Kick Ass (We Are Young)

"Kick Ass (We Are Young)" is a song by English singer Mika and Moroccan-Swedish record producer RedOne released as a single from the soundtrack to the film Kick-Ass.^[1] It was released on 2 May 2010.

"Kick Ass (We Are Young)"
Single by Mika vs. RedOne
from the album Kick-Ass: Music from the Motion Picture
Released	2 May 2010
Recorded	2010
Genre	Electropop
Length	3:12
Label	Casablanca Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Mika Jodi Marr
Producer(s)	RedOne
Mika singles chronology
"Blame It on the Girls" (2010) "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (2010) "Elle me dit" (2011)
RedOne singles chronology
"Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (2010) "A-Ricky-Kee" (2014)
Music video
"Kick Ass (We Are Young)" on YouTube

Background

At the European premiere of Kick-Ass in London, Mika said:

I have never written a song for a movie, I've had songs in movies which is always weird, you know? When you see faces you've grown up with kind of walking down the street to one of your songs. Feels like they've stolen it! But this one, [the producers of Kick-Ass] called me in, they made me watch the movie and then gave me three days to write the song. So, I was slightly terrified...It's written completely for the film. I loved the film. It panders to all my weird obsessions and perversions. It's demented! It's wrong in every way, that's why it's so right.

— Mika^[2]

Reception

Robert Copsey from Digital Spy gave the song four stars out of five saying the song's verses "have all the usual Mika ingredients – a handful of quirky lyrics, a dash of piano and a sprinkling of his trademark wail – and it's only when the chorus kicks in that we hear the RedOne effect." He also praised the collaboration saying it "actually works remarkably well, creating a pop stomper that's empowering, oh-so-contemporary and packed with personality".^[3] Contemporary music website Popjustice also gave the song a positive review, after what was seemingly going to be a negative one, they ended it with "Guess what – 'Kick-Ass' is also AMAZING".^[4] However, the song has also been met with some criticism, with people pointing out that the chorus is very similar, lyrically, to that of "Young" by Hollywood Undead.^{[citation needed]}

Music video

The video for the single shows Mika as a helpless individual left in an alleyway after being mugged.^[5] He begins to sing and as he does, the words of empowerment in the lyrics and his finding of an issue of the "Kick-Ass" comic inspire him to run for the rooftops and wail the chorus to the sky, now dressed in a slightly more superhero version of his "original persona" outfit. As is the norm with most soundtrack singles, the video features intercut scenes from the film. It was shot at Black Island Studios, London.

Track listing

• Digital download^[6]

1. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" – 3:14
2. "I See You" – 4:16
3. "Blame It on the Girls" (live from the iTunes Festival 2009) – 3:27
4. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (music video)

• CD single^[7]

1. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Vocal Mix) – 5:58
2. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Dub) – 6:01
3. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Radio Edit) – 3:24

Chart performance

The song received very little airplay in the UK, resulting in a low peak position, but in Ireland, where it received a substantial amount of airplay, it charted at number seven. In Italy, it peaked at number five and it was certified platinum by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana, for digital sales exceeding 30,000 units.^[8]

Weekly charts Chart (2010) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[9] 54 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[10] 8 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[11] 5 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100 Oficiální)^[12] 21 Germany (Official German Charts)^[13] 54 Ireland (IRMA)^[14] 7 Italy (FIMI)^[15] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[16] 56 UK Singles (OCC)^[17] 84 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[18] 13

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)^[19] 55 Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)^[20] 39 Italy (FIMI)^[21] 35

References

1. MikaSounds / Latest News / Mika's new 'KICK-ASS' single 26 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine MikaSounds.com - 1 March 2010 - Retrieved 6 April 2010
2. Exclusive Interview with Mika – Working on the Kick-Ass Soundtrack : HeyUGuys – UK Movie Blog heyuguys.co.uk - 23 March 2010 - Retrieved 6 April 2010.
3. Copsey, Robert Music - Singles Review - Mika: 'Kick-Ass' - Digital Spy Digital Spy 23 March 2010 - Retrieved 6 April 2010
4. "Popjustice: 100% Solid Pop Music • Popjustice".
5. MIKA - Kick Ass on YouTube
6. "Kick Ass (International Version) - Single by MIKA & RedOne". iTunes. January 2010.
7. . Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. "Italian single certifications" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 April 2013. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
9. "Mika vs. Redone – Kick Ass" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
10. "Mika vs. Redone – Kick Ass" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
11. "Mika vs. Redone – Kick Ass" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
12. "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální Czech Republic - Mika - Kick Ass". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
13. "Mika vs. RedOne – Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
14. ". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
15. "Mika vs. Redone – Kick Ass". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
16. "Mika vs. Redone – Kick Ass". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
18. "Mika vs Redone Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
19. "Jaaroverzichten 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
20. "Rapports Annuels 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
21. . Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.