Sexy Boy (Air song)

"Sexy Boy"
Single by Air
from the album Moon Safari
Released	9 February 1998
Recorded	1997
Genre	Dream pop
Length	4:57
Label	Caroline
Songwriter(s)	Air
Producer(s)	Air
Air singles chronology
"Sexy Boy" (1998) "Kelly Watch the Stars" (1998)
Music video
"Sexy Boy" on YouTube

"Sexy Boy" is a song by French music duo Air, released in 1997 as the debut single from their first album, Moon Safari (1998). It is noted for allowing the band, and French dance music more generally, to break through to British and American markets. The song peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was also a top-20 hit in Finland and a top-30 hit in Iceland.

Critical reception

British newspaper Sunday Mirror rated the song ten out of ten, writing, "Dotty french duo come up with the best single of the year so far. Sounds like Kraftwerk meeting Daft Punk and going for a picnic with Aqua."

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sexy Boy", directed by American film and music video director Mike Mills, shows the members of Air in New York City. They see a toy monkey on the street and immediately enter a fantasy in which the monkey is a giant and flies off to the Moon. Meanwhile, the members of Air are still in New York and other people see them playing with the toy monkey around the United Nations headquarters and in Central Park. The fantasy scenes are shown in colorful animation and the scenes in real life are shot in black-and-white live action. The music video went into rotation on JBTV.

Track listings

• US CD single

1. "Sexy Boy" (radio edit) – 3:51
2. "Sexy Boy" (Sex Kino Mix by Beck) – 6:33
3. "Sexy Boy" (Cassius Radio Mix) – 4:33
4. "Sexy Boy" (Étienne de Crécy & the Flower Pistols remix) – 4:57
5. "Jeanne" (with Françoise Hardy) – 4:24

• UK CD single

1. "Sexy Boy" (radio edit) – 3:51
2. "Sexy Boy" (Cassius Radio Mix) – 4:33
3. "Sexy Boy" (Étienne de Crécy & the Flower Pistols remix) – 4:57
4. "Jeanne" (with Françoise Hardy) – 4:24

• French CD single

1. "Sexy Boy" (radio edit) – 3:51
2. "New Star in the Sky" (Chanson Pour Soleil) – 5:38

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Sexy Boy"

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	68
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)	11
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)	32
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	20
France (SNEP)	65
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)	27
Scotland (OCC)	11
UK Singles (OCC)	13
US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)	22

Certifications

Certifications for "Sexy Boy"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Use in media

• The American television series I Love the '90s: Part Deux.
• The American romantic-comedy film 10 Things I Hate About You.
• The British television series Queer as Folk.
• The British television series Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, in the Series 3 episode "The Sandgate Hotel".
• The British dark comedy radio programme Blue Jam, in Series 2 Episode 2.
• Norwegian teen drama Skam.
• Norwegian NRK series "EXIT" (2019).
• Netflix series "Sex Education", in Season 2, Episode 2 (2020).
• The Canadian mystery comedy-drama film The Kid Detective.

Covers

Former Chemlab vocalist Jared Louche covered "Sexy Boy" with The Aliens for his 1999 solo debut Covergirl. The song was later covered by Franz Ferdinand and appears as a B-side to the single "Walk Away". "Sexy Boy" was also covered by German artist Nena on her 2007 cover album Cover Me. It was also covered by the French group Plastiscines on their 2014 album Back to the Start.

A newly scored orchestral version of the track was released in December 2010, under the artist "The Fallen Angels". The orchestra and choir arrangement was created by composer Roger Neill, who has been a long-time collaborator with Air since his extensive work on their 2001 album 10,000 Hz Legend. This version of the track is featured in a television advertising campaign for Lynx in the UK and Axe in the US and Europe.