Boys (Summertime Love)
Encyclopedia
"Boys" is a 1987 song performed by Italian
singer Sabrina
. It is the third single
from her eponymous album and achieved a great success in many countries, including Spain, Switzerland, France and Italy, where it was a number-one single. It was Sabrina's first single to be released in the UK
. The song was re-released in remixed version two times - in 1995 in France
only as "Boys '95", and in 2003 as "Boys Boys Boys (The Dance Remixes)"
The track has been included on the Avex Trax
compilation album Super Eurobeat Presents: Hi-NRG 80's.
(Veneto
, Italy
). In it, Sabrina splashes about in a swimming pool, while her bikini top keeps sliding down, thus revealing her nipples. It remains one of the most downloaded videoclips on the Internet.
During an interview with Nino Firetto
on the Music Box
program on Super Channel
in late 1988 Sabrina explained that the video for "Boys" was originally created to be a segment in a magazine show. This was Sabrina's explanation of why its style was more closely matched that of Italian magazine shows of the time (more overtly sexy) than that of the traditional music video.
's 1988 debut single was a cover version of the song. An alternate version, using the original English lyrics and entitled "Boys (Tokyo Mix)" appears on Sugimoto's debut album "Aya".
In 1994, the song was covered by French punk rock
and alternative rock
Ludwig von 88
on its album 17 plombs pour péter les tubes.
The Cheeky Girls
, famous in the United Kingdom
for their tongue-in-cheek lyrics and sassy music videos, released a version of the song, called "Boys and Girls (Christmas Time Love)", which secured a placing in the busy Christmas Top Fifty of 2006.
Polish pop-rock singer Doda
sings "Boys (Summertime Love)" during her concerts.
Slovak duo TWiiNS
released a cover version of the song in January 2010, under the title "Boys Boys Boys". Their version featured German rapper Carlprit
, who previously starred in a worldwide million selling smash hit by Cascada "Evacuate the Dancefloor
".
, staying at number one for two months.
It was also a big hit in France
, staying for five weeks at number one. The single debuted at number 29 and remained on the French SNEP Singles Chart for 25 weeks from 12 December 1987 to 28 May 1988. Sabrina was the only pin-up girl at that time to reach the top of the charts in France, as opposed to the French Lova Moor
and the British Samantha Fox
. Certified Gold disc by the SNEP, the single was the first number one by an Italian singer. According to the Infodisc Website, the song is the 292nd best selling single of all time in France, with 683,000 copies sold. It also reached number three in the UK Singles Chart
(even though, or perhaps because of, the video's ban there) and number 11 in Australia
.
7" single Dureco Benelux
12" single
CD single - 1995 release
The song also peaked at #9 on Swedish Trackslistan on 14 November 1987.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
singer Sabrina
Sabrina Salerno
Sabrina Salerno , also known in her singing career as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, television hostess, model, actress and record producer...
. It is the third 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 eponymous album and achieved a great success in many countries, including Spain, Switzerland, France and Italy, where it was a number-one single. It was Sabrina's first single to be released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The song was re-released in remixed version two times - in 1995 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
only as "Boys '95", and in 2003 as "Boys Boys Boys (The Dance Remixes)"
The track has been included on the Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
compilation album Super Eurobeat Presents: Hi-NRG 80's.
Music video
Part of the success of the song is due to its music video, filmed at the Florida hotel in JesoloJesolo
thumb|250px|Location of Jesolo in the province of Venice.Jesolo is a town and comune in the province of Venice, Italy.-Geography:...
(Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). In it, Sabrina splashes about in a swimming pool, while her bikini top keeps sliding down, thus revealing her nipples. It remains one of the most downloaded videoclips on the Internet.
During an interview with Nino Firetto
Nino Firetto
Nino Firetto is a radio presenter, TV host and actor, currently based in Exeter, England.-Biography:Nino Firetto shot to fame first as a DJ in the 1970s, then as a television personality in the 1980s...
on the Music Box
Music Box (TV)
Music Box Ltd. was a television production company that developed from a pioneering pan-European 24-hour cable and satellite channel that ran from March 1984 to 30 January 1987, originally one of three channels along with PREM1ERE and The Children's Channel, that formed Thorn EMI's venture into...
program on Super Channel
NBC Europe
NBC Europe was a satellite television channel based in the United Kingdom that broadcast across Europe...
in late 1988 Sabrina explained that the video for "Boys" was originally created to be a segment in a magazine show. This was Sabrina's explanation of why its style was more closely matched that of Italian magazine shows of the time (more overtly sexy) than that of the traditional music video.
Cover versions
Japanese pop singer Aya SugimotoAya Sugimoto
is a Japanese TV personality, actress, dancer and author born in Kyoto. She also had a J-pop career in the late 1980s-early 1990s.-Early life:Aya Sugimoto grew up in Kyoto under a "strict" upbringing, making her first foray into the world of entertainment when she began modeling at age 15...
's 1988 debut single was a cover version of the song. An alternate version, using the original English lyrics and entitled "Boys (Tokyo Mix)" appears on Sugimoto's debut album "Aya".
In 1994, the song was covered by French punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
Ludwig von 88
Ludwig von 88
Ludwig von 88 is a French punk rock and alternative rock band mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s, and which gained an important success in the underground scene of its country. The band has not released any new material since 2001, but has not disbanded and is thus officially still active...
on its album 17 plombs pour péter les tubes.
The Cheeky Girls
The Cheeky Girls
The Cheeky Girls are a pop duo consisting of twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia, from Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania, but based in Britain. After appearing as auditionees in Popstars: The Rivals, they achieved success in the charts with four top ten hits between 2002 and 2004...
, famous in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for their tongue-in-cheek lyrics and sassy music videos, released a version of the song, called "Boys and Girls (Christmas Time Love)", which secured a placing in the busy Christmas Top Fifty of 2006.
Polish pop-rock singer Doda
Dorota Rabczewska
Dorota Rabczewska , more commonly known as Doda Elektroda, is a Polish musical artist, among the most successful Polish artists ever in terms of number of prizes won. She was first known as a member of the Polish rock band Virgin...
sings "Boys (Summertime Love)" during her concerts.
Slovak duo TWiiNS
TWiiNS
TWiiNS are a Slovak twin pop duo consisting of sisters Daniela and Veronika Nízlová who were born on 15 May 1986 in Hronský Beňadik.The twins were background singers and dancers for Tereza Kerndlová, the Czech entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008...
released a cover version of the song in January 2010, under the title "Boys Boys Boys". Their version featured German rapper Carlprit
Carlprit
Rudi Schwamborn, better know by his stagename Carlprit, is a Zimbabwe-born German rapper and actor. He is the younger brother of Söhne Mannheims rapper Metaphysics. In 2009 he made his most notable appearance on Cascada's hit single "Evacuate the Dancefloor" which sold over three million copies...
, who previously starred in a worldwide million selling smash hit by Cascada "Evacuate the Dancefloor
Evacuate the Dancefloor
"Evacuate the Dancefloor" is a song by German group Cascada from their third studio album of the same name. The song features a guest rap from famous German rapper Carlprit and was released as the album's lead single on 29 June 2009; debuting at number one on the UK Singles Chart for the week of 5...
".
Chart performances
"Boys (Summertime Love)" had its greatest success in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, staying at number one for two months.
It was also a big hit in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, staying for five weeks at number one. The single debuted at number 29 and remained on the French SNEP Singles Chart for 25 weeks from 12 December 1987 to 28 May 1988. Sabrina was the only pin-up girl at that time to reach the top of the charts in France, as opposed to the French Lova Moor
Lova Moor
Lova Moor , is a French dancer, singer and occasional actress.-Biography:She began her career as a nude dancer...
and the British Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
. Certified Gold disc by the SNEP, the single was the first number one by an Italian singer. According to the Infodisc Website, the song is the 292nd best selling single of all time in France, with 683,000 copies sold. It also reached number three in 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 ...
(even though, or perhaps because of, the video's ban there) and number 11 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...
.
Track listings
7" single Chic- "Boys (Summertime Love)" — 3:56
- "Get Ready (Holiday Rock)" — 3:20
7" single Dureco Benelux
- "Boys (Summertime Love)" — 3:30
- "Get Ready (Holiday Rock)" — 3:30
12" single
- "Boys (Summertime Love)" (extended mix) — 5:40
- "Boys (Summertime Love)" (dub version) — 5:35
- "Get Ready (Holiday Rock)" — 3:30
CD single - 1995 release
- "Boys '95" (Radio Lovers Remix) - 5:36
- "Boys '95" (N.Y.D.P. Mix) - 3:40
Peak positions
| Chart (1987/88) | 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... |
11 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 5 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 3 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 2 |
| French Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 2 |
| 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... |
3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
| South African Singles Chart | 14 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| 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 ... |
3 |
The song also peaked at #9 on Swedish Trackslistan on 14 November 1987.
Year-end charts
| Chart (1987) | Position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 | 36 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 7 |
| Chart (1988) | Position |
| Australian Singles Chart | 41 |
Certifications and sales
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Gold | 1988 | 500,000 | 683,000 |
| Germany | Gold | 1987 | 250,000 | |