"Kick Ass" is a song by British singer-songwriter Mika

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...

 and Moroccan-Swedish record producer RedOne

RedOne

Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...

 released as a single from the soundtrack to the film Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass (film)

Kick-Ass is a 2010 superhero comedy film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who co-produced the film with actor Brad Pitt, and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman...

. It was released on 2 May 2010.

Background

At the European premiere of Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass (film)

Kick-Ass is a 2010 superhero comedy film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who co-produced the film with actor Brad Pitt, and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman...

in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Mika said:

Reception

Robert Copsey from Digital Spy

Digital Spy

Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

 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". Contempary music website Popjustice

Popjustice

Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....

 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". 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

Young

-Nickname or given name:*Young Aaron , English-born American lightweight, Hall of Fame*Young Murphy , American world champion junior lightweight boxer*Young Perez , Tunisian world champion flyweight boxer...

 by Hollywood Undead

Hollywood Undead

Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011...

.

Music video

The video for the single shows Mika as a helpless individual left in an alleyway after being mugged. 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. As is the norm with most soundtrack singles, the video features intercut scenes from the film.
It was shot at Black Island Studios, London and premiered on 15 March 2010 on The Sun

The Sun (newspaper)

The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...

's website.

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 #7.
> > > > > > > >

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... )	72

Year-end Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Italian Singles Chart	35

Track listing

UK CD Single / Digital E.P.

1. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" — 3:14
2. "I See You" — 4:16
3. "Blame It on the Girls
   Blame It on the Girls
   "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...
   
   " (Live) (From The iTunes London Festival 2009) — 3:27

US CD Single / Digital E.P.

1. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Original Cutmore Radio Edit)
2. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Vocal Mix)
3. "Kick Ass (We Are Young)" (Cutmore Dub Mix)