| "Girls & Boys" | ||||||||
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| Single by Blur | ||||||||
| from the album Parklife | ||||||||
| Released | 7 March 1994 | |||||||
| Format | 7" vinyl, 2 x CD, cassette | |||||||
| Recorded | October 1993-January 1994 | |||||||
| Genre | Britpop | |||||||
| Length | 4:50 (album version) 4:18 (single version) |
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| Label | EMI, Food Records | |||||||
| Producer | Stephen Street | |||||||
| Blur singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Girls & Boys" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released as the lead single from the band's third album Parklife. Charting at number five on the UK Singles Chart, "Girls & Boys" was Blur's first top 5 hit and most successful single until "Country House" reached number 1 the following year. The single was seen as a comeback for the band, who had had a lean commercial period for a couple of years. The song surpassed the band's previous commercial peak "There's No Other Way" by three spots on the UK Singles Chart, and saw the band achieve greater worldwide success. In the United States, it reached number fifty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number four on the Modern Rock songs chart. To date, it remains Blur's highest charting single in the United States.
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The video, directed by Kevin Godley, featured Blur performing the song against a bluescreen backdrop of documentary footage people on 18-30 package holidays. Godley branded the video as "Page 3 rubbish" while Blur found it "perfect". The front cover of the single was taken from a pack of Durex condoms.
In 1994, the song was named single of the year by NME and Melody Maker.[1][2] It was also nominated for best song at the MTV Europe Music Awards.[3]
The song is included on two compilations albums: Blur: The Best of and Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur.
Pet Shop Boys, who provided a remix of the track for the single release, later covered the song during their Discovery tour in 1994.
In 2003, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke was asked what song he wished he had written. He replied "'Girls & Boys' - bastards!"[4]
In 2007, electronic band Blaqk Audio released a cover of the song as a Hot Topic exclusive bonus track for their debut album CexCells. The song was covered by the French singer Mélanie Pain in her 2009 album My Name. It was also Featured In The Wii Game Just Dance.
In 2010 Pitchfork Media included the song at number 26 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[5]
A UK #6 hit in 1996, "Blurred" by Pianoman, features the chorus (sampled from the original Blur recoding) as it's key lyric.
Dave Rowntree once said it was his favourite song on Blur: The Best of because he "isn't really in it. It's cool not being in your own song"[6]
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 19 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 24 |
| Finland Singles Chart | 18 |
| French Singles Chart | 11 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 23 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 16 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 30 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 59 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 23 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 40 |
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