"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" is the fourth song and second single from Rina Sawayama's debut studio album Sawayama. It was released on 17 January 2020 through the record label Dirty Hit. The song blends genres such as disco, dance, funk, house, electro house and synth-pop into a "clubby" record.[1] The song also received a music video.
On 21 February, a remix of the song, featuring Brazilian singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar was released.[2]
Background and composition[]
When discussing the track's lyrical content, Sawayama stated, "When I was writing this song I wanted on one hand to lyrically explore the idea of people having to adopt negative male tropes to appear confident, whilst on the other sonically paying homage to the early 2000s dance tracks that made me feel confident. The idea that the socially acceptable version of confidence is in acting "like the boys," otherwise as a woman you get called a bitch - but in the club, we reclaim the word "bitch" as a sign of ultimate confidence ("yes bitch," "work bitch"). I wanted to sit these two together and make a club fashion banger that makes you feeling like THAT bitch whoever you are".[3][4] The track was originally inspired by a conversation about "the arrogance of would-be presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke".[5]
"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" is a "pulsating" and "couture-wielding" disco,[6][7][8] dance,[6] funk,[9] house,[10][11] electro house[12] and synth-pop[13] track which features lo-fi production, influences of Eurodance,[7] "fat" bass,[14] "bouncy" synths, a "glitzy" beat[15] and a tempo of 119 beats per minute.[16] Lyrically, it is a "chill celebration of true confidence" and criticizes the social expectation "how people, regardless of gender, are often expected to only express confidence in conventionally masculine ways".[17]
The production of the remix, handled by Brazilian DJ Brabo, is "infectious" and features a "club-ready" beat and "experimental" synths, as well as a bridge from Vittar.[2]
Music video[]
Background[]
On 26 February 2020, the music video for "Comme des Garçons" premiered on YouTube.[18] It was directed by Eddie Whelan.[19]
Credits[]
| Directors | Eddie Whelan |
| Creative director | Ben Ditto |
| Director of photography | Jaime Ackroyd |
| Set design | Thomas Bird |
| Editing | Jamie O'Donnell |
| Post-production | Cut+Run |
| Production | My Accomplice |
| Primary styling | Danielle Emerson |
| Secondary styling | Marissa Baklayan |
| Primary hair stylist | Yusuke Moriota |
| Secondary hair stylist | Gregg Lennon |
| Primary make-up | Ana Takahashi |
| Secondary make-up | Calvin Chan |
| Choreography | Ryan Chappell |
| Additional filming | Chester Lockhart |
| Primary makeup | Tomomi Shibusawa for Shiseido Makeup |
| Secondary makeup | Ana Takahashi |
Synopsis[]
The "90s-inspired" video[20] shows the singer "dressed in stereotypically male clothing [...] being scanned and examined in a space-age lab, before transforming into a high fashion look and being literally propped up by throngs of men surrounding her in a multicolored landscape".[6] Sawayama explained the idea behind it, stating, "We wanted to make a music video that’s got humour, movement and is essentially a fashion film that combined the visual worlds of Hype Williams, Hiroyuki Nakano, and Boris Vallejo".[20]
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Behind the scenes[]
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Live performances[]
"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" was part of the regular set list of the Dynasty Tour, which began on 8 November 2021 in Dublin, Ireland.
Track listing and formats[]
Digital releases[]
|
Label: Dirty Hit Format: Digital download, streaming Released: 17 January 2020 Catalog #: N/A Barcode: N/A Photography: N/A Design: Samuel Burgess-Johnson, Arc Justice |
|---|
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Comme des Garçons (Like The Boys)" | 3:01 |
- Brabo Remix
|
Label: Dirty Hit Format: Digital download, streaming Released: 21 February 2020 Catalog #: N/A Barcode: N/A Photography: N/A Design: Samuel Burgess-Johnson, Arc Justice |
|---|
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)" (Brabo Remix) | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)" | 3:01 |
| 3. | "STFU!" | 3:23 |
Lyrics[]
Official[]
Can I just record you doing that?
Is it on?
Ooh, I woke up today
Had to wash my fears away again
Ooh, I'm feeling okay
It's just another day to pretend
I'm done waiting, anticipating
Keep going and going (Going and going)
Yeah, I'm just in it, born to win it
Keep going and going
Comme des garçons (Woo!)
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Excuse my ego, can't go incognito
Every time you see me, it's like winning big in Reno
Don't fuck with me, ho, take you down like judo
Make it rain, I'm taking names from London to Meguro
Yeah, yeah
Oh, girl, it's okay
You should never be ashamed to have it all
Yeah, yeah
It's gonna be okay
Yeah, you've come a long way
Comme des garçons (Woo!)
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Hot like a fever, make you a believer
Write my name up in the sky from Paris to Shibuya
Miu Miu, Prada, Mugler, Virgil, Ross, Nicola
Elevate your vision when you put me on the cover
Comme des garçons (Woo!)
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident (Woo!)
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
Bravo x Pabllo Vittar remix[]
Rina Sawayama & Pabllo Vittar
Excuse my ego
Can't go incognito
Every time you see me
It's like winning big in Reno
Don't fuck with me, hoe
Take you down like judo
Make it rain
I'm taking names from London to Meguro
It's the remix, baby
Rina Sawayama and Pabllo Vittar
Rina Sawayama
Ooh, I woke up today
Had to wash my fears away, again
Ooh, I'm feeling okay
It's just another day to pretend
Ooh, I woke up today
Had to wash my fears away, again
Ooh, I'm feeling okay
It's just another day to pretend
I'm done waiting, anticipating
Keep going and going (Going and going)
Yeah, I'm just in it, born to win it
Keep going and going
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Excuse my ego
Can't go incognito
Every time you see me
It's like winning big in Reno
Don't fuck with me, hoe
Take you down like judo
Make it rain
I'm taking names from London to Meguro
Pabllo Vittar
Yeah, oh, girl, it's okay
You should never be ashamed to have it all
Yeah, it's gonna be okay
Yeah, you've come a long way
Rina Sawayama & Pabllo Vittar
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Rina Sawayama
Hot like a fever
Make you a believer
Write my name up in the sky
From Paris to Shibuya
Miu Miu, Prada, Mugler
Virgil, Ross, Nicola
Elevate your vision
When you put me on the cover
Rina Sawayama & Pabllo Vittar
Comme des garçons
Like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Comme des garçons
Like the boys, like the boys
Comme des garçons
I'm so confident
Rina Sawayama & Pabllo Vittar
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
I'm so confident, I'm so confident
I'm so confident
References[]
- ↑ Rina Sawayama announces debut album SAWAYAMA, maps out "The Dynasty Tour"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rina Sawayama Recruits Pabllo Vittar For Infectious Brabo Remix of 'Comme Des Garçons': Listen
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Announces Tour and Debut Album, Shares New Song: Listen
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Announces Debut Album, Shares Pulsing Club Track 'Comme Des Garçons'
- ↑ Rina Sawayama on Her Wildly Eclectic and Disarmingly Personal Debut Album
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rina Sawayama Follows Up Album Announcement with Space-Age Video for 'Comme Des Garçons': Watch
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rina Sawayama Finds Confidence in Disco on "Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)," Announces Debut Album
- ↑ Tracks of the week reviewed: Soccer Mommy, BTS, Moby
- ↑ Hear Rina Sawayama skewer late capitalism on her new single "XS"
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Announces Long-Awaited Debut Album 'SAWAYAMA'
- ↑ Rina Sawayama drops "Comme des Garçons," announces debut album and tour
- ↑ Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA – Review
- ↑ The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far): Staff Picks
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Channels Early 2000s Swagger in Her Drippingly Confident "Comme Des Garçons"
- ↑ Family Portrait: Rina Sawayama
- ↑ BPM for "Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) by Rina Sawayama
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Continues to Defy Pop Conventions
- ↑ Rina Sawayama - Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)
- ↑ Rina Sawayama Exudes Masculine Confidence in New "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)" Visuals
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Rina Sawayama unveils Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) music video
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| Dirty Hit • 2020 |