My Top 1000 Songs #748: Boy

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.] 

Yeah, I'm mostly a guitar-bass-drums kinda guy. But when "Boy" came out (as a 1985 single and then on Book Of Love's self-titled 1986 debut LP), it was a great way to break up my radio show, a little synth-pop to intersperse with all the jangle pop & post-punk guitar rock that dominated my playlists. Plus, it was nice to show a little love to a (mostly) girl group, something that was still a relative rarity at the time (outside the Bangles and Go-Go's).

While definitely of its moment, some late-period new wave electronica, I've been surprised to find my love of the song undiminished. Maybe the lyrics, or the vocals; probably the ringing sound of church bells.

12" remix (from the era when every song with a steady beat had a 12" remix):

Live 1989:

Performance at the SF Pride festival 2019 (starting around 14:25 into the set):