"Boy" is the 1985 debut single by the American synth-pop band Book of Love. The song was included on the band's eponymous debut album Book of Love in 1986.

Background

"Boy" was written by band member Theodore ("Ted") Ottaviano and features a prominent Chimes melody. The band secured a recording contract when the demo of the song was given to DJ/producer Ivan Ivan, who then passed it along to Seymour Stein of Sire Records. The song is said to describe the frustrations of a woman with an affection for "a boy who likes boys", with songwriter Ted Ottaviano adding in a 2016 Village Voice interview that the song was "written about Boy Bar, which was a very exclusive gay club in the East Village." In 1985, a rare Australian promotional video was shot for the single. On May 21, 1985, the song was featured on American Bandstand's rate-a-record segment. Up against B.E. Taylor Group's "Reggae Rock & Roll", "Boy" won the competition with a score of 84.

Chart performance

Although the song failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it did make the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it peaked at No. 7 in April 1985.

2000 remixes

In 2000, the song was remixed by noted club DJ Peter Rauhofer, as well as Headrillaz, Dubaholics, RPO, and re-released to dance clubs in late 2000/early 2001. These remixes, including an almost ten-minute-long version by Rauhofer, again charted on the Billboard Club Play chart under the title "Boy (Remixes)", this time reaching No. 1 on the dance chart in February 2001. Both the original version of "Boy" as well as an edit of the remix by Rauhofer were included on Book of Love's greatest hits album, I Touch Roses: The Best of Book of Love, in 2001. In 2001, a promotional video remix titled 'Big Red Mix' was made for the album edit of the Peter Rauhofer remix using footage from the band's 1989 appearance at Bill Graham's In Concert Against AIDS benefit show in San Francisco.

Track listings

1985 7" single (Sire) "Boy" - 3:02 "Book of Love" - 4:31 1985 12" maxi-single (Sire) 2000 2 x 12" promo (Reprise) 2001 12" promo (Reprise) 2001 2 x 12" single (Reprise) 2001 CD single (Reprise)

Charts

In popular culture

The song is played during a club scene in the episode "Limbo" of the American television series Halt and Catch Fire, and during a bar scene in the film Fun Mom Dinner. The song also appears during the closing credits of the fifth episode of the third season of the TV show “Industry”.

Personnel

Written by Theodore Ottaviano. 1985 version credits 2001 remixes credits

Official versions

" * " denotes that version is available as digital download.