It is the eleventh track off her debut album. The song is an updated cover of the original version, as featured in the musical Wicked. The album version of the song features vocals from the original songwriter, Priscilla Renea, and features low-level expletives, as featured in Wicked. It peaked at 87 on the Billboard Hot 100. Background The original version of the song was made available on Mika's third studio album, The Origin of Love, and features vocals from songwriter Priscilla Renea. This version is heavily based on the original from Wicked and uses a very rough tempo and instrumentation, to fit in with the theme of the album. To do this, he enlisted the help of American actress and performer Ariana Grande, rewrote some of the lyrics to remove the expletives, changed the instrumentation and tempo, and reworked the song's structure. The new version was released to the iTunes Store on December 21, 2012, being released as the album's second single in the United States. It has not been revealed if the track will be released as a single elsewhere. Music video The music video was first confirmed by Mika on February 16, 2013. The music video was released on April 29, 2013. Mika texts an invite to a dinner party to his popular classmates who are bullying him and Grande. This is interlaced with scenes of the two brewing a potion in a witch's cauldron and scenes of them falling victim to bullying. Mika and Grande later prepare to return to the former's mansion in his talking car. At the dinner party, the bullies consume their drinks drugged with the potion, and turn to stone. They are then smashed into pieces. The video ends with a twist, as Mika and Grande have a toast and the former takes a sip from his drink, the video flashes back to when the two were children and Mika is seen kicking down Grande's castle made of wooden blocks. Mika subsequently turns to stone as well. Daniels also praised the song for being a stand out track. Ariana: La la, la la You were the popular one, the popular chick It is what it is, now I'm popular-ish MIKA: Standing on the field with your pretty pompoms Now you're working at the movie selling popular corn I could have been a mess but I never went wrong 'Cause I'm putting down my story in a popular song Ariana: La la, la la Both: I said I'm putting down my story in a popular song My problem, I never was a model, I never was a scholar, But you were always popular, You were singing, all the songs I don't know Now you're in the front row 'Cause my song is popular Popular MIKA: I know about popular Both: It's not about who you are or your fancy car You're only ever who you were Popular MIKA: I know about popular Both: And all that you have to do, is be true to you That's all you ever need to know So catch up, 'cause you got an awful long way to go So catch up, 'cause you got an awful long way to go Ariana: Always was on the lookout for someone to hate Both: Picking on me like a dinner plate Ariana: You'd hit during classes and in between them Both: Dunk me in the toilets now it's you that cleans em' MIKA: You tried to make me feel bad with the things you do It ain't so funny when the joke's on you Both: Ooh Ariana: The joke's on you Got everyone's laughing Both: Got everyone clapping, asking How come you look so cool? That's all you ever need to know Ariana: That's all you ever need to know.
