Girls & Boys (4:51)

“Girls & Boys” was released as the lead single from the band’s third album Parklife, on 7 March 1994. Charting at number five in the UK Singles Charts, “Girls & Boys” was Blur’s first top 5 hit. In the United States, it reached number fifty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number four on the Modern Rock songs chart.

The video, directed by Kevin Godley, featured Blur performing this song to a backdrop of people on 18-30 package holidays (which the band interspersed into the video). Kevin branded the video as “Page 3 rubbish” while Blur found it “perfect”. The front cover of the single was taken from a pack of Durex condoms.

The single release also includes a remix of the track by Pet Shop Boys, who later covered the track live on tour in 1994.

In 2003, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke confessed that he wished he had written the song.

In 2007, electronic band Blaqk Audio released a cover of the song as a Hot Topic exclusive bonus track for their debut album CexCells. Around that time, perhaps beginning in mid 2006, the song saw a resurgence in popularity in the American Indie Music Scene, being played a lot at dance clubs.

Upon the song’s release, it was a comeback for the band, who had had a lean commercial period for a couple of years. The song even surpassed the band’s past commercial peak by three spots.

The song is included on two compilations albums, Blur: The Best of and Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur.

The song was covered by the French singer Mélanie Pain in her 2008 album My Name.