"Girls & Boys" is a 1986 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Parade, the soundtrack to the film Under the Cherry Moon. The song was released as a single in the U.K., and as the B-side to "Anotherloverholenyohead" in the U.S..
Following the smash success of its predecessor "Kiss", "Girls & Boys" peaked at number 11 in the UK charts, but was not released as a single in America. Prince's former drummer, Bobby Z. later commented that the song may have helped the entire album and film achieve bigger success, 'second singles sometimes weren't right... "Kiss" was a complete smash and set the album up huge. In my opinion it should then have been "Girls & Boys", not "Mountains"'. The music video for the single consisted of clips from the film and separately-shot footage of The Revolution, including Prince's then-fiancee Susannah Melvoin.
"Girls & Boys" is a funk offering featuring both live drumming as well as Linn drum machine. The keyboard hook is a peculiar duck-like sound. This is the first official Prince single to include saxophone contributions of Eric Leeds. The lyrics speak of characters similar to Christopher and Mary from Under the Cherry Moon, although their actions are not seen in the film. The song includes a seduction spoken by Marie France in French, as well as an early attempt by Prince to deliver a short rap. Background vocals are Sheila E., Wendy & Lisa, and Susannah Melvoin.
The B-side was the LP version of "Under the Cherry Moon". The 12" single also included the 1984 track "Erotic City", which originally backed "Let's Go Crazy". In addition, a special double 7" single was released containing "Girls & Boys", "She's Always in My Hair", (which originally backed "Paisley Park", "Under the Cherry Moon", and "17 Days", which originally backed "When Doves Cry".
In March 2006, British actress Kristin Scott Thomas, one of the stars of Under the Cherry Moon, nominated "Girls and Boys" as one of her eight favourite Desert Island Discs.
"Girls and Boys" was covered by jazz/funk bassist Marcus Miller on his 2005 album Silver Rain, featuring singer Macy Gray.
Famous quotes containing the words girls and/or boys:
“After school days are over, the girls ... find no natural connection between their school life and the new one on which they enter, and are apt to be aimless, if not listless, needing external stimulus, and finding it only prepared for them, it may be, in some form of social excitement. ...girls after leaving school need intellectual interests, well regulated and not encroaching on home duties.”
—Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (1842–1911)
“As boys without bonds to their fathers grow older and more desperate about their masculinity, they are in danger of forming gangs in which they strut their masculinity for one another, often overdo it, and sometimes turn to displays of fierce, macho bravado and even violence.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)