"Love Today" is the Grammy-nominated third single released by London-based singer Mika, taken from his album Life in Cartoon Motion. The song was produced by Greg Wells at Rocket Carousel studios and engineered by Drew Pearson. It was released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2007 as a digital download, with the official physical release appearing on 23 April 2007. It has since peaked at number six. The single was released in Australia on 23 July 2007, peaking at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart, and was used for Austereo radio station network advertising. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording at the 50th Grammy Awards but lost to Justin Timberlake's "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows".
Background and composition
Love Today was written by Mika and produced by Greg Wells. He described the story behind the song in an interview with the Sun Newspaper, on 2 February 2007:
"I was really happy when I wrote this and when I'm in that kind of mood I always hope everyone else feels the same way. Everybody is looking for the same thing - to love someone and be loved back. Or just to get laid. It all depends on how you look for it. 'Love Today' captures that, the euphoric feeling you get when those things go right."
Mika revealed to The Times, on 20 November 2009 that the song came fully formed "after the first time I had sleepy with somebody and actually loved it."
Critical reception
The song received mixed reviews from music critics. Heather Phares from AllMusic wrote that on the song "Mika straddles the line between adorable and annoying." John Murphy from musicOMH agreed, writing that his voice is "infuriating" on the track. In the same vein, Graham Griffith from About.com wrote that the song "finds itself hijacked by Mika's otherwise appealing falsetto, which morphs into an unflattering shriek and transforms the song into something altogether intolerable." Christian John Mikane from PopMatters wrote that the song is "sincere." Mikane further added that "The pop-disco arrangement of 'Love Today' dresses Mika in legwarmers and leotards; it’s the kind of song you’d expect the TV cast of Fame to perform mid-episode. Frankly, it’s refreshing to hear an unproven artist take risks with material that, historically, is subject to derision." Lizzie Ennever from BBC Music wrote a positive review, saying that the song is "another winner - truly funky disco-pop that has you shoulder-shimmying non-stop, and even though you hate yourself for enjoying it, you simply can't stop yourself having a great time whilst you listen." Craig McLean from The Observer called it "turbo-funk falsetto fun genetically modified to lay waste to hen nights and Freshers' Balls from Dundee to Dungeness."
