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Originally written April 15, 2006. Along with “I’m A Slave For You”, “Boys” was one of the songs that redefined Britney’s image as a characteristically sexual one. Written, produced and with all instruments (whether real or virtual) played by The Neptunes, it’s not what you would call a substantial work, but it sure is a lot of fun. All the vocals are by Britney and take the form of the song itself plus a steady stream of whispered comments, asides, laughter and funny little “chickety chick” noises. It certainly shows Ms Spears at her most playful and frivolous and it’s hard to recall any other recent pop artist who ventures on to her territory.
These are the words, checked and corrected as necessary:
For whatever reason,
I feel like I've been wanting you all my life
You don't understand
I'm so glad we're at the same place at the same time,
It's over now....
I spotted you dancin'
You made all the girls stare
Those lips and your brown eyes (oooh)
And the sexy hair
I should shake my thang
Make the world want you (giggle)
Tell your boys you'll be back
I wanna see what you can do (uh)
What would it take for you to just leave with me? (uh uh)
Not tryin’ to sound conceited but
Me and you were meant to be (yeah yeah)
You're a sexy guy (ooh), I'm a nice girl (don’t ya know?)
Let's turn this dance floor into our own little nasty world!
Boys!
Sometimes a girl just needs one (you know I need you)
Boys!
To love her and to hold (I just want you to touch me)
Boys!
And when a girl is with one (mmm, mmm)
Boys!
Then she is in control!
Took the boy off the dance floor
Screamin’ in his ear
Musta' said somethin bout me (what you say)
Cuz he's lookin over here
You lookin’ at me (giggle)
With a sexy attitude
But the way your boy’s movin it (uh)
It puts me in the mood
Ouw!
What would it take for you to just leave with me?
Not tryin’ to sound conceited
But me and you were meant to be
You're a sexy guy (ooh), I'm a nice girl (don’t ya know?)
Let's turn this dance floor into our own little nasty world
Boys!
Sometimes a girl just needs one (I get nasty)
Boys!
To love her and to hold (I get nasty)
Boys!
And when a girl is with one (I get nasty)
Boys!
Then she is in control! (You like that? Here we go..)
Tonight let's fly
Boy have no fear (have no fear)
There's no time to lose (baby, what are you waiting for?)
And next week,
You may not see me here (uh-uh)
So boy just make your move (let me see what you can do)
Boys!
Sometimes a girl (oh) just needs one
Boys! (I like that)
To love her and to hold (gonna make your move?)
Boys!
And when a girl is with one (it's gonna turn me on)
Boys!
Then she's in control!
Come with me
Let's fly into the night
Boy, tonight is ours (it's just me and you baby)
Keep lovin’ me, make sure you hold me tight
Let's head for the stars
Get Nasty!
(Laughter)(Panting) Ouw!
Boys!
Sometimes a girl just needs one (ooooh!)
Boys!
To love her and to hold (so, so, so get nasty)
Boys!
And when a girl is with one (get nasty)
Boys! (boys)
Then she's in control! (oh, oh)
Can't live with em'
Can’t live without em'!
As is typical of Neptunes productions of the period, it’s extremely sparse. There’s no noticeable guitar work, keyboards supply little more than a few minimalist figures, the bassline is a repeated riff with a deeper note thrown in here and there, and the percussion track consists of one-note thumping, a little synth-snare and a lot of synth handclaps.
There’s not too much imagination in the creation of the stereo soundstage either. It’s extremely narrow. Britney’s main vocal is placed dead center, and her whispered interventions come randomly from a few degrees to left or right. At “what would it take.......” her lead vocal is triple-tracked, but again it all takes place within a narrow span. It could be said that “Boys” shares the deficiencies of “Slave”, in that to make any kind of aural sense it has to be played very loud. It’s all about the rhythm and the vibe.
There has been some lively debate on Britney fansites down the years about the merits of the bridge in “Boys”, and it has its share of supporters. If expectations are that the bridge has the function of introducing some new thematic material as a surprise or as a creative release, then it certainly does its job, since it sounds as if it could have come from a completely different song and possibly even from different producers. There’s a proper bassline, rather charming synth strings make an unexpected (and some may say egregious) appearance and the multi-tracked vocals even have a slightly different acoustic. I actually love the bridge - it may be weird but it’s kind of wonderful too.
Anyway, all arguments on the subject are brutally shoved aside on the Co-Edit Remix used for the single - it simply dispenses with the bridge altogether, along with a fair proportion of Britney’s vocals, and swaps in some guest vocals by Pharrell instead. We get a more resonant single-note bass sound and a slightly different two-note riff, and some of the by-play is neat (when he sings “aren’t you Britney?” her phrase “don’t you know?” from the original version answers him perfectly). We also get an equality agenda, with “Girls!” as well as “Boys!” But personally, I find the Remix repetitive and uninspired and I’d far rather have the album version.
The video for “Boys” follows the Remix, but manages to bring back some of the lightness and humor. Directed by Dave Meyers, it’s as surreal as anything you’ll find out there. There’s a guy who can’t get past the security guards. There’s a massive mansion. There’s a long, long table along which Britney gazes at a guy. There’s a long, long pool in which random romance develops. And there’s a zebra. And, throughout the whole series of inventive set pieces, Britney looks simply fabulous - beautiful of face and pneumatic of body. And her interaction with Mike Myers shows once more that she never takes herself too seriously!
It’s hard to give a summary assessment of “Boys”, especially since it comes in two official versions, one full of levity and the other rather dour. I can see why Britney had no subsequent qualms about saying she was “over” the Neptunes - they really don’t give her much of a chance to extend herself or be creative, and there’s always a sense that she had to fit in with what they wanted, rather than the other way around. And there don’t seem to be any specific highlights to treasure in the production. But even so, “Boys” is a pretty cool track. The song is unusual, Britney’s vocals have her signature securely imprinted on them, and the whole confection sticks in the mind. The album version puts a smile on your face. But above all, in either version it’s still a track that gets you on your feet.
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