Sexy Boy (Air song)

"Sexy Boy"
Single by Air
from the album Moon Safari
Released	9 February 1998 (1998-02-09)
Genre	Dream pop[1] electronica[2]
Length	4:57
Label	Source Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Air
Producer(s)	Air
Air singles chronology
"Californie" (1998) "Sexy Boy" (1998) "Kelly Watch the Stars" (1998)
Music video
"Sexy Boy" on YouTube

"Sexy Boy" is a song by French music duo Air, released in February 1998 by Virgin Records as the first single from the duo's first album, Moon Safari (1998). The song is noted for allowing the band, and French dance music more generally, to break through to British and American markets.^[3] It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single was also a top-20 hit in Finland and a top-30 hit in Iceland.

Background

Nicolas Godin said that the song "almost didn’t make it to the album. It’s not like the rest of the tracks — it has a verse and chorus. We didn’t know what to do with it, because we didn't know how to include it inside the rest of the music, which is more mellow and atmospheric. This track is more upbeat. It didn't sound like the rest of the album. At the end, it was the biggest track on the record, which is very strange."^[4]

The song appears in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, playing during the scene where characters decide to sabotage an upcoming party.^[5]

Speaking about the song's meaning, Jean-Benoît Dunckel said:

"Sexy Boy" is a seduction song, and it's about how heterosexual men can be happy to look at other men because they want to check they are dressed. It's more about a fashion thing. "OK, we are men, and we want to look sexy for the girls, and anybody else." It's about this taboo idea that men can be erotic too. It's not about homosexuality or heterosexuality — it’s about looking good. Men, too, like to be well-dressed. They like to be looked at, and to be paid attention to the way they look when it comes to the clothing that they wear. In 1998, it was taboo to speak about men’s sexuality. "Sexy Boy" is not a very male-attitude song, it’s a bit borderline, and it creates a strange feeling. We liked that.

Critical reception

Kevin Courtney from Irish Times named "Sexy Boy" Single of the Week, writing, "How can you not be seduced by that title? The new single from the cool-as French duo is a swooping, moog-driven slice of fromage, filled with polyester passion and gender-bending vocals."^[6] A reviewer from Music Week gave it five out of five, noting that the song is "uncharacteristically uptempo with its vocodered lyrics and driving Roxy Music/Bowie/ELO sensibility."^[7] John Mulvey of NME praised Air's "sensitive but tenacious grasp of melody, a laid-back disposition and a reckless way with a Vocoder that makes them unafraid of sounding like a digital ELO", while also noting similarities to Garbage.^[8] Andy Beevers from Record Mirror Dance Update also rated it five out of five, naming it "by no means the highlight" of the album, and "the least downtempo track and therefore a sensible choice for the French duo's first major label single." He also insulted it as "charmingly kitsch".^[9] Sunday Mirror rated the song ten out of ten, writing, "Dotty french duo come up with the best single of the year so far. Sounds like Kraftwerk meeting Daft Punk and going for a picnic with Aqua."^[10]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sexy Boy", directed by American film and music video director Mike Mills, shows the members of Air in New York City. They see a toy monkey on the street and immediately enter a fantasy in which the monkey is a giant and flies off to the Moon. Meanwhile, the members of Air are still in New York and other people see them playing with the toy monkey around the United Nations headquarters and in Central Park. The fantasy scenes are shown in colorful animation and the scenes in real life are shot in black-and-white live action. The music video went into rotation on JBTV.^[11]

Track listings

• US CD single

1. "Sexy Boy" (radio edit) – 3:51
2. "Sexy Boy" (Sex Kino Mix by Beck) – 6:33
3. "Sexy Boy" (Cassius Radio Mix) – 4:33
4. "Sexy Boy" (Étienne de Crécy & the Flower Pistols remix) – 4:57
5. "Jeanne" (with Françoise Hardy) – 4:24

• UK CD single

1. "Sexy Boy" (radio edit) – 3:51
2. "Sexy Boy" (Cassius Radio Mix) – 4:33
3. "Sexy Boy" (Étienne de Crécy & the Flower Pistols remix) – 4:57
4. "Jeanne" (with Françoise Hardy) – 4:24

• French CD single

1. "Sexy Boy" (radio edit) – 3:51
2. "New Star in the Sky" (Chanson Pour Soleil) – 5:38

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Sexy Boy"

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[12]	68
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[13]	11
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14]	32
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[15]	20
France (SNEP)[16]	65
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[17]	27
Scotland (OCC)[18]	11
UK Singles (OCC)[19]	13
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[20]	22

Certifications

Certifications for "Sexy Boy"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Silver	200,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Sexy Boy"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	9 February 1998	12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Source Virgin	[22]
United States	16 February 1998	Alternative radio	Source Caroline	[23]

Covers

The Kinky Boyz (feat. Kia) covered "Sexy Boy" in 1999^[24] and this version was used in the UK TV series Queer as Folk also from 1999. Former Chemlab vocalist Jared Louche covered "Sexy Boy" with The Aliens for his 1999 solo debut Covergirl.^[25] The song was later covered by Franz Ferdinand and appears as a B-side to the single "Walk Away". "Sexy Boy" was also covered by German artist Nena on her 2007 cover album Cover Me. It was also covered by the French group Plastiscines on their 2014 album Back to the Start.

A newly scored orchestral version of the track was released in December 2010, under the artist "The Fallen Angels". The orchestra and choir arrangement was created by composer Roger Neill, who has been a long-time collaborator with Air since his extensive work on their 2001 album 10,000 Hz Legend. This version of the track is featured in a television advertising campaign for Lynx in the UK and Axe in the US and Europe.

References

1. Potter, Jordan (2022). "The 10 best hangover cure albums". Far Out.
2. Shapiro, Peter (2003). "Air". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
3. Mason, Stewart. "Air, Sexy Boy: song review". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
4. "The Story Behind Every Song On Air's 'Moon Safari'". Stereogum. 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
5. Fulton, Nick (2019-02-05). "what would the soundtrack to '10 things i hate about you' sound like now?". VICE. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
6. Courtney, Kevin (6 February 1998). "Single of the Week". Irish Times.
7. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 January 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
8. Mulvey, John (17 January 1998). "Air: Moon Safari / Kid Loco: A Grand Love Story". NME. p. 38. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
9. Beevers, Andy (24 January 1998). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 4. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
10. "Best singles". Sunday Mirror. 8 February 1998.
11. "Billboard Video Monitor (Feb 21, 1998)". Google Books. 21 February 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
13. "Air – Sexy Boy" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 9. 28 February 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
15. "Air: Sexy Boy" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
16. "Air – Sexy Boy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
17. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (29.1–5.2. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 13 February 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
20. "Air Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
21. "British single certifications – Air – Sexy Boy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
22. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 7 February 1998. p. 31.
23. "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2192. 13 February 1998. p. 50.
24. "Discogs - Kinky Boyz - "Sexy Boy" CD listing". Discogs.
25. Steininger, Alex (July 30, 2020). "Jared Louche and the Aliens: Covergirl". In Music We Trust (26). Retrieved July 30, 2020.