"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 UK, and as the B-side to "Anotherloverholenyohead" in the US.
Following the smash success of its predecessor "Kiss", "Girls & Boys" peaked at number 11 in the UK, 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, saying "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 the 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 Wendy & Lisa, and Susannah Melvoin. Sheila E. is not in it.
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.
Last Updated: June 12, 2021
