Blame It on the Girls
Encyclopedia
"Blame It on the Girls" is the second single from Mika
's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
. It was released on October 5, 2009. It was also the third single released in the UK on February 15, 2010. The song was produced and mixed by Greg Wells
. It is also played in the credits of the 2011 film "Monte Carlo
".
magazine, Mika says: The song was inspired by a well-dressed, good-looking man Mika and his sister saw walking down a street in London shouting down his phone. The song uses a musical technique called musique concrète
in which the music is devised by using every day objects to make sound. In this particular song, the beat is created by Mika hitting his desk, clapping his hands and stamping his feet.
, Mika performed the song on Good Morning America
on September 25, the Late Show with David Letterman
on October 14, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
on October 22, 2009. Mika also performed the song live numerous times around its release in the UK to help promote the song. He performed the song on So You Think You Can Dance
on January 30, as well as on Alan Carr: Chatty Man
on the 11th, and on The Album Chart Show
on Channel 4
on the 12th. He further performed the song on ITV1
three times in February: On the 5th he sang "Blame It on the Girls" and an operatic rendition of his other single "Rain
" on Popstar to Operastar
. On February 18, Mika performed the song live on GMTV
and made a final appearance on Movie Toons on the 27th to end his promotion of the single.
for "Blame It on the Girls" was directed by Nez Khammal. An unfinished version of the video premiered on 3 October 2009 in the United Kingdom
on Channel 4
. The video starts in black and white with Mika sitting on a chair, wearing a bowler hat and holding a cane whilst speaking a prologue to the song. As the music starts the video bursts into colour, showing three screens behind Mika, each showing him in alternate colours of pink and blue. The screen to the left and right break away as female dancers dressed in half a tuxedo and half an orange dress dance into shot. As the chorus ends, the dancers disappear and Mika is seen sitting in a large sofa, he then gets up and moves over to a maze of mirrors, and then the girls join him again once the second chorus begins. The video is set in a film studio dressed in pastel colours with Mika playing a pastel pink piano. The video ends with him jumping into the air and the picture being frozen. The video features the appearance of the famous "one take video" seen in videos like OkGo's Here it Goes Again but actually contains cuts hidden with the use of portals. Portal transition is when the cut takes place within a movement into a different but similar image giving the appearance of one smooth camera movement but in reality has been cut. For example at 1:50 minutes into the video we see this portal transition happen using the image in the mirror. Another example of the hidden editing in this music video is seen at 1:10 into the video where we get a cross dissolve cut from one moving shot to another giving the appearance of a swift moving camera. Other "hidden cuts" are at 2:21, 2:32 and 3:09.
. It was a big hit in Japan where it hit #1 for a week. It is only the second international single to hit #1 in the Japanese Hot 100, provided by Billboard, after Leona Lewis
's 2008 hit, "Bleeding Love
". However, on its week of release it failed to crack the Top 40 in the UK, and only charted at #72, exactly the same as his last single "Rain
"s peak position, making "Blame It on the Girls" his second consecutive single to miss the UK Top 40.
Mika (singer)
Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much
The Boy Who Knew Too Much (album)
The Boy Who Knew Too Much is the second studio album by singer Mika. It was released on 21 September 2009, under Casablanca Records in the United States and Polydor and Island Records in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
. It was released on October 5, 2009. It was also the third single released in the UK on February 15, 2010. The song was produced and mixed by Greg Wells
Greg Wells
Greg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
. It is also played in the credits of the 2011 film "Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (2011 film)
Monte Carlo is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Thomas Bezucha. Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi, Arnon Milchan and Alison Greenspan produced the film for Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises...
".
Description
In an interview with QQ (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine, Mika says: The song was inspired by a well-dressed, good-looking man Mika and his sister saw walking down a street in London shouting down his phone. The song uses a musical technique called musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
in which the music is devised by using every day objects to make sound. In this particular song, the beat is created by Mika hitting his desk, clapping his hands and stamping his feet.
Notable live performances
In AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mika performed the song on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
on September 25, the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
on October 14, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on October 22, 2009. Mika also performed the song live numerous times around its release in the UK to help promote the song. He performed the song on So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (UK)
So You Think You Can Dance is a televised dance competition and reality show that launched in the United Kingdom in January 2010 and similar to the version of the program that has began airing in the USA in 2005. The show is broadcast on BBC One. The content of the show is similar premise to the...
on January 30, as well as on Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Alan Carr. The award-winning show is on Channel 4. The show features interviews with celebrity guests, sketches, topical chat and music....
on the 11th, and on The Album Chart Show
The Album Chart Show
The Album Chart Show is a British television programme shown on Channel 4 that showcases the biggest and best album releases from the UK Top 100 Album Chart. It also gives up-and-coming talent a chance to make their mark on a 1000 strong audience by performing live...
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on the 12th. He further performed the song on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
three times in February: On the 5th he sang "Blame It on the Girls" and an operatic rendition of his other single "Rain
Rain (Mika song)
"Rain" is a song by Mika, appearing on his second studio album The Boy Who Knew Too Much. Rain was released in United Kingdom as the second single of the album. It was later released in Japan and the US as the third single of the album, as Blame it on the Girls was the second single in these...
" on Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar is a British television programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars of current to be able to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by...
. On February 18, Mika performed the song live on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
and made a final appearance on Movie Toons on the 27th to end his promotion of the single.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Blame It on the Girls" was directed by Nez Khammal. An unfinished version of the video premiered on 3 October 2009 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. The video starts in black and white with Mika sitting on a chair, wearing a bowler hat and holding a cane whilst speaking a prologue to the song. As the music starts the video bursts into colour, showing three screens behind Mika, each showing him in alternate colours of pink and blue. The screen to the left and right break away as female dancers dressed in half a tuxedo and half an orange dress dance into shot. As the chorus ends, the dancers disappear and Mika is seen sitting in a large sofa, he then gets up and moves over to a maze of mirrors, and then the girls join him again once the second chorus begins. The video is set in a film studio dressed in pastel colours with Mika playing a pastel pink piano. The video ends with him jumping into the air and the picture being frozen. The video features the appearance of the famous "one take video" seen in videos like OkGo's Here it Goes Again but actually contains cuts hidden with the use of portals. Portal transition is when the cut takes place within a movement into a different but similar image giving the appearance of one smooth camera movement but in reality has been cut. For example at 1:50 minutes into the video we see this portal transition happen using the image in the mirror. Another example of the hidden editing in this music video is seen at 1:10 into the video where we get a cross dissolve cut from one moving shot to another giving the appearance of a swift moving camera. Other "hidden cuts" are at 2:21, 2:32 and 3:09.
Tracklisting
UK CD Single / Digital E.P.- "Blame It On The Girls" (Original Wolfgang Gartner Remix)
- "Blame It On The Girls" (Paul Woodford Remix)
- "Blame It On The Girls" (Alalal Remix)
- "Blame It On The Girls" (Anoraak Remix)
- "Blame It On The Girls" (Not On The Starsmith Remix)
Charts
The single failed to make any impact on Billboard in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was a big hit in Japan where it hit #1 for a week. It is only the second international single to hit #1 in the Japanese Hot 100, provided by Billboard, after Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
's 2008 hit, "Bleeding Love
Bleeding Love
"Bleeding Love" is a pop/R&B ballad co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder and produced by Tedder for British singer Leona Lewis's debut album, Spirit. The song is the album's lead single , released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in October 2007...
". However, on its week of release it failed to crack the Top 40 in the UK, and only charted at #72, exactly the same as his last single "Rain
Rain (Mika song)
"Rain" is a song by Mika, appearing on his second studio album The Boy Who Knew Too Much. Rain was released in United Kingdom as the second single of the album. It was later released in Japan and the US as the third single of the album, as Blame it on the Girls was the second single in these...
"s peak position, making "Blame It on the Girls" his second consecutive single to miss the UK Top 40.
| Charts (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... ) |
72 |
Chart procession and succession
Credits
- MikaMika (singer)Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Cherisse Osei – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Greg WellsGreg WellsGreg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
– drums, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Fabien Waltmann – keyboards
- Ida Falk Winland – background vocals