# Boys (Charli XCX song)

"Boys" is a single by English singer Charli XCX, released on 26 July 2017 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records UK. The song was originally intended to be the second single from her then-upcoming third studio album. However, the song became a stand-alone single when the projected third album was leaked on the internet and cancelled. The song makes use of a sample from the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros.
A cover of the song by one of its writers, Ingrid Andress, is included on the deluxe edition reissue of Andress' debut studio album, Lady Like (2020), with a mandolin being used to replicate the video game sample.

## Critical reception

"Boys" received positive reviews. Pitchfork named the song the 'Best New Track', and in a review contributor Eve Barlow wrote that "Boys" is "deceptively simple-sounding and unfussy," and "a reminder that [Charli XCX is] one of the best at knowing how to have fun; her convivial bop sounds as effortless as something dreamed up between lunch and dinner." The track was placed on several magazines' best songs of the year lists.

### Rankings

| Publication | Year | Accolade | Rank |
| Billboard | 2017 | Best Songs of 2017 | 35 |
| Clash | 2022 | Charli XCX: Her 17 Best Songs | — |
| Complex | 2017 | The Best Songs of 2017 | 42 |
| Consequence of Sound | 2022 | Charli XCX's 10 Best Songs | 2 |
| Entertainment Weekly | 2017 | Best Songs of 2017 | 19 |
| Esquire | 2017 | 50 Best Songs of 2017 | — |
| The Fader | 2017 | The 101 Best Songs of 2017 | 54 |
| The Guardian | 2017 | The Top 100 Tracks of 2017 | 2 |
| The Line of Best Fit | 2017 | The Best Fifty Songs of 2017 | 2 |
| NME | 2017 | Best Songs of the Year 2017 | 2 |
| Noisey | 2017 | The 100 Best Songs of 2017 | 23 |
| Pitchfork | 2017 | The 100 Best Songs of 2017 | 10 |
| Pretty Much Amazing | 2017 | The Best Songs of 2017 | 18 |
| Rolling Stone | 2017 | 50 Best Songs of 2017 | 23 |

## Music video

The music video for "Boys" was released on 26 July 2017. It was directed by Charli XCX, with additional direction from Sarah McColgan, and began production in April 2017. It features a multitude of different celebrity cameos from figures within the music, fashion and social media industries. It was filmed in London and Los Angeles. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Charli XCX said that the intention of the music video was to "flip the male gaze on its head".

### List of boys in order of appearance

| # | Boy/Boys | Occupation |
| 1 | Joe Jonas | Musician (Jonas Brothers, DNCE) |
| 2 | Josh Ostrovsky | Instagram celebrity |
| 3 | Max Hershenow | Musician (MS MR) |
| 4 | Charlie Puth | Musician |
| 5 | Joey Badass | Rapper |
| 6 | Oli Sykes | Musician (Bring Me the Horizon) |
| 7 | Cameron Dallas | Internet personality |
| 8 | Sage the Gemini | Rapper |
| 9–10 | Dave 1 and P-Thugg | Musicians (Chromeo) |
| 11 | Brendon Urie | Musician (Panic! at the Disco) |
| 12 | Caspar Lee | YouTuber |
| 13 | G-Eazy | Rapper |
| 14 | Stormzy | Rapper |
| 15 | Denzel Curry | Rapper |
| 16 | Aminé | Rapper |
| 17–18 | Ezra Koenig and Mark Ronson | Musician (Vampire Weekend) and record producer |
| 19 | MNEK | Singer-songwriter |
| 20 | Rostam Batmanglij | Musician (formerly of Vampire Weekend) |
| 21 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | Professional footballer |
| 22 | Dan Smith | Musician (Bastille) |
| 23–24 | Flume and A. G. Cook | Musicians |
| 25–26 | Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla Sign | Hip-hop musicians |
| 27 | Tinie Tempah | Rapper |
| 28–30 | Swet Shop Boys (Riz MC, Redinho, and Heems) | Hip hop group |
| 31 | Diplo | DJ & record producer |
| 32–34 | WSTRN (Akelle Charles, Haile, and Louis Rei) | Hip hop group |
| 35 | Takahiro Moriuchi | Musician (One Ok Rock) |
| 36 | Carl Barât | Musician (the Libertines) |
| 37 | Barns Courtney | Singer-songwriter |
| 38 | Connor Franta | YouTuber |
| 39 | Shaun Ross | Model |
| 40 | Fai Khadra | Singer |
| 41 | Mac DeMarco | Singer-songwriter |
| 42 | will.i.am | Musician (Black Eyed Peas) |
| 43 | Tommy Cash | Rapper |
| 44 | Jack Guinness | Model |
| 45 | Laurie Vincent | Musician (Soft Play) |
| 46 | Jack Antonoff | Musician (Bleachers) and record producer |
| 47–48 | Tristan Evans and James McVey | Musicians (the Vamps) |
| 49 | Tom Daley | Diver |
| 50 | Frank Carter | Musician (Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes) |
| 51 | Mark Hunter | Photographer |
| 52 | Fred Macpherson | Musician (Spector) |
| 53–57 | Mic Lowry (Delleile Ankrah, Akia Jones, Kaine Ofoeme, Ben Sharples and Michael Welch) | Vocal harmony boy band |
| 58–59 | They (Dante Jones and Drew Love) | R&B duo |
| 60 | Theo Hutchcraft | Musician (Hurts) |
| 61 | Buddy | Rapper |
| 62 | John Gourley | Musician (Portugal. The Man) |
| 63 | Shokichi | Singer (Exile and the Second) |
| 64 | Liam Fray | Musician (Courteeners) |
| 65 | Jay Park | Singer and rapper (2PM), breakdancer (Art of Movement) |
| 66–67 | Prince Chenoa and Jacob Dekat | Founders, creative directors and photographers for Galore |
| 68 | DRAM | Rapper |
| 69 | Shamari Maurice | Instagram celebrity |
| 70 | Tom Grennan | Singer-songwriter |
| 71 | Jay Prince | Singer |
| 72 | Khalid | Singer |
| 73 | Poet | Presenter, podcaster and rapper |
| 74 | Vance Joy | Singer-songwriter |
| 75 | Kaytranada | DJ and record producer |

## Track listing

* Digital download
* "Boys" – 2:42
* Digital download
* "Boys" (Acoustic) – 2:55
* Digital download
* "Boys" (Coldabank Remix) – 3:56
* Digital download
* "Boys" (Droeloe Remix) – 3:36
* Digital download
* "Boys" (Nevada Remix) – 3:08
* Digital Download — Remix EP
* "Boys" (Droeloe Remix) – 3:36
* "Boys" (Nevada Remix) – 3:08
* "Boys" (Acoustic) – 2:55
* "Boys" (Coldabank Remix) – 3:56

## Credits and personnel

Taken from Tidal.
* Charli XCX – lead vocals
* Jerker Hansson – songwriting, production
* Cass Lowe – songwriting, production
* Emily Warren – songwriting
* Ingrid Andress – songwriting
* Michael Pollack – songwriting
* Ari Leff – songwriting

## Charts

| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
| Australia (ARIA) | 60 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) | 16 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) | 4 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 60 |
| Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100) | 41 |
| France (SNEP Sales Chart) | 160 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 55 |
| Netherlands (Single Tip) | 24 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ) | 1 |
| Philippines (Philippine Hot 100) | 41 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 26 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) | 60 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) | 17 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 31 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) | 10 |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 40,000$^‡$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Gold | 15,000$^‡$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Gold | 500,000$^‡$ |
| $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||