WILLOW

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Hey mom, I met a boy
He plays guitar
He likes Quentin Tarantino
And really sad songs
Anxiety attacks when he wakes up in the morning
And I can't help the thought he thinks I'm boring
'Cause I come from a cluster of super bright stars
And probably to him it feels scary to reach that far
But down on Earth there's so much pain
But way up here we explore galaxies

[Verse 2]
Hey mom, I met a boy
He's super sad
But I think that I love him
Is that bad?
Anxiety attacks when I wake up in the morning
Dude, how come? This is wack
Is love just torment?
But they say life has a silver lining
And I say I will find it my way
'Cause down on Earth theres so much pain
And way up here there's galaxies

[Verse 3]
Hey God, are you there? I need to talk
I'm feeling love is here and then is not
We hysterically cry when we wake up in the morning
Could you please tell us why life feels like torment?

Do you remember the feeling of your first love? That heart-clenching and stomach-twisting emotion that takes over your whole being? That's exactly what Willow Smith captures in her single Boy. The track, which features on her sophomore album The 1st, is a heart-warming conversation between Willow and her mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith, about the first boy she ever fell in love with.

About Boy

Willow Smith's Boy is the perfect track to encapsulate all the feelings that come along with the teenage experience of falling in love for the first time. Released in 2017, it was the lead single from her second studio album, The 1st.

The song starts with a phone conversation between Willow and her mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith, about a boy that Willow has fallen in love with. Jada Pinkett-Smith is not just Willow’s mother; she is also an established Hollywood actress who has been married to award-winning actor, Will Smith, for more than twenty years. The conversation Willow has with Jada Pinkett-Smith is sweet, funny, and incredibly relatable for young adults who are falling in love for the first time.

Willow's soft vocals and the mellow instrumental background draw out the depth of feelings that come along with her first love. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, conveying all the heart-warming feelings of romance. Lines like "I am in love with you/You are in love with me too" are stunning in their sheer simplicity and yet still reflect the intensity of teenage love.

Musically, Boy is a stripped-down track with a focus on the vocals and a guitar that's reminiscent of early 2000s indie pop. It's a beautiful example of Willow's songwriting capabilities, and how she has come to embrace a more stripped-down approach to music.

Willow's inspirations for Boy, like most of her other music, stem from her emotional experiences. In a 2017 interview with Dazed, Willow said that Boy was inspired by her first love and that the phone conversation with her mother at the start of the song was real. It’s moments like this in Willow's music that make her a relatable artist for her fans.

The music video for Boy is as simple as the song itself. In it, Willow sits in a car, singing along to the track while looking directly at the camera. The simplicity of the video serves as a great backdrop for the song, showcasing Willow's message at its core: the simplicity of first love and all the feelings that come along with it.

Takeaway

Boy by Willow Smith is a beautiful track that captures the essence of teenage love. Willow's stripped-down approach to the song ensures that the focus is on the vocals and, more importantly, the message conveyed by them. The melody and the lyrics are a testament to Willow's songwriting abilities, and it's no surprise that the song was such a hit with her fans. The intimate phone conversation with Jada Pinkett-Smith at the beginning of the song serves as a relatable and heart-warming intro to the emotions and feelings that follow. Altogether, Boy is a stunning example of Willow Smith's musical prowess.

• Release Date: October 31, 2017
• Artist: WILLOW