"Mickey" (originally titled as "Kitty") is a song recorded by American singer and choreographer

Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...

for her debut studio album, ''

Word of Mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

'', in 1981. It was first recorded by the pop group

Racey Racey are a British pop group, formed in 1976 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, by Clive Wilson and Phil Fursdon. They achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with hits such as " Lay Your Love on Me" and "Some Girls". The ...

Mike Chapman Michael Donald Chapman (born 13 April 1947) is an Australian-American record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suz ...

and

Nicky Chinn Nicholas Barry Chinn (born 16 May 1945) is an English-American songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the UK and US in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several international number- ...

wrote the song, while production was helmed by Greg Mathieson and

Trevor Veitch Trevor Veitch (born May 19, 1946 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian musician/record producer who has worked behind the scenes on many pop trends from the 1960s to the present. He is mostly known for his involvement in the popular 1960s ...

. Basil's version is new wave, featuring

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s and cheerleading chants. It garnered a mixed response from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, with some critics praising the radio-friendly nature of the song, while others described some of the lyrics as obscene.

Background

The song was originally performed by British pop group

, with the title "Kitty", and was included on their debut studio album ''Smash and Grab'' in 1979. The original Racey song did not include the "Oh Mickey, you're so fine" chant, which Basil added. For years, it was rumored that the name was changed to Mickey because Basil developed a crush on

the Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

' drummer and lead vocalist

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and multiple reunions ...

, after meeting him on the set of their movie, ''

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

'', for which she was the

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

. However, that claim has been denied by Basil, who has said that she "didn't really know Micky at all". In January 2020, Basil released a re-recording of the song as "Hey Mickey" to digital and streaming platforms.

Legal claims

On August 31, 2017, Basil filed a multi-claim lawsuit against Razor & Tie Direct,

Forever 21 Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984,Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved 27 April 2014 ...

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

, VH1, and ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

''. Basil alleged that the defendants had commercially used the song "Mickey" without a license and damaged her

right of publicity Personality rights, sometimes referred to as the right of publicity, are rights for an individual to control the commercial use of their identity, such as name, image, likeness, or other unequivocal identifiers. They are generally considered as ...

, claiming excess of $25,000 in damages. Basil also filed a lawsuit against

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

on May 12, 2020, for the unauthorized use of "Mickey" in a trailer for ''

Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...

''. On August 27, 2020, a California state of appeals court affirmed dismissal of Basil's case.

Composition

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by

Alfred Music Alfred Music is an American music publishing company. Founded in New York in 1922, it is headquartered in Van Nuys, California, with additional branches in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. History In New York Cit ...

, the song is written in the key of

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

and is set in

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

of common time with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 145

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. Basil's vocal range spans two octaves, from B₃ to C♯₅.

Critical reception

Rock critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

commented on the perceived 'obscene' content of the lyric "So come on and give it to me / Any way you can / Any way you want to do it / I'll take it like a man". Christgau wrote in a review at the time that Basil "was the only woman ever to offer to take it up the ass on Top 40 radio." However, Basil adamantly denies this: "NO! That's ridiculous. People read shit into everything. It's not about anything dirty. You change the name from boy to girl" — i.e., from "Mickey" to "Kitty" — "and they read anything they want into it! When it's a guy singing about a girl, it's a sweet line. But when a girl sings it, it must mean butt-fucking! This is how the wrong foot gets cut off when the doc wheels you into the E.R. Then it's Micky Dolenz and butt-fucking." The single scored number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for one week and number two in 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 ...

. The song was Basil's only Top 40 success. It was named Number 6 on VH1's 100 Greatest

One Hit Wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

s of the 80's.

Music video

The music video was directed, produced and choreographed by Basil herself. The cheerleaders featured in the video were members of a championship squad from Carson High School in Carson, California. The cheerleading uniform Basil wore in the music video was the one she actually wore in high school. According to Basil, "They didn't put anything in the budget, I did everything myself. And this is the actual cheer sweater from Las Vegas High."

Track listings and formats

US 7" single #"Mickey" – 3:36 #"Thief on the Loose" – 3:50 International 7" single #"Mickey" – 3:36 #"Hanging Around" – 4:06 US 12" single #"Mickey" (Special Club mix) (Short) – 4:32 #"Mickey" (Special Club mix) (Long) – 5:58 Alternate US 12" single #"Mickey" (Special Club mix) – 5:58 #"Mickey" (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

version) – 5:12 *7" single #"Mickey" – 3:30 #"Hanging Around" – 3:59 *SG CD single (1994) #"Mickey" (Original Version) – 3:29 #"Mickey" (7" New Mix) – 6:03 #"Mickey" (12" New Mix) – 4:13 #"Mickey" (12" Alternative Version) – 3:57 #"Mickey" (7" Instrumental) – 6:16 #"Mickey" (7"

Smart E's Luna-C (born Christopher Howell, 1 May 1973) is a British DJ and record producer, known for his work in breakbeat hardcore music. He was a member of the group Smart E's in 1992, who scored a 2 hit on the UK Singles Chart with "Sesame's ...

Version) – 6:04 #"Mickey" (12" Smart E's Version – 6:16 #"Mickey" (Smart E's Dub) – 6:16 *US CD single (1999) #"Mickey" (Radio Remix) – 3:29 #"Mickey" ("Back to the Future" Club Mix) – 6:03 #"Mickey" ("Killa Klub" Edit) – 3:57 #"Mickey" ("Killa Klub" Mix) – 6:16 #"Mickey" ("Killa Klub" Dub) – 6:04 *HK CD single (1999) #"Mickey" (Radio Remix) – 3:29 #"Mickey" ("Back to the Future" Club Mix) – 6:03 #"Mickey" (

Jason Nevins Jason Nevins (born December 15, 1972) is an American songwriter, record producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop and dance productions, including his multi-platinum, multi-million selling production of " It's Like That" by Ameri ...

Radio Remix) – 4:13 #"Mickey" ("Killa Klub" Edit) – 3:57 #"Mickey" ("Killa Klub" Mix) – 6:16 #"Mickey" ("Killa Klub" Dub) – 6:04 *Digital rerecording (2020) #"Hey Mickey" – 4:12 Credits and personnel adapted from ''Word of Mouth'' album liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Lolly version

English singer Lolly covered "Mickey" and released it as a single in September 1999. Her version reached number four on the

the same month. There is also a karaoke version of the cover on the album.

Track listings

UK CD1 and Australian CD single #"Mickey" – 3:35 #"Sweetheart" – 2:52 #"Mickey" (

Karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

version) – 3:35 #"Mickey" (CD ROM video) UK CD2 #"Mickey" – 3:35 #"Mickey" (Creator remix) – 5:58 #"Mickey" (D-Bop remix edit) – 4:22 #"Mickey" (The Bold & The Beautiful remix) – 5:50 UK cassette single #"Mickey" – 3:35 #"Mickey" (Karaoke version) – 3:35

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions and adaptations

Adaptations and parodies

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

parodied this song for his 1983 self titled debut album as "

Ricky Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic * Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

", a parody of and tribute to ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

''. Yankovic himself sang the Ricky part while voice actress

Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...

performed the Lucy part.

Language versions

Carola Häggkvist Carola Maria Häggkvist (; born 8 September 1966), commonly known simply as Carola, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s and has released albums ranging from pop and disco ...

released a Swedish version of the song in 1983, which achieved success in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. The Swedish version had lyrics written by Ingela "Pling" Forsman for the 1983 album '' Främling''. Japanese comedian-musician

Gorie , better known as or or , is a Japanese comedian, variety show host, voice actor, film director, and musician. He is a member of the owarai group Garage Sale. He has also appeared in drag as a schoolgirl character named Gorie and collaborated wi ...

scored no. 1 on the Japanese singles chart for two weeks with a Japanese-language version featuring vocals by American-born Jasmine Ann Allen.

Samplings

The entire structure of the Run–D.M.C. song "

It's Tricky "It's Tricky" is the fourth single released from Run-DMC's third album, Raising Hell (album), ''Raising Hell''. It was released early in 1987 through Profile Records and was co-produced by Rick Rubin and the group themselves. The song peaked at ...

" was consciously lifted from "Mickey". According to DMC: "I just changed the chorus around and we just talked about how this rap business can be tricky to a brother."

References

{{authority control 1979 songs 1982 singles 1999 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Bubblegum pop songs Carola Häggkvist songs Cheerleading Chrysalis Records singles Music videos directed by Toni Basil Number-one singles in Australia Polydor Records singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Mike Chapman Songs written by Mike Chapman Songs written by Nicky Chinn Toni Basil songs Virgin Records singles

Background

Legal claims

Composition

Critical reception

Music video

Track listings and formats

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Lolly version

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions and adaptations

Adaptations and parodies

Language versions

Samplings

See also

References