Official Charts Pop Gem #67: Mika - Grace Kelly

Inspired by The Artist Formerly Known As Cheryl Cole scoring her fourth solo Number 1 last Sunday with Crazy Stupid Love, this week’s Pop Gem theme was Crazy Love. Ie; the songs you couldn’t get enough of at the time, but they drove your nearest and dearest insane. (Not that we’re saying Mrs Fernandez-Versini’s latest poptastic chart topper has that effect, but you get the picture!)

We had an insane amount of suggestions (see what we did there?) and whittled it down to a shortlist of 14. Don’t forget to check out our video playlist of all finalists here.

So who did we pick as the most-loved-but-also-most-annoying Pop Gem ever? Well, it was a tough one, but nothing says ‘I love this song so much I’ll play it until it drives everyone crazy’ like Mika’s Grace Kelly.

Watch the video for the track below:

Why it had to be Mika

‘I tried to be like Grace Kelly, But all her looks were too sad, Ahhh-ha, So I tried a little Freddie, Mmm-mmm, I've gone identity mad!’

For some, Grace Kelly is sheer pop perfection: channelling the spirit of late Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, the chorus to this track is so catchy it will set up camp in your frontal lobe and stay there for weeks. And upon the very mention of this song, you can’t help but sing along with Mika. We bet you’re doing it right now!

However, if you’re in the minority who don’t heart the defining musical work of Michael Penniman Jr (as he is known to his mum and dad), we can imagine that it might it could grind your gears somewhat. (You miserable lot!)

Thankfully, we fall into the former camp, and are delighted to accept Mika into the Official Charts' Pop Gem Hall Of Fame!

The Song

Released in February 2007, Grace Kelly was the second release from Mika’s Number 1 album Life In Cartoon Motion. It became the second single to top the Official Singles Chart based on downloads alone (Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy being the first in April 2006).

"I wrote Grace Kelly as a little sticky to the music industry,” Mika explains. “I was working with a big music company in London that wanted to mould me into what they felt would turn me into a commercial success. They told me I needed to make a record more like what everyone expected pop records to be, and be like Craig David.

“I knew that would lead to complete disaster,” he added. “So I came back home and I wrote Grace Kelly that night. From that point on, I made a decision to write in the way I wanted to and not how someone else told me to."

Grace Kelly initially entered the Official Singles Chart at Number 3 on January 20, 2007 before knocking X Factor winner Leona Lewis’ A Moment Like This off the top spot a week later. It went on to spend an impressive five weeks at Number 1.

According to Official Charts Company sales data, Grace Kelly has sold over 604,000 copies in the UK to date.

Mika's chart history

In addition to Grace Kelly, Mika has scored five other Top 40 singles, his last being 2009’s Number 4 hit, We Are Golden.

He has also had three Top 40 albums in the UK, too. His debut, Life In Cartoon Motion peaked at Number 1 in 2007. 2009’s The Boy Who Knew Too Much reached Number 4, while 2012’s The Origin Of Love hit Number 24.