Lirik lagu "Popular" oleh Ariana Grande dan MIKA

Jakarta (ANTARA) – “Lagu “Popular” yang menampilkan penyanyi pop Amerika Serikat Ariana Grande dan rekan duetnya asal Inggris, Michael “MIKA” Penniman adalah singel promosi album ketiga MIKA bertajuk “The Origin of Love” pada 2012.

Bagian Grande di lagu “Popular” awalnya dibawakan oleh penyanyi Priscilla Renea, yang membantu menulis lagu aslinya yang menyoroti tekanan sosial yang seringkali dihadapi perempuan, terutama remaja yang sedang mencari jati diri.

Inspirasi menulis lagu diperoleh pelantun “Grace Kelly” itu setelah menonton karakter Glinda the Good Witch bernyanyi “Popular” dalam pementasan drama musikal “Wicked” di AS.

MIKA yang anti perundungan, menggubah lagu “Popular” di drama musikal “Wicked” ciptaan komposer Steven Schwartz dengan menghilangkan sebagian kata-kata yang “kurang pas”. Ia pun menyesuaikan pengaturan tempo dan instrumen musik bersama produser asal Kanada, Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine alias Billboard.

Setelah MIKA dan Ariana merilis singel kolaborasi itu, Ariana pun memutuskan untuk merilis lagu “Popular” dalam album debutnya, “Yours Truly”, tahun 2013.

Sekitar satu dekade kemudian, Ariana terpilih memerankan Glinda dalam film adaptasi “Wicked” (2024). Alhasil, perjalanan lagu tersebut seperti membentuk lingkaran penuh; karena lagu itu kembali dinyanyikan oleh artis yang memerankan Glinda, namun tampil di layar lebar.

Lirik lagu “Popular” sebagai berikut:

La, la
La, la

You were the popular one, the popular chick
It is what it is, now I’m popular-ish
Standing on the field with your pretty pompons
Now you’re working at the movie selling popular corn
I could have been a mess but I never went wrong
‘Cause I’m putting down my story in a popular song

Uh, huh
Uh, huh, I said I’m putting down my story in a popular song

My problem, I never was a model
I never was a scholar
But you were always popular
You were singing, all the songs I don’t know
Now you’re in the front row
‘Cause my song is popular

Popular
I know about popular
It’s not about who you are or your fancy car
You’re only ever who you were

Popular
I know about popular
And all that you have to do, is be true to you
That’s all you ever need to know
So catch up, ‘cause you got an awful long way to go
So catch up, ‘cause you got an awful long way to go

Always was on the lookout for someone to hate
Picking on me like a dinner plate
You hid during classes and in between them
Dunk me in the toilets now it’s you that cleans em’
You tried to make me feel bad with the things you do
It ain’t so funny when the joke’s on you
Ooh, the joke’s on you
Got everyone’s laughing, got everyone clapping, asking
How come you look so cool?
‘Cause that’s the only thing that I learnt at school, boy
Uh, huh
I said that’s the only thing I learnt at school

My problem, I never was a model
I never was a scholar
And you were always popular
You were singing, all the songs I don’t know
Now you’re in the front row
‘Cause my song is popular

Popular
I know about popular
It’s not about who you are or your fancy car
You’re only ever who you were

All you ever need to know
You’re only ever who you were
All you ever need to know
You’re only ever who you were (that’s all you ever need to know)

Popular
I know about popular
It’s not about who you are or your fancy car
You’re only ever who you were

Popular
I know about popular (it’s all you ever need to know)
And all that you have to do, is be true to you
That’s all you ever need to know (it’s all you ever need to know)