Boyfriend (Big Time Rush song)

Background and composition

"Boyfriend" was written and produced by Lucas Secon while Wayne Hector, credited as Wayne Anthony Hector, also provided writing. In addition to writing and producing, Secon programmed and arranged the song while performing on drums and synthesizers. Recording sessions took place at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, headed by Rob Kinelski, and at Mux Music Studios in London, England, headed by Secon and Pete Hoffman, both of which mixed the song. Editing through ProTools was done by Hoffman. Mintman performed on the guitars, bass and keys, which was recorded at the Westlake Recording Studios. "Boyfriend" was released as Big Time Rush's debut single on February 8, 2011, through digital distribution. A week later, on February 15, 2011, Columbia Records serviced the song featuring Snoop Dogg to contemporary hit radio and the version featuring the New Boyz to rhythmic crossover in the United States. On April 19, 2011, a new version of the song featuring the New Boyz was released for digital distribution.

"Boyfriend" is an uptempo pop song that utilizes styles of dance-pop, hip-hop and teen-pop. The song features the use of monochromatic beats, condensed instrument sounds, layered and tuned vocals and autotune. According to the digital music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is composed in a key of E major. It is set in common time and has a moderate 4 tempo of 80 beats per minute. The band's vocals range from E₃ to B₅. It begins with a basic sequence of A-E-F#m-E and transitions to F#m-G#m-C#m as it chord progression. The song features rap verses from Snoop Dogg and the New Boyz. The lyrics pertain to being the ideal boyfriend for someone, indicated in lines like, "I don't care at all what you've done before, all I really want is to be your boyfriend."

Critical response

"Boyfriend" received a generally mixed response from contemporary music critics. Matt Collar of Allmusic called the "head-bobbin'" tune one of the album's highlights. Jessica Dawson of Common Sense Media called the song a "catchy single" that "lingers in your head, with the boys pouting, "B-b-boy-boy-boy-boy-boyfriend," and the tune's easy, hip-pop rhythm." Dawson also commented, " No doubt fans will be wishing the guys were singing to them", awarding the song a three star rating. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian praised Snoop Dogg's verses, commenting that they add "pizzazz" to "an otherwise anodyne dance-pop tune." Alistair McGeorge of Female First called it a "safe, by-the-numbers pop track that heavily relies on over-production and autotone." Brandon Soderberg of Popdust gave "Boyfriend" a three star rating, commending Snoop Dogg for providing a contrast to the "oddball charm" he presents on his guest features on pop songs. Soderberg credited Snoop Dogg for "inject[ing] specificity into an otherwise pretty ordinary song" and further praised his verses for their placement, writing that they provide "a crucially rewarding sense of narrative."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Boyfriend" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number seventy-nine in the issue dated March 12, 2011. The song ascended and descended on the chart for several weeks before reaching its peak at number seventy-two in the issue dated May 7, 2011. "Boyfriend" shipped over 500,000 copies in the United States, earning a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also peaked at number thirty-two on the Pop Songs chart and at number fifty-eight on Hot Digital Songs. Across Europe, "Boyfriend" fared better on the charts. In Austria, the song peaked at number fifty-five on the singles chart. In Germany, the song debuted at number fifty-one and rose to number forty-nine in the next week.

Music video

The video features with Snoop Dogg living in the year 2099, and inviting Big Time Rush from the present to perform and join a party from a portal. At the party, Kendall is drinking a futuristic drink with a girl, James is dancing with two girls outside, Logan is floating around with a girl outside on a light board, and Carlos is dancing with another girl. Solo shots of the boys performing the song and scenes of the entire group performing the song on a stage is intercut throughout the video. After Snoop Dogg performs his verse, he later waves good-bye and the group exit out of the portal into 2011. It currently has over 29 million views on YouTube as of October 3, 2016.

Track listing

1. "Boyfriend (feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:35

1. "Boyfriend (feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:35
2. "Boyfriend (Jump Smokers Remix Radio Edit feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:07
3. "Boyfriend (Album Version)" – 3:21
4. "Boyfriend (Video)" – 3:41

1. "Boyfriend (feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:35
2. "Boyfriend (Album Version)" – 3:21

1. "Boyfriend (feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:35
2. "Boyfriend (Album Version)" – 3:21
3. "Boyfriend (Video)" – 3:41

1. "Boyfriend (Jump Smokers Remix Radio Edit feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:07
2. "Boyfriend (Jump Smokers Remix Radio Edit)" – 2:52
3. "Boyfriend (Jump Smokers Remix Extended Version feat. Snoop Dogg)" – 3:33

Credits

Credits adapted from BTR liner notes, Columbia Records.