"Hey Boy" is a song by English pop group

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

. It was released through

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

on 16 October 2015 as the fourth single from the seventh studio album, '' III,'' originally released in 2014, although this song only appears on the 2015 Edition. The song was written by

and produced by

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and contributed to five songs that pe ...

and features

Mark Owen Mark Owen (born 27 January 1972) is an English singer and songwriter best known for being a member of pop group and band Take That; as of 2024, the group have sold 14.4 million albums and 14 million singles in the UK. In Owen's solo career, he h ...

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having writ ...

and

Howard Donald Howard Paul Donald (born 28 April 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer, pianist, dancer, DJ and record producer. He is a member of the pop group Take That. He was also judge on the German reality talent show ''Got to Dance'' from 20 ...

on lead vocals.

Background

On completion of Take That's sell out European tour, Take That Live 2015, the band announced they would be re-releasing their number one-album, '' III'', with 4 new songs. "Hey Boy", one of these new songs, was announced as the fourth single from the album in advance of the record. The single follows an electro-pop style that the band adopt in ''III'' with Howard Donald describing the single as the "most excited" he has been about a release in a "long time".

Live performances

Take That performed the single live for the first time on the day it was released to radio on 16 October 2015. The band performed the single on

TFI Friday ''TFI Friday'' (Thank Four it's Friday) is an entertainment show that was broadcast on Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker, and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five ...

, the first time the band had played on the show.

Music video

The music video for "Hey Boy" was filmed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and features the band dressed up as 70s pop stars walking through the streets and into a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

while performing the song.

Critical reception

The single received positive reviews upon its release, with Entertainment Focus calling it "an 80s influenced track featuring chunky synths and a big chorus." The ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' called it "uptempo and catchy" continuing by saying that "'Hey Boy' is in the same vein as the winning formula of '

These Days These Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below) ** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album * ''These Days'' (Crystal Gayle album), 1980 * ''These ...

', the song that brought us all onto the dancefloor at weddings this summer." The review concluded by stating that "it has a driving bassline and lyrics to sing along with in the car. What's not to love?"

Personnel

– co-lead vocals *

– co-lead vocals

Track listing

*;Digital download #"Hey Boy" – 3:43 *;UK CD single # "Hey Boy" – 3:43 ;Other versions * 7th Heaven Club Mix – 7:38 * 7th Heaven Radio Edit – 3:54

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hey Boy 2015 songs 2015 singles Take That songs Pop ballads Music videos shot in the United States Songs written by Gary Barlow Songs written by Mark Owen Songs written by Howard Donald Polydor Records singles Songs written by Jamie Norton Songs written by Ben Mark Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin