A modern song that brings back sounds from the 80's, nice and cool.

If you feel brave you can try to sing your own cover of this song with this karaoke video:

RELAX (Karaoke)

Mika described the story behind the song in an interview with the Sun Newspaper February 2, 2007:

"I always wanted to write a dance song that wasn't a really full dance track, that felt organic*. So when I came into producing 'Relax' I made sure that most of the sounds we used were actually made by real instruments. We used some great session musicians who had worked with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson. And we picked up the strangest pedal combinations to get all these weird sounds. It's really effective - you can't tell if it's a full dance track or really laid-back. It feels a bit weird electronically. The organic-ness gives a more classic field to it. So it was one of the harder tracks for me to produce, but also the most rewarding."

*Organic music: Music that deals with natural, percussion, acoustic based instruments. Musicians involved in organic music resonate positive vibes in their music

Took a ride to the end of the line
Where no one ever goes.
Ended up on a broken train with nobody I know.
But the pain and the longing's the same
When you're dying.
Now I'm lost and I'm screaming for help, alone.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

It's as if I'm scared.
It's as if I'm terrified.
It's as if I'm scared.
It's as if I'm playing with fire.
Scared.
It's as if I'm terrified.
Are you scared?
Are we playing with fire?

Relax
There is an answer to the darkest times.
It's clear we don't understand it
But the last thing on my mind
Is to leave you.
I believe that we're in this together.
Don't scream - there are so many roads left.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.


Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can do.
Relax, take it easy
Blame it on me or blame it on you.

It's as if I'm scared.
It's as if I'm terrified.
It's as if I'm scared.
It's as if I'm playing with fire.
(relax) Scared.
It's as if I'm terrified.
Are you scared?
Are we playing with fire?

Relax
Relax

(I) TOOK A RIDE TO THE END OF THE LINE=  I went to the limit. I went through a limit situation (one which is extremely difficult, almost impossible to bear). To take a ride = to ride = to travel in a means of transport.

THE LONGING= A strong persistent desire, especially one impossible to fulfil.

TAKE IT EASY= Relax, don't worry.

BLAME IT ON ME= Put the blame on me. Consider that the fault is mine, I’m the culprit. Note the preposition ON.

BLAME IT ON ME OR BLAME IT ON YOU= It doesn’t matter whom you blame because it is nobody’s fault, so nobody is to blame, things just happen.

IT’S AS IF I’M SCARED= I think/feel I’m scared; I’m very afraid. The phrase “it’s as if” doesn’t mean anything really, or it means the same as “more or less”.
- It’s going to rain = I know it or I believe that.
- It’s as if it’s going to rain = I’m not very sure but I think it’s going to rain, it looks like it.

TERRIFIED= Very, very, very scared.

FIRE= In "perfect English" this word is pronounced /faɪə/ but people usually pronounce it /fɑ:ə/ and sometimes (like here), it is pronounced /fɑ:/ . The same process also happens to both triphthongs: /aɪə/ and /aʊə/ , so the word POWER may also sound /pɑ:ə/ or /pɑ:/ . So in modern pronunciation the words fire and far may sound the same, also the words tower and tar, etc. This change is more common in BrE than in AmE but it happens in both [note: for American English add an /r/ sound to all the above examples].

I’M PLAYING WITH FIRE= I’m in a very dangerous situation, very risky. The saying goes that “if you play with fire, you’ll get burnt”, because when you do something dangerous you’ll probably suffer the bad consequences of it.

THE LAST THING ON MY MIND IS TO LEAVE YOU= A very emphatic way to say: I will never leave you, I have no intention to leave you. "The last thing on my mind" = Something I will never think of.

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER= You’re not alone, I will support you. Maybe I’ll be with you because I love you, or I’m with you because the problem affects both of us or because we are both responsible for what happened.

THERE ARE SO MANY ROADS LEFT= Life will bring more possibilities.

Under a happy music tune and an idyllic kaleidoscopic video scenery there is a much darker message. This song is clearly about putting a brave face in a difficult situation. This is hard but relax, after all, there’s nothing we can do about it.

The message is good for any situation that escapes our control, but Mika is most probably referring to a particular situation, and it’s impossible to know what situation he is talking about unless he told us himself.

I’ve heard different accounts of what this difficult situation may be. Some say it’s about leaving a girl, but some lines are difficult to fit in that. Others say it’s about war or terrorist attacks (being Mika of a Lebanese parent, he has family there who suffered war and terrorism, so maybe this is more plausible). Finally, other people point to other reasons. But whatever the situation may be, the message is universal: if there’s nothing you can do about it, don’t worry and take it easy.