Thank God for ALR, because he keeps me in business. Here we have the latest from Mika, the half-Lebanese pop sensation. We Are Golden is the lead single from his upcoming release, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, and it seems to be a promising indication of the quality of Mika's sophomore disc. Incredibly catchy, We Are Golden employs electric guitar, smashing drums, a children's chorus, liberal falsetto, and his best chorus since Grace Kelly.
However, the same problem that plagued Mika's debut also permeates this track. Mika has always been one to favor style over substance. Perhaps We Are Golden is a metaphor that escapes me, but I've listened to this song several times and I still don't have a good sense of what it's about aside from, "people are better than they might appear." On his debut, the two tracks that came closest to striking an emotional chord (Billy Brown and Happy Ending) both undercut themselves in their final moments. Especially Happy Ending, which I found to be the most melodic and well-written song on his debut, hurt itself by underlining its sad message with a jaunty "little bit of love" finale. Sometimes I feel like Mika cannot resist being catchy at the cost of finding some real emotion.
In all fairness, I do think that there's more to this track that first appears. It seems like it's about a young Mika overcoming ridicule. I've always suspected Mika of being gay (fingers crossed) and this track could be a veiled allusion to his upbringing. If that's the case, then this song comes the closest he's ever been to connection style and lyrics. But, I feel like projecting my desired theme gives the track more credit that it deserves. Based on what I hear, it's typical Mika. All style. Little substance.
Rating 3/5
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