Boys and Girls (Pixie Lott song)
Encyclopedia
"Boys and Girls" is a song by English recording artist Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...

, released as the second single
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...

 from her debut album, Turn It Up
Turn It Up (Pixie Lott album)
Turn It Up is the debut studio album by English recording artist Pixie Lott. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2009 by Mercury Records. The album debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart, before dropping to number thirteen in its second week. Turn It Up has so far spent five...

. It was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2009 by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

 as an iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

 EP, followed by an iTunes single on 6 September and a physical release on 7 September. Similarly to "Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)
Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)
"Mama Do " is a song by English recording artist Pixie Lott from her debut album, Turn It Up. Written and produced by Mads Hauge and Phil Thornalley, the song was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 6 June 2009 and physically on 8 June 2009 as the album's lead single, spending one week...

", the track was also strongly supported by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

, becoming Lott's second consecutive single to feature on the station's A-list. "Boys and Girls" became Lott's second consecutive number-one single, topping the 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 ...

 in September 2009. The song also served as Lott's debut single in the United States, where it was released on 24 August 2010 through iTunes Store.

Background and Composition

"Boys and Girls" is an uptempo electropop song that follows a combination of a retro-styled beat produced by various brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...

 instruments which are most prominent in the song's intro, as well as synthetic rhythms put together as a dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

-sounding finished product through many synthesizers, drum machine, and keyboards. Lott employs a low note throughout the chorus, whilst experimenting with other notes in the song's verses and as a backing toward the end of the song. Lott's voice is heavily vocoded
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...

 in the song's bridge to build the song up from upbeat pop to upbeat electropop, The song samples Rihanna's Shut Up & Drive with less of its usual pop punk sound & more to a electropop sound.

The song's lyrics follow a simple concept of having fun with people and friends in a party-like atmosphere. The song is one of nine tracks co-written by Lott on her debut album, Turn It Up. Lott co-wrote the song with producers Mads Hauge and Phil Thornalley
Phil Thornalley
Phil Thornalley is a songwriter-producer who has worked in the music industry since 1978. He is perhaps best known for co-writing the song "Torn" which Natalie Imbruglia later covered to great success for her 1997 debut album, Left of the Middle...

. The original track demo was leaked in 2008 but the song received a re-working for its single release in 2009. A&R at Mercury, Joe Kentish, felt the production needed "more drive and urgency and needed to work on the dance floor as well as the radio." Producer and songwriter Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....

 was brought in to work on the track. According to Smith in an interview with HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...

,
"When I received the parts, I thought the production was great but felt very retro. I wanted to make it a little more current and more urgent - I wanted to make the drums hit a little bit harder, and I wanted to make Pixie's voice sound a little bit fuller."
The song's original riffs were removed and replaced with attention-grabbing brass and trumpet instrumentation, described as typical to the Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

-type song production.

Release and promotion

For the CD single release, the song was accompanied by a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

 entitled "If I Changed", which was co-written by Lott and is one of the slower numbers she has recorded. "If I Changed" takes on a R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 style in the form of a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

. As part of the promotion for "Boys and Girls", Lott performed the single on various television shows and at various major gigs which included performances on: GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...

, Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...

, The National Lottery, The 5:19 Show
BBC Switch
BBC Switch was the brand for BBC content aimed at UK teenagers. The brand launched on Saturday 20 October 2007 on BBC Two And ceased broadcasting on Saturday 17 December 2010...

, Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Alan Carr. The award-winning show is on Channel 4. The show features interviews with celebrity guests, sketches, topical chat and music....

and as an opening act on The Work Tour
The Work Tour
The Work Tour is the debut headlining theatre tour by British girl group The Saturdays. The tour became the bands first headlining tour, but their second time actually touring, after they spent part of 2008 as support act for Girls Aloud on their Tangled Up Tour. The tour opened on 2 June 2009, and...

 by the British girl group The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...

. On 15 August 2009, Lott performed the single alongside the likes of Hoobastank
Hoobastank
Hoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They...

, The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....

, Kasabian, Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...

, Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...

, Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album. Boys Like Girls was the co-headliner with Good Charlotte for the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour 2008 that toured across the United...

, Estranged and Raygun
Raygun (band)
Raygun was a British band currently signed to RCA Records.-History:Guitarist The Adj used to work as a fishmonger at a supermarket when he was 16....

 as one of the live acts at Asia's very first MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia
MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia
MTV World Stage is a global series that brings multi-genre talents with global relevance to an audience in over 550 million households. Recorded "live" at the most exclusive gigs, world renowned music festivals and unique concert locations from around the world, MTV World Stage is the "front row...

 concert that was held in Malaysia. The song became Lott's second song to be featured on EA Games game The Sims
The Sims
The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...

. English electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 duo Moto Blanco
Moto Blanco
Moto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...

 have also created various club-styled remixes of the song, which are featured on the single's digital remix bundle. The single is also featured on disc one of the Now That's What I Call Music! 74 compilation album as track number fourteen.

Critical reception

"Boys and Girls" was given mixed reviews. Pete Cashmore of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

stated the song "is endeavouring to bestow upon us a brassy, sassy dancefloor heater like some smug Italia Conti Pink", but criticized the track for being "much like a vegetarian restaurant, she just ain't got the chops." He also made comment on the lyrics claiming they were the "oomph and pizzazz of an English-speaking robot struggling to read Sanskrit from an autocue. A Lott of shite." Andrew Hirst of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Huddersfield Daily Examiner
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner is an English local daily evening newspaper covering Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. The first edition was published, as a weekly, on September 6, 1851, as the Huddersfield & Holmfirth Examiner and the newspaper has been published on a daily basis since...

praised the song crediting it for having a "full-bodied big production" and "late 60s fun sound." Fraser McAlpine of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 Chart Blog made comparisons to other songs and artists stating that it had a "hefty dose of 'I Want It All
I Want It All (High School Musical song)
-Chart performance:I Want It All stayed for four weeks on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and never entered on Billboard Hot 100. The also debuted on #3 on Hot 100 Singles Sales chart but fell out on the next week. Outside from the U.S, the song debuted on #75 on Canadian Hot Digital Songs...

' from High School Musical 3
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a 2008 American romantic musical film and the third and final installment in the High School Musical trilogy. Its theatrical release in the United States began on October 24, 2008...

 to the verses." He then stated "there is also a lot of Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

 to the chorus." McAlphine also made comment that "the chorus is a one-note drone, with harmonic support, over a three-chord pounding vamp thing." Jess McGuire of Defamer Australia said "the song is catchy, but not in a retarded nursery rhyme kinda way. Children will probably find it appealing, but so will adults who harbour secret dreams of appearing on So You Think You Can Dance?"
Brit Music Scene's Dave Parrack used a comparison to previous single "Mama Do" as the basis for his review of the "party feel song with an unashamedly happy underlying vibe". Parrack mentioned "Boys and Girls" as a song that much more upbeat and appealing on a different level than "Mama Do". He went onto say that the song's chorus is not as catchy as the previous single but a more memorable song as a whole. He then went onto describe the song as a cross between the English girl group Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...

 and American pop singer Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...

.
Rach Read of Teentoday.co.uk raved the song as a "barnstormer with a brilliant video to boot", further saying the track is "far poppier than we ever expected of the Pixie but it's all the better for it - in fact as the song itself says 'A good beat never hurt no-one'". FemaleFirst.co.uk had little compliments for the single in their review, deeming "Boys and Girls" as "too throwaway pop, the lyrics are boring, and the single is just amateur, it’s not really delivering anything positive!" Another mixed review was published by musicOMH's Michael Cragg, describing the track as "brilliant fun, if slightly unconvincing."

Chart performance

On the issue dated 3 September 2009, the song debuted on the 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...

 at number forty-five. The following week, it was the greatest gainer on the chart moving up to its peak position of number four, becoming Lott's highest-peaking single in Ireland so far. "Boys and Girls" debuted on the 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 ...

 at number seventy-three on the issue dated 6 September 2009. It moved up to number one the following week, becoming the biggest leap to the top position in the UK chart history. It replaced "Run This Town
Run This Town
"Run This Town" is a 2009 song performed by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. The song features Rihanna. The track was produced by Kanye West alongside No I.D. It is released as the second single of Jay-Z's eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3...

" by Jay Z featuring Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

 and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

, earning Lott her second consecutive chart-topper in the United Kingdom. It has so far spent four consecutive weeks within the top ten and twenty-four weeks altogether within the top one hundred of the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video
Music 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...

 for the song was directed by Diane Martel
Diane Martel
Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...

. Filming was completed on 13 June 2009. Lott described the video during an interview for Paul Lester
Paul Lester
Paul Lester is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster from Elstree, North London.- Career :He began his career as a freelance, writing for Melody Maker in the early 1990s, as well as City Limits, 20/20 , Sky Magazine and The Jewish Chronicle...

 of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

: "It's got a crazy house-party vibe. There were loads of interesting extras, weird indie boys and rude-boy gangstas. It's got a dance routine. It's unusual for a British performer to do singing and dancing, but it's important if you're a pop star to do everything." Lott is described as "a cool B-Girl 2009 surrounded by a crazy house party in full swing", in publicity materials for the video.

The video opens with Lott's name flashing onscreen before moving into a scene where she opens a door and walks into a club. In this scene, however, only her legs and shoes are visible until the focus shifts to a large radio and various record players. Lott can then be seen in full, looking in a mirror with her face being showcased in numerous reflections. The video's attention is then moved in sequence between Lott and various other young people in the club, that can either be seen preoccupied with a hip hop-styled dance or standing up against the wall and in one occasion kissing with their partner. On time with the first chorus, Lott takes the lead role in a fast-pace dance with a group of female dancers on the dancefloor. The next scene involves Lott wearing a white sleeveless shirt leaning against a boy as they stand side-by-side up against a white lit-up wall. The video is intercut with some short scenes, where Lott can be seen wearing a pair of black sunglasses.

Track listing

UK CD single and iTunes single
  1. "Boys and Girls" (Single Version) – 3:02
  2. "If I Changed" – 3:41


iTunes remix bundle
  1. "Boys and Girls" – 3:04
  2. "Boys and Girls" (Moto Blanco
    Moto Blanco
    Moto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...

     Remix Full) – 7:15
  3. "Boys and Girls" (Fuzzy Logic Remix Full) – 5:47
  4. "Boys and Girls" (Hot Pink Delorean Remix Full) – 6:37

Personnel

  • Pixie Lott – vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

    , backing vocals
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

  • Beatriz Artola – engineer
    Audio engineering
    An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...

  • Mads Hauge – producer
    Record producer
    A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

    , Wurlitzer
    Wurlitzer
    The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....

    , guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    , programming
    Programming (music)
    Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...

    , engineer
    Audio engineering
    An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...

  • Geoff Pesche – mastering
    Audio mastering
    Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...

  • Chris Sansom – additional engineer
  • Fraser T. Smith
    Fraser T. Smith
    Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....

     – additional producer, additional mixing
  • Phil Smith – tenor saxophone
    Tenor saxophone
    The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...

    , baritone saxophone
    Baritone saxophone
    The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...

  • John Thirkell
    John Thirkell
    John Thirkell is a British trumpet and flugelhorn player, who has appeared on hundreds of pop, rock, and jazz recordings. Through the 1980s and early 1990s he was on at least one album in the UK Charts continuously, without a break, for over 13 years...

     – flugelhorn
    Flugelhorn
    The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...

    , trumpet
    Trumpet
    The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

  • Phil Thornalley
    Phil Thornalley
    Phil Thornalley is a songwriter-producer who has worked in the music industry since 1978. He is perhaps best known for co-writing the song "Torn" which Natalie Imbruglia later covered to great success for her 1997 debut album, Left of the Middle...

     – producer, piano
    Piano
    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

    , guitar

Peak positions

> > > > > > > > >
Chart (2009/2010) Peak
position


Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
UK Singles Chart 77


Chart procession and succession

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