When You're a Boy

Last updated
When You're a Boy
Susanna Hoffs When Youre A Boy.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 29, 1991
Recorded1990
Studio A&M Studios, Capitol Studios and Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California)
Genre Rock
Length45:07
Label Columbia
Producer David Kahne
Susanna Hoffs chronology
When You're a Boy
(1991)
Susanna Hoffs
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
New Musical Express 3/10 [2]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Sounds Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

When You're a Boy is the debut solo album by Susanna Hoffs. [3] It begins with the Billboard Top 40 single "My Side of the Bed", includes the track "Unconditional Love" (co-written by Cyndi Lauper), and ends with a cover of "Boys Keep Swinging", the 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno. The album's title comes from the lyrics to the latter. [7]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 83 on the US albums chart. [8]

Three singles were released from the album: "My Side of the Bed", "Unconditional Love", and "Only Love". The first two featured the non-LP B-side "Circus Girl".

Reception

Jimmy Nicol of Q gave the album four out of five stars and wrote, "An album which expands the Bangles' brief into undreamed of territories. She reveals herself to be a highly inventive composer, lyricist – and even humourist ... After all, how many other American pop stars embarking on a solo career would name their album after a late '70s English art-rock 45?" [3]

AllMusic's review was negative, giving it one and a half out of five stars, remarking that "Although the album was released in 1991, it sounds like bad mid-'80s music. Hoffs and the Bangles had a few catchy pop ditties; however, there are none to be found here." [9]

Track listing

Track listing for When You're a Boy
#TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Side of the Bed"Hoffs, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg 3:29
2."No Kind of Love"Hoffs, David Kahne, Scott Cutler, Ross Rice3:05
3."Wishing On Telstar" Robin Lane, Jimmy Cipolla4:11
4."That's Why Girls Cry"David Kahne, Juliana Hatfield, Hoffs3:59
5."Unconditional Love" Cyndi Lauper, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg3:51
6."Something New"John Hanes, Cary Sheldon, Hoffs, David Kahne3:52
7."So Much for Love"John Hanes, Pearl E. Gates, Peter Dunne, Hilary Hanes3:33
8."This Time"Steve Summers2:36
9."Only Love"Hoffs, Diane Warren 4:25
10."It's Lonely Out Here"Hoffs, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg3:52
11."Made of Stone"Jennfer Condos, Hoffs, David Kahne3:13
12."Boys Keep Swinging" David Bowie, Brian Eno 4:59

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart performance for When You're a Boy
Chart (1991)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] 67
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [11] 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [12] 51
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 29
UK Albums (OCC) [14] 56
US Billboard 200 [8] 83
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums [15] 74

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References

  1. AllMusic review
  2. Mulvey, John (30 March 1991). "Long Play". New Musical Express . p. 36.
  3. 1 2 3 Nicol, Jimmy (5 March 1991). "When You're A Boy review". Q Magazine. 55: 71.
  4. Duerden, Nick (6 April 1991). "Albums". Record Mirror . p. 17.
  5. Traitor, Ralph (30 March 1991). "Review: Susanna Hoffs – When You're a Boy (Columbia)" (PDF). Sounds . Peterborough: United Newspapers. p. 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022 via World Radio History.
  6. Hochmann, Steve (January 27, 1991). "Susanna Hoffs: When You're a Boy". p. C.62.
  7. Stitzel, Kelly (February 1, 2011). "Popdose Flashback '91: Susanna Hoffs, "When You're a Boy"". Popdose. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Susanna Hoffs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  9. Griggs, Tim. "When You're a Boy AllMusic Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved Dec 23, 2018.
  10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 130.
  11. https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Susanna Hoffs – When You're a Boy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Susanna Hoffs – When You're a Boy". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  15. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. LIV, no. 30. 9 March 1991. p. 24 via World Radio History.