Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)

"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" is a song by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 17 January 2020 as the second single off of Sawayama's debut studio album Sawayama through the record label Dirty Hit. The song blends genres such as disco, dance, funk, house, electro house and synth-pop into a "clubby" record.[1] The song also received a music video.

"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)"
Single by Rina Sawayama
from the album Sawayama
Released17 January 2020
Genre
Length3:01
LabelDirty Hit
Songwriter(s)
  • Bram Inscore
  • Nicole Morier
  • Rina Sawayama
Producer(s)Bram Inscore
Rina Sawayama singles chronology
"STFU!"
(2019)		 "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)"
(2020)		 "XS"
(2020)
Music video
"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" on YouTube

On 21 February, a remix of the song, featuring Brazilian singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar was released.[2]

Background

When discussing the track's lyrical content, Sawayama stated, "When I was writing this song I wanted on one hand to lyrically explore the idea of people having to adopt negative male tropes to appear confident, whilst on the other sonically paying homage to the early 2000s dance tracks that made me feel confident. The idea that the socially acceptable version of confidence is in acting "like the boys," otherwise as a woman you get called a bitch - but in the club, we reclaim the word "bitch" as a sign of ultimate confidence ("yes bitch," "work bitch"). I wanted to sit these two together and make a club fashion banger that makes you feeling like THAT bitch whoever you are".[3][4] The track was originally inspired by a conversation about "the arrogance of would-be presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke".[5]

Composition

"Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" is a "pulsating" and "couture-wielding" disco,[6][7][8] dance,[6] funk,[9] house,[10][11] electro house[12] and synth-pop[13] track which features lo-fi production, influences of Eurodance,[7] "fat" bass,[14] "bouncy" synths, a "glitzy" beat[15] and a tempo of 119 beats per minute.[16] Lyrically, it is a "chill celebration of true confidence" and criticizes the social expectation "how people, regardless of gender, are often expected to only express confidence in conventionally masculine ways".[17]

The production of the remix, handled by Brazilian DJ Brabo, is "infectious" and features a "club-ready" beat and "experimental" synths, as well as a bridge from Vittar.[2]

Music video

On 26 February 2020, the music video for "Comme des Garçons" premiered on YouTube.[18] Directed by Eddie Whelan,[19] the video is "90s-inspired"[20] and shows the singer "dressed in stereotypically male clothing [...] being scanned and examined in a space-age lab, before transforming into a high fashion look and being literally propped up by throngs of men surrounding her in a multicolored landscape".[6] Sawayama explained the idea behind it, stating, "We wanted to make a music video that’s got humour, movement and is essentially a fashion film that combined the visual worlds of Hype Williams, Hiroyuki Nakano, and Boris Vallejo".[20]

Track listing
  • Digital download[21]
  1. "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" – 3:01
  • Digital download – Brabo Remix[22]
  1. "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" [Brabo Remix] (featuring Pabllo Vittar) – 3:42
  2. "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" – 3:01
  3. "STFU!" – 3:23

References
  1. Schatz, Lake (17 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama announces debut album SAWAYAMA, maps out "The Dynasty Tour"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. Stephen, Daw (21 February 2020). "Rina Sawayama Recruits Pabllo Vittar For Infectious Brabo Remix of 'Comme Des Garçons': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. Strauss, Matthew (17 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama Announces Tour and Debut Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  4. Shaffer, Claire (17 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama Announces Debut Album, Shares Pulsing Club Track 'Comme Des Garçons'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. "Rina Sawayama on Her Wildly Eclectic and Disarmingly Personal Debut Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. Daw, Stephen (17 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama Follows Up Album Announcement with Space-Age Video for 'Comme Des Garçons': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  7. Jones, Austin (17 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama Finds Confidence in Disco on "Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)," Announces Debut Album". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  8. Holland, Luke (24 January 2020). "Tracks of the week reviewed: Soccer Mommy, BTS, Moby". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  9. Maicki, Salvatore (2 March 2020). "Hear Rina Sawayama skewer late capitalism on her new single "XS"". The FADER. Retrieved 4 March 2020. ...the couture-wielding funk of "Comme des Garcons," [...]
  10. Ingvaldsen, Torsten (20 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama Announces Long-Awaited Debut Album 'SAWAYAMA'". Hypebeast. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  11. D'Souza, Shaad (17 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama drops "Comme des Garçons," announces debut album and tour". The Fader. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  12. Krol, Charlotte (14 April 2020). "Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA – Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  13. Feeney, Nolan (9 June 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far): Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  14. Vagnoni, Danny (30 January 2020). "Rina Sawayama Channels Early 2000s Swagger in Her Drippingly Confident "Comme Des Garçons"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  15. Jagota, Vrinda (28 February 2020). "Family Portrait: Rina Sawayama". DIY. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  16. "BPM for "Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) by Rina Sawayama". songbpm. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  17. Cook, Elisabeth (12 February 2020). "Rina Sawayama Continues to Defy Pop Conventions". dorkaholics. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  18. Rina Sawayama (26 February 2020). "Rina Sawayama - Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)". YouTube. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  19. Leung, Gabrielle (26 February 2020). "Rina Sawayama Exudes Masculine Confidence in New "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys)" Visuals". Hypebeast. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  20. Megarry, Daniel (26 February 2020). "Rina Sawayama unveils Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) music video". Gay Times. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  21. "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys) — Single by Rina Sawayama". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  22. "Comme Des Garçons (Like the Boys) [Brabo Remix] — Single by Rina Sawayama". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
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