Believe it or not, but it’s been 10 years since the release of Crazy for You, the acclaimed debut album from Best Coast. The indie duo will celebrate the milestone anniversary with a star-studded virtual performance of the LP next week. Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno are also sharing a new version of standout single “Boyfriend” today.
This revamped edition of “Boyfriend” features more inclusive pronouns so that it better resonates with everyone — not just people like Cosentino. According to the songwriter, she decided to update the track after realizing how much of an LGBTQ+ anthem it had become over the last decade.
She elaborated in a statement,
“Somewhere down the line, I started noticing that this song in particular seemed to be a bit of an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community. I would get tagged in social media posts of guys proposing to their boyfriends with the song in the background, I would get countless messages from Queer fans about how they put this song on a playlist for their crush and then their crush became their partner, I met lesbian and gay couples at shows who told me they had their first kiss to this song. Suddenly I realized that it had a whole new meaning than the one it did when I first wrote it. That is one of the most special parts of art – what the artist creates can be interpreted in so many different ways by the people who experience it – and the experience of this song through the eyes of the LGBTQ+ community of Best Coast fans, is truly the way I want it to be experienced.”
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Stream the 2020 rendition of “Boyfriend” below. It’s currently available only today as part of Bandcamp Friday, and all proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting queer youth.
Best Coast’s Crazy for You livestream officially goes down August 14th and promises appearances from Paramore’s Hayley Williams, CHVRCHES’s Lauren Mayberry, and Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, among others. The Los Angeles-based group released a new album called Always Tomorrow earlier this year. Purchase that record here, and for nostalgia’s sake, snag a copy of Crazy for You here.
Boyfriend is a gay anthem you heard it here first
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/lg4l8SgKQN— Best Coast (@BestCoast) June 14, 2020
Read Cosentino’s full statement on “Boyfriend” (2020):
“When I was 22 years old I wrote a song about a guy I was quite literally, obsessed with, called “Boyfriend.” This obsession took up a lot of my time and mental energy. In the decade since writing this song, I have had a lot of time to reflect on not only that obsession, but the way in which I have at times, glorified obsessive and toxic romantic relationships in my songwriting. This song in particular started to feel problematic to me around the time I really started working on myself at age 30. I would listen back to my lyrics and think about how much I was neglecting myself and how I made this guy the protagonist of my own life and story.
Somewhere down the line, I started noticing that this song in particular seemed to be a bit of an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community. I would get tagged in social media posts of guys proposing to their boyfriends with the song in the background, I would get countless messages from Queer fans about how they put this song on a playlist for their crush and then their crush became their partner, I met lesbian and gay couples at shows who told me they had their first kiss to this song. Suddenly I realized that it had a whole new meaning than the one it did when I first wrote it. That is one of the most special parts of art – what the artist creates can be interpreted in so many different ways by the people who experience it – and the experience of this song through the eyes of the LGBTQ+ community of Best Coast fans, is truly the way I want it to be experienced.
With all that being said, here is a new, reimagined version of “Boyfriend” that includes everyone. For today only, this version will be available to stream or buy on our Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to The Trevor Project, an organization that focuses on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. The core of Best Coast songs have always been about struggling with your identity while trying to keep your head above water, so I deeply care about any organization that focuses on mental health awareness.
Thank you so much to the people who have messaged me or told me their stories in person over the years – you are what inspired the new version of this song and I hope you enjoy it.”
“Boyfriend” (2020 Version) Artwork:
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