Boyfriend (song)
Encyclopedia
"Boyfriend" is a single
by American singer Ashlee Simpson
, the first from her 2005 album I Am Me
(see 2005 in music
). It has rock-guitar music produced by John Shanks
, who collaborated with Simpson on her 2004 debut album Autobiography
, and like all the songs on I Am Me, it was written by Simpson, Shanks and Kara DioGuardi
. "Boyfriend" reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
.
of the song consist of Simpson insisting to another girl that "You really got it wrong: I didn't steal your boyfriend." Simpson has denied rumors that the song refers to an alleged relationship with Wilmer Valderrama
, ex-boyfriend of Lindsay Lohan
, saying "It's not about one person in particular, it's just something every girl can relate to...It's a song about [how] every girl out there sometimes thinks you stole her boyfriend. It's just making fun of that." She has, however, said that the song was her way of making fun of something she went through, and has said that she leaves the question of who the song is about up to the imagination; in one interview, Ryan Seacrest
observed that she grinned every time she denied that it was about "anyone in particular".
The song has been described as "a punky love triangle jam". One review noted its rock guitar positively while saying that the song lacked "distinctiveness".
Originally, "L.O.V.E." had been planned to be released as the first single from I Am Me, but "Boyfriend" soon replaced it ("L.O.V.E." did, however, become the album's second single).
Months after it was promoted in the U.S., "Boyfriend" began to be promoted in the UK; Simpson went to the UK and performed the song on television shows there in January and February 2006. It was the only song from I Am Me released in the UK due to the commitments Simpson had in the U.S.
A popular well known remix was done by Eddie Baez. The remix had rock and dance elements mixed together.
, directed by Marc Webb
, was filmed in Los Angeles, California
over two days, August 31–September 1, 2005. It was the subject of an episode of the MTV
show Making the Video
that aired on September 12, with the completed video premiering at the end of the episode. Simpson appeared to premiere the video on Total Request Live
on September 13, and it debuted on the TRL top ten countdown on September 14 at #9, rising to number #3 the next day, and reaching #1 on September 20. It spent a total of three days at #1, and was on the countdown for 32 days, with its last day being November 7.
The video starts off with a car chase as Simpson is pursued by the police. Eventually she evades them and reaches a junkyard, where she and her band perform the song before a crowd of young people. At the end of the video Simpson jumps into the arms of Efren Ramirez
, and he carries her away.
The music video won the award for Best Pop Video at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards in April 2006.
in September at #71 thanks in part to its strong downloads
, and in its second week of release, it climbed from #71 to #24 (also rising from #32 to #7 on the Hot Digital Songs chart), making it Simpson's second biggest hit on the Hot 100 to date ("Pieces of Me
" reached #5 on the Hot 100 in 2004). Though it continued to drop for a couple of weeks after reaching #24, it later rebounded on the charts and hit a new peak of #19, making "Boyfriend" Simpson's second top twenty U.S. hit. In its 17th week on the chart, after falling out of the top 50, "Boyfriend" rebounded from #75 to #34; this put it ahead of "L.O.V.E.", Simpson's second I Am Me single, which was at #36 and also rising on the Hot 100.
"Boyfriend" is also Ashlee's third song to reach the top 10 in Australia
, where it debuted on the chart for the week ending October 31 and had the highest debut of the week at #8; this was her highest debut to date on the ARIA chart. However, it wasn't able to be her highest peak ("Pieces of Me" reached #7), since it fell to #9 on the following week, then to #10 in its third week on the chart and to #12 in its fourth week. "Boyfriend" was also accredited as a gold single in Australia.
In Canada
, "Boyfriend" peaked at #99.
In the UK, "Boyfriend" was released on 30 January 2006 and charted in early February. It debuted and peaked at number 12 (spending four weeks in the top 40), her lowest charting single so far (although it was her third top 20 hit), behind "Pieces of Me" (peaking at #4) and "La La" (peaking at #11).
"Boyfriend" was on the RIANZ
Top 40 Singles chart in New Zealand
from November 2005 to January 2006. The song debuted at #23 in early November, where it remained in its second week, before rising to #21 in its third week. It then fell to number 30 before rising back to number 26 in its fifth week. In its sixth week it fell again to number 37, and was then off the chart for two weeks before returning at number 40; subsequently it fell off the chart again for one week and then returned at number 37 for its eighth and final week on the chart.
The song reached number 19 in Norway
. In Austria, it debuted and peaked at number 45.
on the Internet and subsequently on Saturday Night Live
on the October 8/9 episode, as the second of her two performances that night (the first being "Catch Me When I Fall"). On the album's U.S. release date, October 18, she performed the song on Good Morning America
and Total Request Live
, and then on the October 21 episode of The Tonight Show
and the October 24 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show
. Aside from these performances, she also sings "Boyfriend" on tour.
In January 2006, she performed the song on Top of the Pops Reloaded
in the UK. Ashlee then went on to perform "Boyfriend" on the UK's Top Of The Pops
on February 5. On April 12, she sang "Boyfriend" at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards (which she also hosted), before starting to sing "L.O.V.E."
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by American singer Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
, the first from her 2005 album I Am Me
I Am Me
I Am Me is the second studio album by singer Ashlee Simpson. The first single from the album was "Boyfriend", and the second single was "L.O.V.E." I Am Me was released in the United States on October 18, 2005 and debuted at number one in sales. The album produced two top 25 hits on the Billboard...
(see 2005 in music
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
). It has rock-guitar music produced by John Shanks
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
, who collaborated with Simpson on her 2004 debut album Autobiography
Autobiography (Ashlee Simpson album)
Autobiography is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Ashlee Simpson. Released in the United States by Geffen Records on July 20, 2004, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum in the U.S. Musically, it combines elements of rock and pop....
, and like all the songs on I Am Me, it was written by Simpson, Shanks and Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
. "Boyfriend" reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Song information
The lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
of the song consist of Simpson insisting to another girl that "You really got it wrong: I didn't steal your boyfriend." Simpson has denied rumors that the song refers to an alleged relationship with Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama is an American actor and television personality, known for the role of Fez in the sitcom That '70s Show, hosting the MTV series Yo Momma, and voicing the character of Manny in the children's show Handy Manny.-Early life:Valderrama was born in Miami, Florida the son of...
, ex-boyfriend of Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
, saying "It's not about one person in particular, it's just something every girl can relate to...It's a song about [how] every girl out there sometimes thinks you stole her boyfriend. It's just making fun of that." She has, however, said that the song was her way of making fun of something she went through, and has said that she leaves the question of who the song is about up to the imagination; in one interview, Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
observed that she grinned every time she denied that it was about "anyone in particular".
The song has been described as "a punky love triangle jam". One review noted its rock guitar positively while saying that the song lacked "distinctiveness".
Originally, "L.O.V.E." had been planned to be released as the first single from I Am Me, but "Boyfriend" soon replaced it ("L.O.V.E." did, however, become the album's second single).
Months after it was promoted in the U.S., "Boyfriend" began to be promoted in the UK; Simpson went to the UK and performed the song on television shows there in January and February 2006. It was the only song from I Am Me released in the UK due to the commitments Simpson had in the U.S.
A popular well known remix was done by Eddie Baez. The remix had rock and dance elements mixed together.
Music video
The single's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
, was filmed in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
over two days, August 31–September 1, 2005. It was the subject of an episode of the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show Making the Video
Making the Video
Making the Video is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video and the show often includes light-hearted and humorous moments. It always concludes with a premiere of the...
that aired on September 12, with the completed video premiering at the end of the episode. Simpson appeared to premiere the video on Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on September 13, and it debuted on the TRL top ten countdown on September 14 at #9, rising to number #3 the next day, and reaching #1 on September 20. It spent a total of three days at #1, and was on the countdown for 32 days, with its last day being November 7.
The video starts off with a car chase as Simpson is pursued by the police. Eventually she evades them and reaches a junkyard, where she and her band perform the song before a crowd of young people. At the end of the video Simpson jumps into the arms of Efren Ramirez
Efren Ramirez
-Early life:Ramirez was born in Los Angeles, California of Spanish and Salvadoran descent. He has three brothers, one of whom is his identical twin. Ramirez bought his parents a house with his payment from Napoleon Dynamite .-Career:...
, and he carries her away.
The music video won the award for Best Pop Video at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards in April 2006.
Chart performance
"Boyfriend" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in September at #71 thanks in part to its strong downloads
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
, and in its second week of release, it climbed from #71 to #24 (also rising from #32 to #7 on the Hot Digital Songs chart), making it Simpson's second biggest hit on the Hot 100 to date ("Pieces of Me
Pieces of Me
"Pieces of Me" is a song by American pop/rock singer Ashlee Simpson and the first single from her début album, Autobiography. The song, which was co-written by Simpson, Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks , is a blend of pop and rock with lyrics about finding comfort and happiness in a relationship with...
" reached #5 on the Hot 100 in 2004). Though it continued to drop for a couple of weeks after reaching #24, it later rebounded on the charts and hit a new peak of #19, making "Boyfriend" Simpson's second top twenty U.S. hit. In its 17th week on the chart, after falling out of the top 50, "Boyfriend" rebounded from #75 to #34; this put it ahead of "L.O.V.E.", Simpson's second I Am Me single, which was at #36 and also rising on the Hot 100.
"Boyfriend" is also Ashlee's third song to reach the top 10 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where it debuted on the chart for the week ending October 31 and had the highest debut of the week at #8; this was her highest debut to date on the ARIA chart. However, it wasn't able to be her highest peak ("Pieces of Me" reached #7), since it fell to #9 on the following week, then to #10 in its third week on the chart and to #12 in its fourth week. "Boyfriend" was also accredited as a gold single in Australia.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, "Boyfriend" peaked at #99.
In the UK, "Boyfriend" was released on 30 January 2006 and charted in early February. It debuted and peaked at number 12 (spending four weeks in the top 40), her lowest charting single so far (although it was her third top 20 hit), behind "Pieces of Me" (peaking at #4) and "La La" (peaking at #11).
"Boyfriend" was on the RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
Top 40 Singles chart in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
from November 2005 to January 2006. The song debuted at #23 in early November, where it remained in its second week, before rising to #21 in its third week. It then fell to number 30 before rising back to number 26 in its fifth week. In its sixth week it fell again to number 37, and was then off the chart for two weeks before returning at number 40; subsequently it fell off the chart again for one week and then returned at number 37 for its eighth and final week on the chart.
The song reached number 19 in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. In Austria, it debuted and peaked at number 45.
Performances
Simpson performed "Boyfriend" on Sessions@AOLSessions@AOL
Sessions@AOL is a special avenue of programming conducted by AOL Music. Originally an AOL exclusive, Sessions@AOL can now also be seen as an avenue for non-AOL users as well. Sessions@AOL consists of exclusive and intimate performances of songs by popular musicians, with likes of bands such as...
on the Internet and subsequently on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on the October 8/9 episode, as the second of her two performances that night (the first being "Catch Me When I Fall"). On the album's U.S. release date, October 18, she performed the song on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, and then on the October 21 episode of The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
and the October 24 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
. Aside from these performances, she also sings "Boyfriend" on tour.
In January 2006, she performed the song on Top of the Pops Reloaded
Top Of The Pops Reloaded
Top of the Pops: Reloaded is a weekly children's music show broadcast as part of the Saturday morning CBBC schedule on BBC Two. It was based on the show, Top Of The Pops, following on from its predecessor Top of the Pops Saturday....
in the UK. Ashlee then went on to perform "Boyfriend" on the UK's Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on February 5. On April 12, she sang "Boyfriend" at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards (which she also hosted), before starting to sing "L.O.V.E."
Track listing and formats
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Boyfriend".- US CD maxi single
- "Boyfriend"
- "Boyfriend" (Instrumental)
- "La LaLa La (song)"La La" is a song by the American singer Ashlee Simpson from her 2004 album Autobiography. In the U.S., it began its run as the album's third and final single on radio and television in November 2004; in the United Kingdom , a CD single was released in January 2005.-Song information:"La La", the...
" (Fernando Garibay Edit) - "Boyfriend" (Video)
- UK CD maxi single
- "Boyfriend"
- "Boyfriend" (Garcia & Page remix)
- "La LaLa La (song)"La La" is a song by the American singer Ashlee Simpson from her 2004 album Autobiography. In the U.S., it began its run as the album's third and final single on radio and television in November 2004; in the United Kingdom , a CD single was released in January 2005.-Song information:"La La", the...
" (Fernando Garibay edit) - "Boyfriend" (video)
- UK CD single
- "Boyfriend"
- "Pieces of MePieces of Me"Pieces of Me" is a song by American pop/rock singer Ashlee Simpson and the first single from her début album, Autobiography. The song, which was co-written by Simpson, Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks , is a blend of pop and rock with lyrics about finding comfort and happiness in a relationship with...
" (album version)
- Benelux CD single
- "Boyfriend"
- "Boyfriend" (Frantic Remix)
Remixes and other versions
- Boyfriend [Album Version] 3:00
- Boyfriend [Instrumental] 2:58
- Boyfriend [Eddie Baez *Boyfriend Dub] 3:17
- Boyfriend [Eddie Baez Radio Edit] 4:20
- Boyfriend [Eddie's Mix Show Edit] 7:11
- Boyfriend [Frantic Remix] 5:45
- Boyfriend [Garcia & Page Radio Edit] 3:33
- Boyfriend [Garcia and Page Remix] 6:48
- Boyfriend [Chris Young Mix] 7:59
- Boyfriend [Eddie Baez Anthem Extended Mix] 10:04
Charts
| Chart (2005/2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
6 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 45 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
10 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
34 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
59 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 46 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
56 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
13 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
21 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
19 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
19 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
13 |
| U.S. Billboard | 14 |