The Origin of Love

For the song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, see The Origin of Love (song).
The Origin of Love
Studio album by Mika
Released 17 September 2012 (2012-09-17)
Recorded 2011–12
Genre Pop,[1] dance-pop[2]
Length 45:19
Label Casablanca, Barclay
Producer Klas Åhlund, Benny Benassi, Fryars, Nick Littlemore, Peter Mayes, Mika, Greg Wells, Dan Wilson
Mika chronology
The Boy Who Knew Too Much
(2009)		 The Origin of Love
(2012)		 Songbook Vol. 1
(2013)
Singles from The Origin of Love
  1. "Elle me dit"
    Released: 11 July 2011
  2. "Celebrate"
    Released: 15 June 2012
  3. "Underwater"
    Released: 5 October 2012
  4. "Origin of Love"
    Released: 3 December 2012
  5. "Popular Song"
    Released: 21 December 2012
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(69/100)[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[4]
Allmusic[5]
entertainment.ie[6]
The Guardian[7]
Idolator[8]
London Evening Standard[9]
musicOMH[10]
The Observer[11]
Popmatters(5/10)[12]
The Scotsman[13]

The Origin of Love is the third studio album released by British singer-songwriter Mika. The album was released in France on 17 September 2012, and in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2012, via Casablanca Records and Barclay Records respectively. The album was preceded by an alternate lead single in each region. "Elle me dit" was first released in France, whereas "Celebrate" served as the first official single for the United Kingdom.

Background

Mika's second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, was released in September 2009. It garnered positive critical reviews upon release,[14] and debuted at its peak position of number four on the UK Albums Chart.[15]

Mika worked with Greg Wells, Dan Wilson, Nick Littlemore and Klas Åhlund on The Origin of Love. The team contributed both written material and production credits. Mika was confirmed to be recording the album in various locations, including Montreal, Miami and Sweden. In an interview for Digital Spy, Mika described the album as "more simplistic pop, less layered than the last one". He also described the album's themes as dealing with the adult years, claiming that "it's a serious album, but still has the boppy, happy tunes."[16] In an interview for a popular French magazine, Mika claimed that the album's musical style will include elements of Daft Punk and Fleetwood Mac.[17]

Singles

"Elle me dit" (English: She Tells Me) was released as the album's lead single in France. The song was first rumoured when a twelve-second preview was published online on 1 July 2011.[18] Just ten days later, the French iTunes Store made the whole song available as a digital download.[19] However, its official release did not occur until 26 September 2011. The single was very successful, peaking at #1 on the French Singles Chart.[20] "Elle me dit" appears on the regular version of the album in English, as the track "Emily".

"Celebrate" was released as the album's lead single in the United Kingdom, Europe and America, and the second single in France. The single was made available in French-speaking countries on 1 June 2012. The song features American singer Pharrell Williams and was written by Mika, Williams and Fryars, and produced by Peter Mayes and Nick Littlemore. On 14 June 2012, Mika revealed a 30-second clip of the song. It was uploaded to Amazon ahead of its official unveiling the next day.[21] The song was officially released on 15 June 2012. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2012.[19]

"Underwater" was released as the album's third single in France, and the second single in Europe, on 23 November 2012. The music video for the track was filmed in Los Angeles during the third week of October, and premiered on 21 November 2012, just two days' before the single's official release.[22] The single peaked at #134 in France, becoming Mika's worst performing single in the region. The single will not be released in the United Kingdom, and instead, the single's artwork was adapted for the British equivalent single release, "The Origin of Love".

"Origin of Love" was released as the album's second single in the United Kingdom on 3 December 2012. It carried the same artwork as its European equivalent release, "Underwater", but was heavily edited for radio play. The music video for the original version of the track originally premiered on 15 September 2012, and was filmed in Chile. It featured explicit scenes of a man and a woman engaging in sex, whilst in a loving relationship. The video was shown on British music channels, but these were edited out, replacing the original version of the track with the radio version.

"Popular Song" was released as the album's second single in the United States on 21 December 2012. The song was heavily edited for its release as a single, completely rearranging the instrumentation, tempo and removing the expletives "Bitch" and "Shit" from the lyrics. The single version also features Ariana Grande, instead of Priscilla Renea, who appears on the album version. The single version bears a strong resemblance to Mika's debut single, "Grace Kelly".[23]

Commercial performance

In Mika's home country of the United Kingdom, The Origin of Love briefly appeared at number 24 on the UK Albums Chart, the issue dated 20 October 2012.[24] It also was number 32 on the Scottish Albums Chart that same week, a regional chart for the UK Albums Chart.[25] The album was the most successful in France, where it debuted at number one on the country's album chart and was certified platinum by the SNEP.[26] The record also reached the top ten in Belgium and Korea; In Belgium, the album peaked at number seven in Flanders[27] and number six in Wallonia,[28] while in Korea it was number nine on the country's main album chart[29] and topped the nation's International Albums chart.[30] In the United States, it debuted at No. 47 on Billboard 200 with 8,500 copies sold in its first week, and has sold 33,000 copies in the US as of May 2015.[31]

Track listing

Standard Edition[32]
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Origin of Love"  Mika, Nick Littlemore, Paul SteelNick Littlemore, Greg Wells, Mika 4:37
2. "Lola"  Mika, Benjamin Garrett, Jodi MarrMika, Benjamin Garrett 3:45
3. "Stardust"  Mika, Wayne Hector, Benny Benassi, Alessandro BenassiBenny Benassi, Wells 3:18
4. "Make You Happy"  Mika, Garrett, MarrWells, Garrett, Mika 3:11
5. "Underwater"  Mika, Littlemore, SteelWells, Mika 3:12
6. "Overrated"  Mika, MarrKlas Åhlund, Wells 3:38
7. "Kids"  Mika, LittlemoreMika, Littlemore 3:04
8. "Love You When I'm Drunk"  Mika, MarrLittlemore, Mika 2:54
9. "Step with Me"  Mika, Mathieu Jomphe, Hillary LindseyWells, Mika 3:36
10. "Popular Song" (featuring Priscilla Renea)Mika, Priscilla Renea, Mathieu Jomphe, Stephen SchwartzWells, Mika 4:06
11. "Emily"  Mika, DoriandÅhlund, Wells 3:34
12. "Heroes"  Mika, Littlemore, Jack Milas, Oli ChangMika, Jack Milas, Oli Chang 3:16
13. "Celebrate" (featuring Pharrell Williams)Mika, Pharrell Williams, GarrettPeter Mayes, Littlemore, Garrett 3:08

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[36] 31
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[27] 7
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[28] 6
Canadian Albums Chart[37] 10
Croatian Foreign Albums Chart[38] 17
Dutch Albums Chart[39] 15
French Albums Chart[40] 1
German Albums Chart[41] 43
Irish Albums Chart[42] 61
Italian Albums Chart[43] 12
Japanese Albums Chart[44] 28
Mexican Albums Chart[45] 71
Scottish Albums Chart[25] 32
South Korean Albums Chart[29] 9
South Korean International Albums Chart[30] 1
Spanish Albums Chart[46] 11
Swiss Albums Chart[47] 15
UK Albums Chart[24] 24
US Billboard 200[48] 47

Year-end charts

Chart (2012) Position
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[49] 69
French Albums Chart[50] 53
South Korean International Albums Chart[51] 30

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
France (SNEP)[26] Platinum 100,000*
Italy (FIMI)[52] Gold 30,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone

Release history

Regions Dates Format(s) Label(s)
France[53] 17 September 2012 CD, 2CD, digital download Barclay Records
Spain[54] 21 September 2012 Casablanca Records
Italy[55] 25 September 2012 Universal Music
Ireland[56] 5 October 2012
Germany[57] 5 October 2012
Australia[58] 12 October 2012
United Kingdom[59] 8 October 2012 Island Records
United States[60] 16 October 2012 Casablanca Records

References

  1. ↑ Heather Phares. "The Origin of Love - Mika - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ Heather Phares. "No Place in Heaven - Mika - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ "Metacritic: The Origin of Love". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  4. ↑ H. Green, Thomas (4 October 2012). "CD: Mika - The Origin of Love". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Phares, Heather (2012-10-08). "The Origin of Love - Mika". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  6. ↑ Bruton, Louise (14 September 2012). "Mika - The Origin of Love". entertainment.ie. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (4 October 2012). "Mika: The Origin of Love – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  8. ↑ Katz, Jeff. "Mika's 'The Origin Of Love': Album Review | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  9. ↑ Smyth, David (5 October 2012). "CDs of the week". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Young, Martyn (8 October 2012). "Mika – The Origin Of Love". musicOMH. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Hoby, Hermione (6 October 2012). "Mika: The Origin of Love – review". The Observer. London. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  12. ↑ Ezell, Brice (18 November 2012). "Mika: The Origin of Love". Popmatters. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Shepherd, Fiona (8 October 2012). "Album reviews: Mika | Ellie Goulding | Beth Orton | Robin Williamson | John Turville Trio". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "The Boy Who Knew Too Much reviews at". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  15. ↑ "2009-10-03 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Mika: Music gives me a sense of identity.". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  17. ↑ Cisneros, Salvador (24 July 2011). "Mika regresa en francés", Mural, p. 26.
  18. ↑ "Elle me dit preview". TwitVid. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  19. 1 2 "iTunes - Musique - Elle me dit - Single par MIKA". iTunes Store (France). Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  20. ↑ "Elle Me Dit: Mika: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  21. ↑ Corner, Lewis (14 June 2012). "Mika previews new single 'Celebrate' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  22. ↑ "@mikasounds: On my way to the airport for ...". Twitter. Mika's official profile. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  23. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Popular Song (feat. Ariana Grande) - Single by MIKA". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  24. 1 2 "2012-10-20 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  25. 1 2 "2012-10-20 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  26. 1 2 http://proxy.siteo.com.s3.amazonaws.com/www.snepmusique.com/file/disquesor2013site05112013.pdf
  27. 1 2 "Charts Vlaanderen - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  28. 1 2 "Charts Wallonie - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  29. 1 2 "Gaon Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  30. 1 2 "Gaon International Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015.
  32. 1 2 "Mika: The Origin Of Love Album Reveal - Pre-Order Now!". zaphod.uk.vvhp.net. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  33. 1 2 "The Origin Of Love: Mika: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  34. ↑ "The Origin Of Love - Edition Deluxe : Mika: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  35. ↑ "iTunes - Musica - The Origin of Love (Deluxe Version) di MIKA". iTunes Store (Italy). Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  36. ↑ "Austrian Charts - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  37. ↑ "Mika Album & Song Chart History - Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  38. ↑ "Mika: The origin of love". Toplista. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "Dutch Charts - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  40. ↑ "Classements - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  41. ↑ "German Charts - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in German). charts.de. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  42. ↑ "Mika - The Origin Of Love - Music Charts". acharts.us. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  43. ↑ "Italian Charts - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)". Italiancharts / Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  44. ↑ "ジ・オリジン・オブ・ラヴ". Oricon. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "Top 100 Mexico - Semana Del 24 al 30 de Septiembre del 2012" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  46. ↑ "Spanish Charts - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)". spanishcharts.com / Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  47. ↑ "Swiss Charts - Mika - The Origin of Love (album)" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  48. ↑ "Mika Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  49. ↑ "ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS - Rapport Annuels 2012". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  50. ↑ "Classement Albums - Année 2012". SNEP. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  51. ↑ "Gaon International Album Chart: 2012" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  52. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Mika – The Origin of Love" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Album e Compilation in the field Sezione. Enter Mika in the field Filtra. Select 2015 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  53. ↑ "CD album - The origin of love - Edition deluxe : Mika". Fnac (France). Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  54. ↑ "iTunes - Música - The Origin of Love (Deluxe Version) de MIKA". iTunes Store (Spain). Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  55. ↑ "MIKA: il nuovo album "The Origin of Love" dal 25 settembre anche in esclusiva versione italiana". GQ Italy. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  56. ↑ "iTunes - Music - The Origin of Love (Deluxe Version) by MIKA". iTunes Store (Ireland).
  57. ↑ "The Origin of Love: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  58. ↑ "Buy Origin Of Love: Deluxe Edition Mika, Pop, CD Sanity". sanity.com. Retrieved 8/10/2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  59. ↑ "Mika: Origin Of Love: 2cd (2012): CD". HMV Group (UK). Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  60. ↑ "Amazon.com: Origin of Love: Mika: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
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