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Boyfriend (Ariana Grande and Social House song)

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"Boyfriend"
Cover art for "Boyfriend": a washed-out photo of Ariana Grande and Social House, with the song title and their names written over their faces
Single by Ariana Grande and Social House
from the EP Everything Changed...
ReleasedAugust 2, 2019 (2019-08-02)
Genre
Length3:06
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ariana Grande singles chronology
"Monopoly"
(2019) 		"Boyfriend"
(2019) 		"Don't Call Me Angel"
(2019)
Social House singles chronology
"Haunt You"
(2019) 		"Boyfriend"
(2019) 		"Electric"
(2020)
Music video
"Boyfriend" on YouTube

"Boyfriend" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande and American musical duo Social House. It was released by Republic Records on August 2, 2019.[3] It is the second single from the latter's debut extended play, Everything Changed... (2019). It became Grande's 14th and Social House's first top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the first song by a woman, and third overall, to top the Rolling Stone Top 100 Songs chart, achieving it in its debut week.[4] It won the MTV Video Music Award for Song of Summer, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Background

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The song was first teased by Grande on her social media on July 24, 2019, when she posted a picture of herself on a video set.[5][6][7] She followed up the posts with pictures from the same video set, revealing the song to be a collaboration with Social House.[8] Grande hinted at the title of the song on July 29, 2019, with the caption "u ain't my boyfriend".[9] The first teaser was posted a day later.[3][10] The cover art was revealed by Grande on her social media on July 30, 2019, and the song was simultaneously made available for pre-save.[11]

Composition

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The song is written in the key of B♭ minor, and it follows the chord progression of G♭maj13—F7—B♭m11—E♭m9—F7. Grande's vocals span from a low A♭3 to a high F5.[12]

Critical reception

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Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called "Boyfriend" an "elastic pop track, a lovably low-stakes ode to romantic attraction but resistance to traditional labels".[1] Amanda Mitchell of O, The Oprah Magazine opined that the song's lyrics "will hit home for anyone who's ever wanted to be coupled-up, but also enjoyed the freedom of not being in a relationship. It's the theme song for those who fear commitment—despite wanting to be someone's girlfriend".[13] Writing for Esquire, Gabrielle Bruney stated that it is "a completely undeniable bop", adding that it is "an effortlessly hooky R&B-pop hybrid" which "captures that torturous liminal phase in relationships, before boundaries and definitions have been set in stone, but when feelings are still very much on the line".[14]

Music video

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The music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and was released alongside the song on August 2, 2019.[15] In the video, Grande and Foster portray a dysfunctional couple seeking counseling from Anderson as they sing the song. Intermittent scenes show Grande and Foster at a party and both seeing the other flirt with other people. They each jealously fantasize about violently attacking their partner's other love interests: Grande tackles and beats one girl and pins another girl to a door by shooting an arrow into her palm; Foster kicks a guy in the face and pulls out his still-beating heart, giving it to Grande. Another sequence involves Grande pulling open her blazer and firing lasers shaped like pink hearts out of her bra, getting Foster's attention. The video ends with the couple passionately making out in the bathroom and subsequently destroying it. Anderson finds them, seemingly giving up on the couple and leaving them to their own devices.[16] The video has since received over 245 million views as of February 2024.[16]

Accolades

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Year Organization Award Result Ref.
2019 MTV Video Music Award Song of Summer Won [17]
2020 Grammy Awards Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Nominated [18]

Live performances

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The song was first performed live by Grande and Social House at Grande's performance at Lollapalooza on August 4, 2019, with Social House.[19] Grande later added the song to the European leg of her Sweetener World Tour.[20]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Tidal.[21]

  • Ariana Grande – vocals, songwriter, vocal producer, vocal arranger
  • Charles Anderson – vocals, songwriter
  • Michael Foster – vocals, songwriter
  • Edgar Barrera – producer, songwriter, programmer
  • Anthony M. Jones - producer, songwriter, programmer
  • Steven Franks – producer, songwriter, programmer
  • Tommy Brown – producer, songwriter, programmer
  • Tarron Crayton – bass guitar
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer, studio personnel
  • John Hanes – mix engineer, studio personnel

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[78] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[79] Gold 15,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[80] Diamond 160,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[81] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[82] Gold 45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[83] Gold 15,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[84] Gold 30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[85] Platinum 50,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[86] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[87] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[88] Platinum 1,000,000‡
Streaming
Sweden (GLF)[89] Gold 6,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Boyfriend"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various August 2, 2019
Republic [21]
Australia Radio airplay [90]
Canada
[91]
Italy Radio airplay Universal [92]
United States August 6, 2019
Republic [93][94]
Various December 6, 2019
[95][96][97][98]

See also

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References

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