"Lollipop" is a song by

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 ...

from his 2007 debut 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 Casablanc ...

''. 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 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 ...

. 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 "Relax, Take It Easy" is the debut single by British singer-songwriter Mika, from his debut album ''Life in Cartoon Motion''. In the UK, it failed to chart upon its original release, but after "Grace Kelly" topped the charts in January 2007, ...

" 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

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". 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.

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". Craig McLean from

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

wrote that the song is "terrific kiddie boogie destined for a slot on

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...

." However, Mika's voice was criticized by 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 databa ...

, who wrote that on the song, Mika "straddles the line between adorable and annoying". Sal Cinquemani from '' Slant Magazine'' commented that the song "features a sick-sweet falsetto hook that is, perhaps, irony-free". 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".

Track listing

UK CD1 # "Relax, Take It Easy" (Radio Edit) # "Lollipop" (Live from L'Olympia Paris) # "I Want You Back" (Live from L'Olympia Paris) # "Relax, Take It Easy" (Dennis Christopher Remix) (Radio Edit) # "Lollipop" (Fred Deakin's Fredmix) UK CD2 # "Relax, Take It Easy" (New Radio Edit) # "Lollipop" Limited edition USB memory stick # "Relax, Take It Easy" (New Radio Edit) # "Lollipop" # "Relax, Take It Easy" ( Alpha Beat Remix) # "Relax, Take It Easy" (Frank Musik Mix) # "Relax, Take It Easy" (Ashley Beedle's Castro Vocal Discomix) # "Relax, Take It Easy" (Video - Live in Paris) (5.1 Surround) # "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 "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brot ...

'', 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. It was directed by Mika's sister.

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 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. By 18 April 2008, the single had sold 66,594 copies in the UK.

In other media

This song is a playable track in the video game ''

Just Dance 3 ''Just Dance 3'' is a 2011 dance rhythm game released on the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 with Kinect and Move support respectively for the latter two. It is part of the '' Just Dance'' video game series published by Ubisoft originally on the ...

''. 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 Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned nom ...

and

Beck Bennett Christopher Beck Bennett (born October 1, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, and writer, who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' for eight seasons (2013–2021). Before then, he performed in AT&T "It's Not Complicated" commercials in ...

as two men who want to start a bar fight with Lollipop playing on the jukebox.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Passion Pictures
The video for Lollipop can be found here.-->
Mika's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lollipop (Mika Song) 2007 singles 2008 singles Mika (singer) songs Songs written by Mika (singer) Song recordings produced by Greg Wells 2007 songs Island Records singles Bubblegum pop songs