Like a Boy

"Like a Boy"
Single by Ciara
from the album Ciara: The Evolution
B-side
ReleasedFebruary 13, 2007 (2007-02-13)
StudioChalice Studios (Los Angeles, California)
GenreR&B
Length4:00
LabelLaFace
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Calvo Da Gr8, Ciara Harris, The Clutch
Ciara singles chronology
"Promise"
(2006) 		"Like a Boy"
(2007) 		"Promise Ring"
(2007)
Music video
"Like A Boy" on YouTube

"Like a Boy" is a song performed by American singer Ciara for her second album Ciara: The Evolution (2006). Written by Ciara, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, J. Que, Ezekiel Lewis, and Calvin Kenon, it is the third release in the U.S. and second single in Europe (see 2007 in music).

The release was confirmed in a MTV News article and chosen before polling ended for Ciara's second single on her official myspace page, being picked over "That's Right" and "Can't Leave 'Em Alone". Although the single was a moderate hit, it failed to match the success of its North American predecessor. It was solicited to mainstream urban radio on February 13, 2007. The single was released in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2007.

Theme and composition

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"Like a Boy" which was written by Ciara, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, J. Que, Ezekiel Lewis, and Calvin Kenon.[1] details about double standards in society of how men in relationships can do certain things like staying out late, but when women do it is seen as disrespectful. According to Ciara, "it's a record for my women" and she had "a lot of girl talks". Ciara wanted to know what it would be like if "the roles were reversed". "It's a female-empowerment record".[2] The protagonist wishes to "act like a boy". The song is notable for its mixture of synthesized orchestral strings and hard-pounding hip-hop instrumental. Ciara also co-produced the song along with The Evolution track "My Love". In February 2022, Kelly Rowland revealed that the song was initially written for her according to the writers and the producers of the track in a radio interview with MNEK on Apple Music.[3][4]

Critical reception and promotion

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"Like a Boy" was well received by critics. Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that Ciara gives a "breathlessness delivering" and says the song is "intoxicating".[5] Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly wrote the song is "par excellence" and "stirring revenge fantasy".[6] Britain's Manchester Evening News published that the song has an "epic instrumental", "gymnastic style vocals", and "photocopied lyrics", but it is "guaranteed to be a smash hit in the U.S."[7] Chocolate Magazine published it is "one of her best tracks so far" and shows her mature side.[8]

YourSpins.com had a contest where fans had a chance to remix "Like a Boy" and meet Ciara, if the remix is saved.[9] On April 3, 2007, Ciara made an appearance on the reality show Dancing with the Stars, where she performed "Like a Boy". She did her famous matrix in a pair of high heels. While the song was at the height of its popularity Ciara's name was featured in a Sprint campaign along with Joss Stone and My Chemical Romance. On June 26, 2007, Ciara performed a medley of "Like a Boy" and "That's Right" at the 2007 BET Awards.

Chart performance

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On the issue dated March 17, 2007, "Like a Boy" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 81.[10] On the issue dated May 5, 2007, the single reached its peak position at number 19 on the chart. The song spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. The song also peaked at number six on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, giving Ciara her sixth top-ten single on the chart.[11] The song was ranked at number 68 on the Billboard Year End singles of 2007, and is the most successful year-end single from the album.[12] On September 6, 2019, the single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million digital copies in the United States.[13]

Internationally, the song achieved moderate success. In Sweden, the song debuted at number 19 and peaked at number 8 in its second week,[14] becoming her first top ten in the country. The song was also a top ten hit in other countries, peaking at number 8 in Belgium[15] and number 7 in Finland.[16] The song peaked within the top twenty in multiple countries as well, peaking at number 11 in Ireland,[17] number 16 in Switzerland,[18] and at number 20 in France.[19] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 35 from digital downloads alone. After the physical release, "Like a Boy" moved up twelve spots from number twenty-eight to sixteen, which became its peak position in the country.

Music video

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The music video for "Like a Boy" was directed by Diane Martel (credited as Ms. D), who also directed Ciara's "Promise" video. It was shot in late January, over a three-day period and edited by Paul Martinez. The video premiered on Yahoo! Music and BET's Access Granted on February 21, 2007.[20] The video received a "First Look" on MTV's TRL on February 23, 2007, and debuted at #10 on February 26, 2007, and peaked at #4. "Like a Boy" premiered on The Box on March 9, 2007. On March 8, 2007, it debuted on BET's 106 & Park at #8 and peaked at #1.[21] It peaked at #5 on the iTunes video charts. The song made number thirty-three on BET's Top 100 Video Countdown of 2007.

The black-and-white video begins with Ciara dressed like a boy sitting in a chair. She is sporting temporary tattoos and says, "2007. Ladies, I think it's time to switch roles." Next, Ciara confronts her boyfriend played by football player Reggie Bush throughout the video. During the first verse and chorus, Ciara dances with her male alter ego. The rest of the video, Ciara and female dancers, who are all dressed in more masculine styles, perform masculine choreography against a plain background. After the bridge, there is a breakdown and Ciara performs her famous matrix as in the "Goodies" video. The video version of the song features different edits from the album version.[22]

"Like a Boy" was nominated for "Best Choreography in a Video" (Choreog.-Jamaica Craft) at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, but the award was given to Justin Timberlake's "My Love" featuring T.I. The music video was also nominated for "Video of the Year" at the 2007 BET Awards, but lost to Beyoncé Knowles' "Irreplaceable." The video became widely popular, being viewed over 100 million times on VEVO, which is her most-viewed video.[23]

Formats and track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[55]
(Mastertone) 		Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[55] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Release Date
United States[56] February 20, 2007 (2007-02-20)
Germany March 30, 2007 (2007-03-30)
United Kingdom April 2, 2007 (2007-04-02)

References

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  1. ^ http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&keyid=8406077&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Ciara Says She And 50 Cent Are Not An Item" MTV News. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  3. ^ Sisavat, Monica (2022-02-22). "So, Ciara's "Like a Boy" Was Actually Written For Kelly Rowland". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  4. ^ "J. Que Smith Recalls Making 'Like A Boy' (R&B MONEY Podcast)". May 11, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Ciara: The Evolution About.com Review Archived 2010-06-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 29, 2007
  6. ^ Ciara: The Evolution Entertainment Weekly Review Retrieved March 29, 2007
  7. ^ Manchester Evening News review Retrieved April 20, 2007
  8. ^ Chocolate Magazine review Archived 2007-08-24 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 20, 2007
  9. ^ "Create Your Own Remix" Retrieved February 14, 2007
  10. ^ "Biggest Jump - Hot 100 - Week of March 17, 2007". Billboard. March 17, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  11. ^ "Ciara Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  12. ^ "Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2007". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
  14. ^ Steffen Hung. "Ciara - Like A Boy". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  15. ^ "Ciara - Like a Boy". Ultratop.
  16. ^ Steffen Hung. "Ciara - Like A Boy". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-09-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Ciara - Like a Boy - hitparade.ch".
  19. ^ Steffen Hung. "Ciara - Like A Boy". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  20. ^ "Like a Boy" Music Video Premiere Archived 2006-08-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 15, 2007
  21. ^ "Like A Boy" Chart Performance on 106 & Park Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Beyonce, Ciara Explain Why They Unleashed Inner Tomboys In New Clips Retrieved April 5, 2007
  23. ^ "Like A Boy - Ciara". Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  24. ^ "Ciara – Like a Boy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
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  26. ^ "Ciara – Like a Boy" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
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  29. ^ "Ciara: Like a Boy" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  30. ^ "Ciara – Like a Boy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  31. ^ "Ciara – Like a Boy" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  32. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  33. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Like a Boy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
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  35. ^ "Ciara – Like a Boy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
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  38. ^ "Ciara – Like a Boy". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  39. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  40. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  41. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  42. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  43. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  44. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  45. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  46. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  47. ^ "Ciara Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  48. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2007". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  49. ^ "UK Year-End Charts 2007" (PDF). The Official Charts Company. ChartsPlus. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  50. ^ "Urban Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week. January 12, 2008. p. 16. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  51. ^ "Hot 100 Songs - Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
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  53. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. 9 December 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  54. ^ "British single certifications – Ciara – Like a Boy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  55. ^ a b "American single certifications – Ciara – Like a Boy". Recording Industry Association of America.
  56. ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!". fmqb.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
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