That's the Way Boys Are

About That's the Way Boys Are

"That's the Way Boys Are" is a song written by Mark Barkan and Ben Raleigh and initially sung by Lesley Gore and released in 1964 as a single and on Gore's 3rd album Boys, Boys, Boys. The single reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, being kept out of the top 10 by songs by British Invasion bands The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five. The song was produced by Quincy Jones and arranged by Claus Ogerman. Music critic William Ruhlmann called the song "a well-crafted reflection from a sympathetic and understanding female perspective on the obtuse mating habits of boys. " Author Richard Aquila noted that the lyrics "voice the era's acceptance of sexual double standards," in contrast with the theme of Gore's previous single, "You Don't Own Me". Aquila regards "That's the Way Boys Are" as one of several examples of Lesley Gore songs that regard women as dependents or passive objects, along with earlier singles "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn to Cry." Musicologist Walter Everett described the song as one of the many 1960s sexist songs that "perpetuated a boys will be boys tolerance for male but not female infidelity." Music critic Greil Marcus also remarked on the way "That's the Way Boys Are" backs off from the "proto-feminist manifesto" of "You Don't Own Me" to a message of "he may treat you like garbage, but they're all like that, and we love 'em for it!" Rulmann described the music as "a bouncy, contemporary sound that compared favorably to the Phil Spector Wall of Sound style without being as ornamented."Subsequent to its initial release, "That's the Way Boys Are" has been released on compilation albums including The Golden Hits of Lesley Gore in 1965, It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology in 1996, Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows: The Best of Lesley Gore in 1998, 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection in 2000 and The Ultimate Collection 1963-1968: Start the Party Again in 2005. It has also been included on multi-artist compilation albums such as Growin' Up Too Fast: The Girl Group Anthology in 1996 and Mad Men: A Musical Companion (1960-1965) in 2011."That's the Way Boys Are" was covered by Y Pants. Greil Marcus commented that the Y Pants version has more tension than Lesley Gore's version, and that the Y Pants version starts with a sad, sweet a cappella vocal but progresses to horrible screaming. more »

Year:

2000

2:16

77 Views

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When I'm with my guy and he watches all the pretty girls go by
And I feel so hurt deep inside, I wish that I could die
Not a word do I say
I just look the other way
'Cause that's the way boys are
That's the way boys are

When he treats me rough and he acts as though he doesn't really care
Well, I never tell him that he is so unfair
Plus, he loves me and I know it
But he's just afraid to show it
'Cause that's the way boys are
That's the way boys are

Oh, when he wants to be alone
I just let him be
'Cause I know that soon enough
He will come back to me

When we have a fight
I think that I won't see him anymore
Then before I know it, there he is
Standin' at my door
Well I let him kiss me then
'Cause I know he wants me back again
That's the way boys are
Yes, that's the way boys are

Oh, I love him
Well now, that's the way boys are
I said that's the way boys are

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Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore (born May 2, 1946) is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. more »

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