Grace Kelly (song) - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Grace Kelly is one of the most bold debut singles in recent years by a pop artist on a major label. The sheer fabulousness of it all flew to the top of the pop singles chart in the UK where Queen's Freddie Mercury is still revered as one of the all-time pop gods. It's anyone's guess whether Mika's kicky, even campy, approach will connect with audiences in the US, but, for those who do pay attention, 'Grace Kelly'is a grand introduction to an exciting talent."

—Bill Lamb in his review of the song for About.com.

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Heather Phares from Allmusic wrote a positive review for the song, stating that "Mika's singles are his most charming moments, including the instant sunshine of "Grace Kelly," which crams tap-dancing rhythms, filmic dialogue, Elton's pianos, Freddie's vocal harmonies, and Brian May's guitars into just over three minutes." Beth Johnson from Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Nothing quite matches the crystal-shattering exuberance of hit Grace Kelly." Christian John Wikane from PopMatters wrote an extensive article about the comparisons between Mika and Freddie Mercury, writing that "he sounds a lot like Mercury and wears the influence like a badge of honor, even name-checking the late front man of Queen in the first verse. Mika vacillates between the affected theatricality of Mercury’s full-throttled voice and his own strong falsetto, where he earnestly implores “Why don’t you like me?” no less than 12 times. John Murphy from musicOMH wrote that "It's big, joyous, dumb pop, and the only danger with it is that you'll be utterly sick of it fast." Lizzie Enever from BBC Music was direct, writing that "Grace Kelly is a great pop song - it's catchy, you can't help singing along and it grates on you after a few days when you can't get it out of your head but you still go back for more - flawless credentials."

Bill Lamb from About.com gave to the song 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising "the sheer audacity of Mika's approach" and the "candy-coated, sunsplashed pop melody", while seeing that "It's difficult to imagine a more effective song to introduce Mika. The lyrics describe an attempt to channel the spirit of the eternal princess Grace Kelly with a touch of Queen's Freddie Mercury to make it all a bit more upbeat. He's willing to be whatever will pull pop fans into his performance orbit. Graham Griffith also from About.com wrote that the song "is an outrageously irresistible and infectious pop gem."

Dom Passantino from Stylus Magazine criticized the track, writing that "it seems to suggest the boy has some level for musicals, being as it is all Broadway flittering and hackneyed attempts at conveying a story with its lyrics. But here’s the problem: he's got no tales to tell, just a tab at his local make-up supplier. “Am I too dirty, am I too flirty?” he sings at one point.