Mickey (song)

"Mickey"
Song

"Mickey"
File:ToniBasilMickey.png
Single by Toni Basil
from the album Word of Mouth
Released	5 February 1982
Recorded	1981
Genre	New wave bubblegum
Length	4:12 (album) 3:36 (single)
Label	Chrysalis (US) Radial Choice (UK) Virgin (Canada)
Writer(s)	Mike Chapman Nicky Chinn
Producer(s)	Greg Mathieson Trevor Veitch
Toni Basil singles chronology
"Breakaway" (1966) "Mickey" (1982) "Nobody" (1982)

"Mickey" is a 1982 song recorded by American singer and choreographer Toni Basil on her debut album Word of Mouth. Written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as "Kitty", it was first recorded by UK music group Racey during 1979 appearing on their debut album Smash and Grab.

Toni Basil changed the name from Kitty to Mickey to make the song about a man. For years, it had been rumored that the name was changed to Mickey because Basil was fond of The Monkees' drummer and lead vocalist Micky Dolenz after meeting him on the set of their movie Head for which she was the choreographer; however, this claim has been disputed by Basil, who said she didn't know Dolenz that well. Rumors also circulated that the lines "any way you want to do it / I'll take it like a man", in the gender-swapped lyrics, referred to anal sex; Basil strenuously denies this interpretation, calling it "ridiculous".

A music video for the song, featuring costuming and choreography inspired by cheerleader dance routines, was played heavily on MTV. Filmed in 1981, the video is considered the very first choreographed dance video, and the opening stunt, where a cheerleader jumps through the center of a human pyramid, is now illegal in competition.

The single scored number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week and number two in the UK Singles Chart. The song was Basil's only Top 40 success, making her a "one-hit wonder". It was named #5 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of All Time, #16 on 20 to 1's Top 20 One Hit Wonders Countdown and #57 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s. It has also appeared on multiple greatest or best lists and countdowns.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1982–83)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	39
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	1
Germany (Official German Charts)	69
Ireland (IRMA)	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	2
South Africa (Springbok Radio)	3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	2
US Billboard Hot 100	1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	3
US Cash Box	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1982)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	6
Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)	63
US Cash Box	36

Chart (1983)	Position
Canada (RPM Top Singles)	35
US Billboard Hot 100	36

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)	2× Platinum	200,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	500,000
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	2,000,000
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Preceded by "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts	Australian Kent Music Report number-one single 7 June 1982 – 14 June 1982 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "I've Never Been to Me" by Charlene
Preceded by "Truly" by Lionel Richie	Canadian RPM number-one single 25 December 1982 – 15 January 1983 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth
	US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single 11 December 1982 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Maneater" by Hall & Oates

Track listings

US 7" single

1. "Mickey" – 3:36
2. "Thief on the Loose" – 3:50

International 7" single

1. "Mickey" – 3:36
2. "Hanging Around" – 4:06

US 12" single

1. "Mickey" (Special Club Mix) (Short) – 4:32
2. "Mickey" (Special Club Mix) (Long) – 5:58

Alternate US 12" single

1. "Mickey" (Special Club Mix) – 5:58
2. "Mickey" (Spanish Version) – 5:12

Lolly version

"Mickey"
Single by Lolly
from the album My First Album
Released	1999
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:36 (album version)
Label	Polydor
Writer(s)	Mike Chapman Nicky Chinn
Producer(s)	Dufflebag Boys
Lolly singles chronology
"Viva La Radio" (1999) "Mickey" (1999) "Big Boys Don't Cry" (1999)

The UK singer Lolly scored a top ten hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1999. In addition, there is also a karaoke version of the cover in the album.

Track listings

UK CD Single #1

1. "Mickey" – 3:36
2. "Sweetheart" – 2:54
3. "Mickey" (Karaoke Version) - 3:36

UK CD Single #2

1. "Mickey" - 3:36
2. "Mickey" (Creator Remix) - 5:58
3. "Mickey" (D-Bop Remix Edit) - 4:22
4. "Mickey" (The Bold & The Beautiful Remix) - 5:50

UK Cassette Single

1. "Mickey" - 3:36
2. "Mickey" (Karaoke Version) - 3:36

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)	14
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	4

Other notable versions

• "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied this song for his 1983 self titled debut album as "Ricky", a parody of and tribute to I Love Lucy.

• Walt Disney Productions released a cover version titled "Hey Mickey" in 1986 on the album Totally Minnie. This version is sung by Desirée Goyette. The lyrics were altered significantly to reflect Minnie Mouse singing to and about Mickey Mouse.
• In 1987, the Brazilian entertainer Xuxa covered the song on her album Xegundo Xou da Xuxa.

• Irish girl group B*Witched covered the song for their American EP Across America 2000. It was released as a promotional single outside of the UK and was used for the film Bring It On.

• Swedish singer Carola Häggkvist scored a 1983 success in Scandinavia with a Swedish language-version of "Mickey" with lyrics written by Ingela "Pling" Forsman for the 1983 album Främling.

• Japanese comedian-musician Gorie scored no. 1 on the Japanese singles chart for two weeks with a version featuring vocals by American-born Jasmine Ann Allen.
• 2002 saw the release of New Zealand band Elemeno P version on B-side of single Fast Times In Tahoe.

• In 2009, the American punk rock band Zebrahead covered it on their album Panty Raid.

• In 2010, the South Korean girl group Girls' Generation released a reworked version "Cooky" to promote the LG Cyon Cooky mobile phone.

• In 2011, the song was parodied as "Moshi" for commercials advertising the website Moshi Monsters.

• In 2012, Olivia Newton-John recorded the song for the soundtrack to her motion picture A Few Best Men. The song was the first single released from the album on 9 January 2012.

• In 2015 The Time Lord rock band Leg Nose Robinson made a parody version of this song referencing the line from the Doctor Who episode "Death in Heaven".

Songs which sample the Toni Basil recording

• The entire structure of the Run–D.M.C. song "It's Tricky" 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."

• Heidi Montag recorded a song titled "Bad Boy", which starts off sampling the song with "Bad boy you so fine, you so fine, you blow my mind."

• The song was sampled by Nitty in the song, "Hey Bitty", which can be found on his album Player's Paradise.

• Limp Bizkit sampled the chorus in "Nookie" [Androids Vs. Las Putas Remix] on their New Old Songs album.

• The starting chorus of the original song was sampled by electronic duo Boards of Canada in the track "Nine-Rubber Wisdom" on Old Tunes Vol. 2.

• Madonna sampled part of the chorus for "Dress You Up" for her 2009 Sticky & Sweet Tour.

• Kylie Minogue blended "Mickey" with her own song "Heart Beat Rock" on her KylieX2008 tour. The word "Mickey" was replaced with "Minnie".

• Travis Scott blended "Mickey" with his song "Antidote" which can be found on his album Rodeo.

In popular culture

• San Francisco Giants infielder Miguel Tejada uses this as his walk up music.

• In the film Wayne's World, the song is sung by Tia Carrere and Mike Myers.

• On September 25, 2009, a flash mob and orchestra performed a parody version ("Oh, Mackey, you're a swine. You're a swine, you blow my mind," etc.) inside a Whole Foods grocery store in Oakland, California, to protest Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey's public opposition to health care reform in the US, including his rejection of the principle that people have a right to health care.

• Spanish TV show Sé lo que hicisteis... (I know what you did...) used to play the song to introduce one of the hosts, Micki Nadal.

• The song is sung in a short scene on the American sitcom Friends, in the episode "The One Where They're Up All Night".

• This song is sung in the show Napoleon Dynamite with the name "Rico" replacing "Mickey".

• This song had a parody version in the animated American sitcom The Simpsons in the episode The Principal and the Pauper when the "real" Principal Skinner asked Bart to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in which Bart recited it as "Hey America, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, America <fart noise>."

• The song was used in the pilot episode of The Cleveland Show in which Cleveland and Donna sing the chorus replacing the word Mickey to Donna.

• This song has been used twice in the animated American sitcom King of the Hill: Kahn sings and dances to it at the opening of "Three Days at the Kahn-do" and it is used during a montage for "The Powder Puff Boys".

• The song is sung in the show George Lopez with the name "Ernie" replacing "Mickey", in the 2003 episode "Team Leader". Season 2, episode 22.

• The Spanish version of the song is used in the ninth episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 which Yara Sofia and Carmen Carrera lip synced for their lives to the song. After a very high energy performance, RuPaul allowed both queens to stay another week.

• This song is featured in the 2012 video game Lollipop Chainsaw: It is played when Juliet, the player character, enters a temporary powered-up state. It is also unlockable as a background song.

• The song is featured as part of the Riff-Off sequence of scenes in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect.

• In the 2014 Doctor Who episode "Death in Heaven", Missy, the female incarnation of the long-running foe of the show the Master, sings the song at one point to taunt one of her enemies, changing the word Mickey to Missy for her version. In the series 9 opener, "The Magician's Apprentice", Missy uses the lyrics of the song to communicate with UNIT; in the same episode, the Doctor plays the chorus on his guitar.

• A version of this song was performed by Vocal Adrenaline in the 6th season of Glee. The choir changed clothes to cheerleader outfits while singing and performed an extreme routine including human cannonballs.

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1982

References