Song · Toni Basil
“Mickey” by Toni Basil
Released 1981
“Mickey” by Toni Basil appears on 8 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1981. Its best result is #15 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #25 alternative song of 1982, #3,281 alternative song of all time and #466 of the '80s.
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"Mickey" was the lead single from Word of Mouth, Toni Basil's 1981 debut album, and it's new wave by way of the pep squad: chunky guitar, bright synths and cheerleader chants stomping along like a halftime routine. Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman wrote it, and it started life as "Kitty", recorded by the English group Racey on their 1979 debut Smash and Grab. Basil changed the name and added the chant that became the song's hook.
For years people whispered that she renamed it for Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, whom she'd met while choreographing their film Head, but Basil has denied it, saying she hardly knew him.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 15 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 445 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) | 500 |
| 1995 | 316 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) | 500 |
| 1996 | 73 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) | 500 |
| 1998 | 275 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 1999 | 94 | Channel 104.9 | Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999) | 104 |
| 2021 | 374 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2026 | 54 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
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