Toy Boy
by Mika

Album: The Boy Who Knew Too Much (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mika felt under pressure writing a follow up to his highly successful debut album so he took advice from The Who's Pete Townshend. He explained to The Sun September 11, 2009: "I was really nervous about going back into the studio and Pete Townshend said to me, 'You need to think like a craftsman then the art will come.' I was round his house having dinner and to be told that by such a legend made me think carefully. I had to be disciplined and found that's the trick. So I started to imagine I was writing songs for an imaginary film."
  • Mika added to The Sun that this is his favorite track on the album: "I think it's really clever. It's almost like a punk Disney soundtrack. I try to use multiple voices so it's like you're being spoken to by different characters in a movie."
  • Mika told Q magazine June 2009 that many of his lyrics on The Boy Who Knew Too Much are "dark and emotional" He added that this song, for instance, is about a "toy that gets used and abused by different owners. I guess these songs are the antidote to my first album."
  • Mika said to Q: "This has a full orchestra, like a Disney soundtrack, but the lyrics are intense and dark. Toy Boy is full of twiddling flutes and lush strings, but the melody is very mechanical, like a music box."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."