Mickey (song)

"Mickey"
Artwork for U.S. vinyl release
Single by Toni Basil
from the album Word of Mouth
B-side	"Hanging Around" "Thief on the Loose"
Released	1982
Genre	New wave[1][2] bubblegum[2]
Length	4:12 (Album version) 3:36 (Single version)
Label	Chrysalis (US) Radial Choice (UK) Virgin (Canada)
Songwriter(s)	Mike Chapman Nicky Chinn
Producer(s)	Greg Mathieson[3] Trevor Veitch[3]
Toni Basil singles chronology
"Breakaway" (1966) "Mickey" (1982) "Nobody" (1982)
"Breakaway" (1966) "Mickey" (1982) "Nobody" (1982)

"Mickey" is a 1981 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.

Release

Toni Basil's version of the song was initially issued as a single in the UK in May 1981, but did not chart at that time. Reissued in January 1982, "Mickey" quickly became a substantial UK hit, reaching number 2. It was issued in Australia by April, where over the summer it rose to number 1.

Finally issued in North America in August 1982, "Mickey" became a number 1 hit in the US and Canada in late 1982, a year and a half after its original release.

Background

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 denied by Basil, who said she didn't know Dolenz that well.^[4] 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".^[4]

Two different music videos for the song were recorded, one featuring Basil with a backing band, and another featuring costuming and choreography inspired by cheerleader dance routines. Filmed in 1981, the Cheerleader 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.^[5][6] 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

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
Length	3:36 (album version)
Label	Polydor
Producer(s)	Dufflebag Boys
Lolly singles chronology
"Viva La Radio" (1999) "Mickey" (1999) "Big Boys Don't Cry" (1999)
"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^[26]

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

UK CD Single #2^[27]

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^[28]

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

Charts

Other notable versions

• Mexican band Timbiriche made a cover version of this song in Spanish called "Micky" in 1983, in their album Concierto.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied this song for his 1983 self titled debut album as "Ricky", a parody of and tribute to I Love Lucy. Yankovic himself sang the Ricky part while voice actress Tress MacNeille performed the Lucy part.
• 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.^[30]
• 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 as "Hey Missy," referencing the line from the Doctor Who episode "Death in Heaven".
• The song was covered by the cast of the TV series Glee in 2015, and featured in the eleventh episode of the final season.

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."^[31]
• 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.^[32]
• Limp Bizkit sampled the chorus in "Nookie" [Androids Vs. Las Putas Remix] on their New Old Songs album.^[33]
• 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.^[34]
• 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.

See also

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

References

External links

• Lyrics of Toni Basil's "Mickey" at MetroLyrics