"Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" is the fourth single from the debut albumLife in Cartoon Motion of singerMika. It reached number 9 in the UK charts after it was released on 23 July 2007. It was inspired by, and written for, the Butterfly Lounge, the firstSize Acceptancenightclub inOrange County, California.[1] The club is mentioned specifically in the lyrics "Get yourself to the Butterfly Lounge. Find yourself a big lady", and is now their theme song.[2] A B-side of the single is "Standing in the Way of Control".
The song was met with mixed reviews frommusic critics. The song peaked at number 9 in the United Kingdom (his third top 10 hit in that country), and reached the top ten in Ireland, Finland, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Many people speculate that Mika wrote the song as a tribute toQueen's "Fat Bottomed Girls", but in promotional materials forLife in Cartoon Motion, he states that this is not the case at all:
"I was flying toLos Angeles the next day and I can never sleep because I hate flying so much. So I was watching trashy television, it was two o'clock in the morning, aVictoria Wood documentary onChannel 4. It was about fat people in the United States and she visited a club called The Butterfly Lounge, which was the first place of its kind, a club for larger women to hang out in. Skinny women were not being allowed in. The women were amazing and I absolutely felt as if I had to write about them. I muted the television and wrote it straight away. I never expected it on the album, but a few weeks later we recorded it and it's now there. So it is one of my favourite tracks and brilliant to play live. Everyone sings along!"[3]
The song featuresAfro-pop-inspired guitars and harmonies.[4]
The song received mostly mixed reviews from music critics. Beth Johnson fromEntertainment Weekly referred to the song as "an update of Queen's 'Fat Bottomed Girls'."[5] Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazine agreed, writing that the song "is nothing if not a disco-fied exaltation toQueen's 'Fat Bottomed Girls'."[6] John Murphy frommusicOMH wrote a negative review, saying that the song is "an ode to the delights of the larger lady, wraps up its laudable message inside a tune that grates in the worst possible way."[7] Graham Griffith fromAbout.com wrote that "the disco-lite 'Big Girl (You Are Beautiful),' which includes an admirable sentiment, fails to distinguish itself otherwise."[8] Liz Colville fromPitchfork said that it is "a pumping, chorus-infested jam session complete with gospel backup singers that tragically feels the need to reassure big girls they can be beautiful."[9]
Lizzie Ennever fromBBC Music wrote a positive review, saying that the track is "upbeat, poppy, all-singing, all-dancing, big-band."[10] Alexander Berntsen from Sputnikmusic wrote a positive review, saying that the song is "an incredibly fun (and happy!) tune, a genius moment. Hilarious indeed."[11]
The video was filmed on 19 May 2007 inCroydon and features several curvy women dancing downCroydon High Street,Surrey Street Market, and outsideCroydon College in corsets and short dresses.[12] The finale of the video features a whole gathering of curvy women celebrating.
Mika has also rerecorded the track as the promo theme for the second season of the American comedy-drama seriesUgly Betty, but with altered lyrics to say "Hey, Betty, you are beautiful" in its chorus.[13] Mika explained to the Sun newspaper: "Betty is a real fashion icon and we should celebrate anyone like her – genuine individuals who stay true to their own identity. That's what 'Big Girl' is all about so it was the perfect fit to change the song for her. It was a huge honor to be asked to do it. I love the show."[3] In Australia, Crazy John TV advertisements used a sample of this song. In Spain, theGalician TV stationTelevisión de Galicia used samples of this song in the showO show dos Tonechos. The song is featured in theUbisoft video gameJust Dance 2 (2010).[14]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
