About We Are Golden
We Are Golden is a song both written and performed by Mika, a British pop singer-songwriter. It was the first single to be released off his second album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, and it was released on 6 September 2009.
We Are Golden exhibits Mika's dynamic range; he moves in and out of falsetto often and with ease. This is criticized by some, but I enjoy the diversity it gives the song. In addition, We Are Golden features the Andrae Crouch Gospel Choir, as well as a childrens' choir. Both choirs frequently shout throughout the song, as if to say "this is our message, and we are not ashamed."
My Personal Connection
When I first heard this song in September or October of 2009, I instantly fell in love with it. It was catchy, meaningful, and I could listen to it over and over again without feeling as if it was getting old. I was eager to join the fanlisting I was sure someone was bound to have made for it, but when I saw that there was no approved fanlisting for it on TFL, the road stopped there. I was in the midst of college applications, important papers, and all the other causes of stress for first-semester high school seniors. I was tempted to apply to create the fanlisting myself, but I knew that I would not have the time. It was not a reasonable option, so I let it go.
However, I did not stop loving the song. In fact, it meant so much to me that I decided to write one of my college application essays on how We Are Golden relates to me, and on the lessons I draw from it. Upon completion, I felt that the limit of five-hundred words did not allow me to do my feelings about the song justice, but I knew that I had done my best, and I submitted it. I would share the essay here, except some of the information it contains is too personal for me to be comfortable sharing with the masses.
Time passed, and I let my desire for a We Are Golden fanlisting slip to the back of my mind. At most high schools, the second semester for seniors is invariably easy and laid-back, and my school was no exception. A few weeks after my second semester as a senior began, I finally allowed myself to apply for this fanlisting. The song still meant a lot to me, partly because of the reasons I wrote about in my college essay, and partly because I wrote about it for my college essay. It was special.
I do want to share with you a bit of what I glean from this song, and why it is so special to me. I will list some of the lines with which I identify the most, followed by a bit of personal explanation.
"Who gives a damn about the family you come from?" - This line means a lot to me because of my particular familial circumstances. Sometimes I worry that they will hold me back, but this line reminds me that in the end, it doesn't matter. No one who matters will care what my family was like as I was growing up, and I can escape whatever social constraints there may be as a result of my situation.
"No giving up when you're young and you want some" - This reminds me that I am still young and the problems with my family need not (and will not) haunt me for the rest of my life. I must push onward and never give up in my endeavors, for as long as I want something more than these problems, I have the power to persevere and escape them. No matter how upset I get about my family, I must not let it drag me down.
"Looking for treasure in the things that you threw" - The phrase "the things that you threw" to me represents the hardships that my family and I have had to deal with. However, as the song states, there is treasure to be discovered in these hardships. This reminds me that there is something good to be found in everything, every cloud has a silver lining, etc. For example, the familial harships have helped me to become a more independent person and have helped me to feel more ready for the future that lies ahead. This line goes on to say "like a magpie, I live for glitter, not you", which is why I chose "Like a Magpie" as the name of this fanlisting.