[1] It was initially sent to impact contemporary hit radio in the United States on 13 August 2013, but its release was moved up a week earlier.

The single version replaces Renea with Ariana Grande – who would later portray Galinda in the 2024 film adaptation – removes the mature language, and modifies the instrumental arrangement and tempo to create a version which heavily links to Mika's former hits, "Grace Kelly" and "We Are Golden".

This version is based on the original from Wicked, and uses a very rough tempo and instrumentation, to fit in with the theme of the album.

To do this, he enlisted the help of American actress and performer Ariana Grande, rewrote some of the lyrics, changed the instrumentation and tempo, and reworked the song's structure.

The gothic theme of the video and its vengeful nature, as well as the costume worn by Mika as he and Grande are shown 'cooking', is generally considered reminiscent of the aesthetic and plot of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, tying back to the musical theatre roots of the song established in modifying a song from Wicked.

"Popular Song" debuted and has since peaked at number 87 in the US Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold in 2015 by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies in the country.