Boyz (song)

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“Boyz”
“Boyz” cover
Single by M.I.A.
from the album Kala
Released June 11, 2007 (U.K. limited edition)
June 18, 2007 (Europe digital)
July 17, 2007 (U.S.)
Format 12", CD single, Digital download, USB flash drive
Recorded Trinidad, India; 2006
Genre Dappan koothu / Gaana
Soca
Dance
Length 3:26
Label Interscope, XL
Writer(s) Maya Arulpragasam, Switch
Producer Maya Arulpragasam, Switch
M.I.A. singles chronology
"Galang '05"
(2005)		 "Boyz"
(2007)		 "'Jimmy"
(2007)

"Boyz" is a dance/gaana/soca song written and co-produced by rapper and artist M.I.A. from her second album Kala (2007), released as the album's first single on June 11, 2007 (see 2007 in music). In December 2007, it placed at #9 on the Rolling Stone "100 Best Songs of 2007" list.[1]

Contents

[edit] Background and release

Limited Edition Boyz Single 500mb USB/Wristband
Limited Edition Boyz Single 500mb USB/Wristband

Written and co-produced by Maya Arulpragasam and Switch, the song was the first official single to be lifted from M.I.A.'s second studio album Kala. M.I.A. recorded the beats using urumee drummers from Chennai, India, before taking her material to Trinidad where she recorded the vocals, and layered the song with soca music influences. "Boyz", like her other song "Bird Flu" from Kala utilizes the gaana music genre[2] (Dappan koothu music), a sound M.I.A. also often heard from temples near where she lived during her childhood. She admits: "There's this one drum called the urmi [sic] that I really wanted to use on my album...It's like a spoke drum that they use in temples; they use it in this kind of music called 'gaana.' ... That’s the same drum in 'Boyz' too."[3] She says that the song has a "very outdoors" sound, and that although she "didn't record the drums outdoors, I think it sounds like that."[4] The track was worked on with co-producer Switch, and recording also took place in Brooklyn. The song was premiered on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show on April 24, 2007. On June 3, 2007, the HQ Radio Edit of Boyz was leaked to the internet. On June 10, 2007, details of the release were published on M.I.A.'s official website. The track was released internationally via XL Recordings, in the UK via XL as a limited edition 12 inch maxi single and in USB key format on June 11th, and as a 12 inch vinyl and enhanced EP CD single in the US via Interscope Records on July 17.[5][6]

The single was also released through M.I.A.'s official website's store on August 10. The single was available for purchase in physical CD-single format, 12" vinyl and also limited edition 500mb USB stick/wristband (released in five different colors).[7][8]

The release includes Acapella and instrumental versions of the single, photos, remix parts, the video, and a making of the video part 1 feature.

The song was released on June 18, 2007 on iTunes Stores in Europe and peaked at number nineteen on the UK iTunes Dance Most Downloaded Songs.

"Boyz" featured in the episode "Fight or Flight" from season 2 of the TV show Heroes, and in a sixth season episode of the TV show CSI: Miami.

[edit] Music video

M.I.A. in the music video for Boyz
M.I.A. in the music video for Boyz

The music video for the single was directed by Jason "Jay Will" Williams and M.I.A., and shot in Jamaica towards the end of April 2007. Photographs from the set of the video appeared on the internet in early May. The video features M.I.A. singing and dancing in serene surroundings with vibrant, neon colours and animation graphics, accompanied by several male dancers of different dance crews in Jamaica. One scene sees M.I.A. dancing around a defunct car.[9] The video premiered on M.I.A.'s official website and Myspace page on June 10, 2007. In the "Making of 'Boyz' video" feature, Arulpragasam stated she "wanted the frame to end up looking just like ripped-off flyer posters."

[edit] Track listings and formats

Promo CD

  1. "Boyz" – 3:28
  2. "Boyz" [acapella] – 3:00
  3. "Boyz" [instrumental] – 3:29

12" vinyl

  1. "Boyz" [album version] – 3:28

U.S. CD single (Enhanced EP)/USB Wristband

  1. "Boyz" – 3:28
  2. "Boyz" [Acapella] – 3:00
  3. "Boyz" [instrumental] – 3:29
  4. Photos
  5. Remixes
  6. Video
  7. Making of the Video Part 1

[edit] Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Sales[10] 7
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales[11] 13
Canadian Singles Chart 7
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales[12] 3

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone (2007-12-11). Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
  2. ^ "M.I.A.". SL2UK. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  3. ^ "Life in Exile". Fader (2007-07-08). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  4. ^ "Video: M.I.A., "Boyz"". VIBE (2007-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
  5. ^ "M.I.A.". M.I.A. Official site (2007-06-10). Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
  6. ^ "Pitchfork: M.I.A. Namez First Kala Single "Boyz"". Pitchforkmedia (2007-06-06). Retrieved on 2007-06-07.
  7. ^ "M.I.A. >> August 10th" (2007-09-10). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
  8. ^ "M.I.A PRODUCTS". Backstreet-Merch.com (2007-08-10). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
  9. ^ "Pitchfork: Photos: M.I.A.'s Jamaican Vacation". Pitchforkmedia (2007-05-04). Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
  10. ^ "Billboard - Hot Singles Sales". Billboard (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
  11. ^ "Billboard - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales". Billboard (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
  12. ^ [1]. AllMusicGuide. Retrieved October 14, 2007.



v • d • e
M.I.A.
Studio albums
Arular (2005)  · Kala (2007)
EPs
Sustainable Development EP  · Live Sessions  · Boyz EP  · Paper Planes - Homeland Security Remixes EP
Other albums
Singles
"Galang"  · "Sunshowers"  · "Bucky Done Gun"  · "Boyz"  · "Jimmy"  · "Paper Planes"
Other songs
Tours
Related articles