The single made its radio airplay debut in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2009, on BBC Radio 2.[3] It was made available for download on 14 August 2009 in Australia and later on 6 September 2009 in the United Kingdom. It was released physically on 7 September 2009 along with the limited edition 7" and 12" gramophone records. In the United States, "We Are Golden" became available exclusively from Apple'siTunes Store for one week starting 18 August 2009.[4]
['We Are Golden' is] big sounding and aggressive, but in a good way. It's got a gospel choir on it and a kids' choir, but unlike the first record they're not singing sweetly, they're screaming at the top of their lungs.
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The song has received mixed and generally positive reviews.
"We Are Golden" is unlikely to change anyone's mind. It sounds like Jim Steinman doing High School Musical and features two varieties of choir – gospel and kiddie, in case you were wondering. Mika, meanwhile, flits in and out of falsetto whenever he fancies. What do we think? Well, the big old chorus makes his foibles worth putting up with... as long as we don't have to watch the video too.
The music video for "We Are Golden" was shot on 9 July 2009 and 10 July 2009 in Elstree Studios. It was directed by the Swedish film director Jonas Åkerlund.[7] The video premiered on 4 August 2009 in the United Kingdom on Channel 4.[8] The video features Mika dancing around a bedroom in his underwear as a "celebration of all the years Mika spent dancing around his bedroom as a teenager."[9]
The single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number four on 13 September 2009 before dropping out the top 10 on its second week, falling to number 11.[15] Despite becoming Mika's second top-five single, it was his shortest-lasting single, spending only seven weeks in the top 100. The single was released in August in the United States but failed to make any impact. In Italy, it peaked at number three after 18 weeks on the charts. It was certified gold by the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI).[16]