BLONDIE - GOOD BOYS

Publicació: 11 d'agost de 2003

Llistes: Regne Unit: #12

"Good Boys," llançada l’agost del 2003, va servir com a únic single del seu vuitè àlbum d'estudi, "The Curse of Blondie" (2003). El senzill es va publicar en diversos formats, incloent-hi dos CDs i un vinil en maxi-single. El CD 1 incloïa versions en directe de "Maria" i "Rapture", juntament amb el videoclip dirigit per Jonas Åkerlund. El CD 2 incloïa un remix de Giorgio Moroder, mentre que el maxi-single presentava remixos de Giorgio Moroder, Arthur Baker i Scissor Sisters.

La cançó va assolir èxit comercial, arribant al número set a la llista dels Billboard Hot Dance Club Play dels Estats Units i arribant al número 12 al Regne Unit. A Austràlia, on el senzill va coincidir amb la gira de la banda el 2003, va arribar al número 37, marcant el seu primer èxit dins dels 40 millors des de "Island of Lost Souls" el 1982. "Good Boys" va ser el darrer single de la carrera de Blondie.

L'ús per part de Debbie Harry de lletres similars a les de "We Will Rock You" de Queen a la secció de rap va fer que posteriorment Brian May fos acreditat com a coautor. Tot i que les lletres no són idèntiques, presenten semblances, provocant preocupació de Queen sobre una possible infracció de drets d'autor. La lletra en qüestió de "Good Boys" és "You got me on your face / A big disgrace / Shakin' your feathers all over the place", mentre que la lletra corresponent de "We Will Rock You" és "You got mud on your face / You big disgrace / Kicking your can all over the place". Aquesta similitud va portar a discussions i a l'admissió de crèdits eventuals.

El videoclip de "Good Boys", dirigit per Jonas Åkerlund, presenta una combinació de seqüències en blanc i negre i en color. Comença amb una pantalla de títol al estil del cinema mut que presenta la banda, la cançó i el director. Debbie Harry apareix amb una perruca morena, interpretant una mestressa de cerimònies que condueix la banda en un ambient circense vintage. El vídeo alterna entre aquesta escena de circ i una narrativa dramàtica que implica un pallasso que és posat en una gàbia amb un tigre i posteriorment atacat. També hi ha una versió del vídeo on Harry apareix sense la perruca morena.

"Good Boys" ha rebut elogis de diverses publicacions, incloent-hi Billboard, la revista Classic Pop i The Guardian. Ashley Zlatopolsky, en un retrospectiva de Billboard del 2017, la va descriure com "potser el senzill més eclipsat de Blondie", assenyalant-ne la qualitat tant en la lletra com en el videoclip musical. Alexis Petridis, de The Guardian, la va classificar entre les millors cançons de Blondie, elogiant-ne la tornada i la línia de baix, mentre que Jacob Wilson de Classic Pop la va anomenar "una gran oblidada", agraint el videoclip musical i els remixos de Giorgio Moroder. Tant Zlatopolsky com Petridis van especular que la cançó hauria estat un èxit si s'hagués llançat en una dècada anterior.

BLONDIE - GOOD BOYS

Released: August 11, 2003

Charted:  UK: #12 

"Good Boys" released on August 2003, served as the only single from their eighth studio album, "The Curse of Blondie" (2003). The single was released in various formats, including two CDs and a 12-inch vinyl. CD 1 featured live versions of "Maria" and "Rapture," along with the music video directed by Jonas Åkerlund. CD 2 included a remix by Giorgio Moroder, while the 12-inch vinyl featured remixes by Giorgio Moroder, Arthur Baker, and Scissor Sisters.

The song achieved commercial success, reaching number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and peaking at number 12 in the United Kingdom. In Australia, where the single coincided with the band's 2003 tour, it peaked at number 37, marking their first top-40 hit there since "Island of Lost Souls" in 1982. "Good Boys" marked Blondie's final single.

Debbie Harry's use of lyrics similar to Queen's "We Will Rock You" in the rap section led to Brian May being credited as a co-writer later on. Although the lyrics are not identical, they bear resemblance, prompting concerns from Queen about potential copyright infringement. The lyrics in question from "Good Boys" are "You got me on your face / A big disgrace / Shakin' your feathers all over the place," while the corresponding lyrics from "We Will Rock You" are "You got mud on your face / You big disgrace / Kicking your can all over the place." This similarity led to discussions and eventual credit acknowledgment.

The music video for "Good Boys," directed by Jonas Åkerlund, features a mix of black and white and color footage. It begins with a silent film-style title screen introducing the band, the song, and the director. Debbie Harry appears wearing a brunette wig, portraying a ringmaster leading the band in a vintage circus setting. The video alternates between this circus scene and a dramatic narrative involving a clown being placed in a cage with a tiger and subsequently attacked. There is also a version of the video where Harry appears without the brunette wig, adding a different visual element to the production. 

"Good Boys" has received acclaim from various publications, including Billboard, Classic Pop magazine, and The Guardian. Ashley Zlatopolsky, in a 2017 Billboard retrospective, described it as "perhaps Blondie's most overshadowed single," noting its quality in both lyrics and the music video. The Guardian's Alexis Petridis ranked it among the best Blondie songs, praising its chorus and bassline, while Classic Pop's Jacob Wilson called it "a forgotten high," appreciating the music video and the Giorgio Moroder remixes. Both Zlatopolsky and Petridis speculated that the song would have been a hit if released in an earlier decade.