Celebrate (Mika song)

"Celebrate" is a song by British singer and songwriter Mika. It was released as the lead single of his third studio album, The Origin of Love (2012), in the United Kingdom, Europe and America, and the second single in France. The song features American singer Pharrell Williams. It was written by Mika, Williams and Ben Garrett and produced by Peter Hayes and Nick Littlemore.

"Celebrate"
Single by Mika featuring Pharrell Williams
from the album The Origin of Love
Released15 June 2012
Recorded2011
GenrePop
Length3:05
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Mika singles chronology
"Elle me dit"
(2011)		 "Celebrate"
(2012)		 "Underwater"
(2012)
Pharrell Williams singles chronology
"Here Ye, Hear Ye"
(2011)		 "Celebrate"
(2012)		 "Blurred Lines"
(2013)
Music video
"Celebrate" on YouTube

The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Some called it a "great summer song" and praised Pharrell for giving another dimension to Mika's vocals. However, some critics dismissed Mika's processed vocals and the song's rhythm. The song has charted on the French Singles Chart and on the Belgium Charts, but failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and release

After the release of "Elle me dit" in 2011, only in French-speaking countries, Mika unveiled a music video for the song "Make You Happy", which is not a single, but is included on The Origin of Love.[1] Later, on 14 July 2012, Mika previewed a 30-second clip of the song. It was uploaded to Amazon ahead of its official unveiling and was later removed from the online store.[2] The song was released on 15 June 2012.[3]

Composition

"Celebrate" was written by Mika, Pharrell Williams and Ben Garrett and produced by Peter Hayes and Nick Littlemore.[4] Nick Littlemore of the Australian electorock outfit, Empire of the Sun, lends a hand on the production, which gives the song a retro synthpop clubby feel.[5] The song's message is clear—he simply wants the whole world to celebrate life.[6]

Critical reception

Emily Tam of Idolator wrote that "it shows that the Neptunes mastermind brings his smooth vocals, giving it another dimension."[5] Ivan Ibarra of DJ Booth called it "a synth-heavy pop, yet head-nodding, sound that allows MIKA to blossom."[6] Lanne Billings from "Paste Magazine" named it "an Elton John-ish spin on the eternal 'let’s party' single."[7]

However, a negative review came from "Pop Dust"'s Katherine St Asaph, who gave the song 1 out of 5 stars, writing: "Pharrell doesn’t sound like Pharrell, Mika, meanwhile, swaddles his voice in so much processing he ends up sounding like Adam Levine if he were whispering. The whole thing ends up sounding like a subpar take of one of Adam Lambert's weaker Trespassing singles. It might be best for Mika and Pharrell to quietly bury 'Celebrate' in favor of a real comeback single. They both deserve better."[8]

Vegetable Orchestra version

Mika collaborated with the London Vegetable Orchestra and the Junk Orchestra and recorded a different version of the song at Sarm Studios in July 2012. This version features Mika's vocals accompanied only by instruments crafted from fresh vegetables (played by the London Vegetable Orchestra) and junk (played by the Junk Orchestra). The musical director was Oli Jackson. As of August 2012 this version has only been released online.[9]

Celebrate with Vegetable Orchestra

Charts and certifications

Peak positions
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[10] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[11] 37
France (SNEP)[12] 33
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[13] 16
Italy (FIMI)[14] 32
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 35
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 75
South Korea (Gaon International Chart)[17] 9
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] 33
Spain Airplay (PROMUSICAE)[19] 20
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[20] 21

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[21] Gold 15,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Eames, Tom (10 June 2012). "Mika unveils new song 'Make You Happy' - video". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  2. Corner, Lewis (14 June 2012). "Mika previews new single 'Celebrate' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  3. "iTunes - Celebrate (feat. Pharrell Williams) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. "Ultratop.be - Mika feat. Pharrell Williams". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  5. Tan, Emily (15 June 2012). ""Celebrate" The Weekend With Mika's New Song: Listen". Idolator. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  6. Ibarra, Ivan. "MIKA ft. Pharrell Williams - Celebrate - Listen". DJ Booth. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  7. Billings, Lane (15 June 2012). "Listen to Mika's New Single "Celebrate" :: Music :: News :: Paste". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  8. Asaph St, Katherine (19 June 2012). "Review: Mika and Pharrell's New Single "Celebrate" - Popdust". Popdust. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  9. Mika's Vegetable Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i22JyxcjgEU
  10. "Ultratop.be – Mika feat. Pharrell Williams – Celebrate" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Mika feat. Pharrell Williams – Celebrate" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  12. "Lescharts.com – Mika feat. Pharrell Williams – Celebrate" (in French). Les classement single.
  13. "Chart Search Results - Japan Hot 100 Singles 2012-10-20". Billboard. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  14. https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/history.kl#/history. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. "mika feat. pharrell williams - celebrate" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mika feat. Pharrell Williams – Celebrate" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. "Search: Gaon International Download Chart - Issue date: 2012.09.23 - 2012.09.29" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  18. "Spanishcharts.com – Mika feat. Pharrell Williams – Celebrate" Canciones Top 50.
  19. "Top 50 - Lista de Radios Semanal - Semana 43: Del 20-10-2012 al 26-10-2012" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  20. http://www.billboard.com/articles/chartbeat/475195/chart-highlights-whistle-to-blow-flo-rida-pnk-no-1
  21. "Italian single certifications – Mika – Celebrate" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Celebrate" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
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