German first season trailer for '' Weeds'' *The adult-oriented Wii game ''

We Dare ''We Dare'' is an adult-oriented party video game developed by Ubisoft Milan, for the Wii and PlayStation 3 (PS3) gaming systems. It is marketed as a "sexy, quirky, party game" and involves kissing, striptease and spanking. However, reviewers in c ...

'', as a cover version *

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

's official video for

Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...

in ''Barca Legends'' series

Music video

The music video for the song "Grace Kelly" was directed by

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

and starred Mika and now-singer-songwriter

Mae Muller Holly Mae Muller (born 26 August 1997) is an English singer-songwriter. She released an album titled ''Chapter 1'' with Capitol Records in 2019 and released an EP, ''No One Else, Not Even You,'' in 2020. Career In 2007 as a child, Muller app ...

(no relation to the director). The video was filmed in early November 2006 and has been nominated for numerous worldwide awards. The instrumental introduction in the video is an extract of the acoustic version of the song found on certain releases of the album.

Track listing

Australian CD single # "Grace Kelly" – 3:08 # "Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Radio Edit) – 3:20 # "Over My Shoulder" – 4:44 # "Grace Kelly" (Video) UK CD single # "Grace Kelly" – 3:08 # "Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Radio Edit) – 3:20 # "Over My Shoulder" – 4:44 Limited edition 7" vinyl # "Grace Kelly" – 3:07 # "

Satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

" – 4:15 UK 12" vinyl # "Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Full Vocal Remix) – 6:46 # "Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Dub Remix) – 6:40 # "Grace Kelly" (Tom Neville Full Vocal Remix) – 6:48 # "Grace Kelly" (Tom Neville Dub Remix) – 7:08

Official versions

*"Grace Kelly" – 3:07 *"Grace Kelly" (Acoustic Version) – 3:07 *"Grace Kelly" (Bimbo Jones Remix Edit) – 3:00 *"Grace Kelly" (Bimbo Jones Remix) – 6:26 *"Grace Kelly" (Les Grandes Gueules Version) – 3:07 *"Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Radio Edit) – 3:20 *"Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Full Vocal Remix) – 6:46 *"Grace Kelly" (Linus Loves Dub Remix) – 6:40 *"Grace Kelly" (Pull Tiger Tail Remix) – 4:26 *"Grace Kelly" (Tom Neville Full Vocal Remix) – 6:48 *"Grace Kelly" (Tom Neville Dub Remix) – 7:08

Chart performance

It reached number one in the United Kingdom and in Ireland. The song was only the second single ever to top the UK chart without selling a physical copy ("

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

" by

Gnarls Barkley Gnarls Barkley are an American soul duo, composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, '' St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contained their hit single "Crazy", which peaked at number two ...

was the first). In the US market, it peaked at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The December 2007 ''

Observer Music Monthly ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' asked Mika how it felt getting to No. 1 in the UK with this song. He replied: "Very unreal. It still feels unreal. It's just a song I wrote in my room. By the time I'd written 'Grace Kelly' everything in my life had been called into question. Trying to find out what I was going to do with my life, trying to be a musician, to be independent, to give myself the remote chance of any kind of a relationship. I was just sorting every thing out in my head. That song sums it all up." It went to #1 on the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Turkey singles charts. The song was 82 in the French physical charts but number 2 in digital ones, and has more than 50,000 sales in the country. The song has more than 5 million sales.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control 2007 singles Mika (singer) songs Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Turkey UK Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Mika (singer) Song recordings produced by Greg Wells Songs written by Jodi Marr 2007 songs Island Records singles Casablanca Records singles Cultural depictions of Grace Kelly Songs about actors Songs about princesses