Boys Will Be Boys

“Boys Will Be Boys” is the final track from pop singer and songwriter Dua Lipa and her second studio album, “Future Nostalgia” which was released last month and has been titled as the best pop album this year by many music critics.

“Boys Will Be Boys” is pop ballad about the difficulties of being a woman – particularly about the way some boys treat women, using examples such as catcalling or sexual harassment, or being uncomfortable walking home at night alone. In an interview with Vogue Australia on the 21st March 2020, Lipa briefly explained the song: “For me [the growing pains of what it’s like to be a girl] was walking home from school and putting keys through my knuckles … So much of the human experience for women revolves around men; how they make us feel, whether that is good or bad. Girls have to go through so much. You cover up yourself to avoid confrontation from men, avoid sexual harassment, people throwing words or catcalling. We change our ways to fit somebody else’s lifestyle. It’s really sad.” In a livestream shortly after the album’s release, Lipa also explained why she chose to put “Boys Will Be Boys” at the end of the album: “I wanted to start the album with “Future Nostalgia” and I wanted to finish it off with “Boys Will Be Boys” just because they felt very empowering and strong […] [while also showing] two different sides of feminism, I suppose.” Lastly, on the Apple Music page for the “Future Nostalgia” album, Lipa broke down each track, and had this to say about “BWBB”: “I talk so much about female empowerment, but I’d never done a song which really talks about the growing pains of what it’s like to be a woman. I was in the studio with the team I wrote “Physical” with, and was just talking about what it was like to get off the bus from school and walk home, knowing that there’d be boys on bikes around the estates, and that I’d be so fucking shit scared in case they would catcall or chase me home or whatever. For girls at school, there was always that fear of trying to get home before it got too dark. I can’t believe that I had to actually put keys through my knuckles, like Wolverine, in case anybody might say something or try to chase or attack me. It’s crazy that we have to think about these things and not feel safe for a three-minute walk down the road from the bus stop to your flat, and I feel we maybe don’t educate the boys enough to understand what it’s like to be a girl. I just want this song to be a conversation starter. I want it also to just be a little bit of an eye-opener. It’s not a song that’s out to offend anyone, or point any fingers. But I wanted the lyrics to be quite cutting for the sake of the conversation, and in the hope that there can be change. It’s also to show solidarity with other girls and be like, “I’ve been through it as well.” And at the same time, for any young fans or listeners, to be something that maybe they’ll ask the older sister or brother about, and to try and understand why I decided to put this in a song. This song is a completely different element, but lyrically it was very important for me to have it on the record.”

There is currently no music video for “Boys Will Be Boys”, however the audio upload on Dua Lipa’s YouTube channel has over 1 million views since its upload at the end of March.

Release Date: 27th March 2020

Songwriter/s: Justin Tranter, Kennedi, Jason Evigan & Dua Lipa

Producer/s: Koz, Rupert Christie & Blackwood

Label: Warner

Chart Rankings: “Boys Will Be Boys” has not reached mainstream charts as of yet, but does currently have 7.5 million streams on Spotify.

The lyrics to “Boys Will Be Boys” can be viewed here: LINK