Boy Girl
by U2

Album: U23 (1979)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • One of U2's first songs, they played this at many of their early shows. The song was included on U2's first release, U23, a single available only in Ireland in 1979 which also contained "Out Of Control" and "Stories For Boys." Now a collector's item, only 1000 copies were pressed. Unlike "Out Of Control" and "Stories For Boys," this song did not make it onto their first album, Boy.
  • The lyrics deal with bisexuality. It helped U2 gain a large gay following.

Comments: 2

  • Beau from Phoenix, Az"One of the first things that the Virgin Prunes wrote, was something we did with U2, a song called 'Sad'. I don't think it was ever recorded by either band. We had collaborated on that, and we took that forward with 'Boy-Girl'. We took that title and wrote two separate songs. Ours was dealing with bi-sexuality and that gender-bending thing, where they were talking about a more onventional form of love, with a strong boyhod-to-manhood theme going down." - Gavin Friday.

    Therefore, the website is partially correct.
  • Rob from Orem, UtI believe steph got it right. There is nothing in this song that steers the mind toward bisexuality. If you are going to call youself song"facts" you better be factual and not "opinion". Find a quote by Bono that states the theme of this song. That would be a fact. It has to supported.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

John Waite

John WaiteSongwriter Interviews

"Missing You" was a spontaneous outpouring of emotion triggered by a phone call. John tells that story and explains what MTV meant to his career.