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Ariana Grande is giving the people what they want. While sitting down with Zane Lowe for an Apple Music 1 interview posted Thursday (March 7) — just one day ahead of the release of her new album Eternal Sunshine — the 30-year-old pop star explained how one of her new songs, “The Boy Is Mine,” finds her taking on the role of a “bad girl” for her fans’ listening pleasure.
“It’s kind of like, okay, ‘I’ll play the bad girl, here’s your bad girl anthem,’” Grande told Lowe, noting that another song, “True Story,” sets listeners up for “The Boy Is Mine.”
The Grammy winner also touched on the track’s obvious callback to Brandy and Monica’s iconic smash of the same name, which ruled atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks in 1998. “I love that song,” Grande said. “I’ve always wanted to reimagine that song in some kind of way.”
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“I kind of was like, ‘This is a very bad idea, I think, but there is a large group of my fans that really, they do love a bad girl anthem,’” she continued. “And this is kind of an elevated version of that.”
The Victorious alum also confirmed that “The Boy Is Mine” will feature cannibalized parts of “Fantasize,” an unreleased track that leaked — and promptly went viral — on TikTok last year. “I kind of gave them Ariana’s version of that on the album,” she previously told Zach Sang of the reworked ’90s-inspired jam. “They’re completely different now. So although you’ve heard them — because [someone] stole them — they’re very different now.”
Grande has only released one single ahead of Eternal Sunshine: “Yes, And?,” which earned the singer her eighth career No. 1 on the Hot 100 in January. One could argue that she plays the “bad girl” a little bit on that track as well, with lyrics such as, “Your business is yours and mine is mine/ Why do you care so much whose d-ck I ride?”
Watch Grande’s Apple Music 1 interview above.
Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer — a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single — by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late Steve Lawrence by looking at his sole No. 1 hit, the richly melodic but lyrically problematic “Go Away Little Girl.”
Steve Lawrence’s “Go Away Little Girl” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1963 — becoming the biggest hit for the smooth, romantic singer, who died on Thursday (March 7) at age 88 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
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It was the fourth No. 1 in just under two years for legendary songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King, following The Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” Bobby Vee’s “Take Good Care of My Baby” and Little Eva’s “The Loco-Motion.”
“Go Away Little Girl” is easily the least “rock and roll” of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ volley of four No. 1’s. The song showcases King’s melodic strengths, though Goffin’s lyric has not aged well. The lyric consists of a young man telling a young woman to stay away from him, so he won’t be tempted to betray his steady girlfriend by kissing her. (He calls her a “little girl,” which doubtless comes across as more patronizing — or worse — today than it did at the time.)
The most attractive aspects of the recording are the loping gait, which suggests a horse trotting around a track; the double-tracked lead vocal; and the modulation on the bridge: “When you’re near me like this/ You’re much too hard to resist.”
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Vee, who had taken “Take Good Care of My Baby” to No. 1 in September 1961, was the first to record “Go Away Little Girl” (in March 1962). His version was not released as a single and the song landed with Lawrence, who was a 10-year veteran at that point. Lawrence had landed his first hit in 1952 with a cover version of Bing Crosby’s 1944 hit “Poinciana.”
Lawrence was 26 when “Go Away Little Girl” was a hit. But “Go Away Little Girl” isn’t really an adult song. It is, rather, a song about “young love and first crushes,” as Lawrence’s son David Lawrence said in the PBS documentary Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé: Memories of My Mom & Dad.
In that same doc, which premiered on Dec. 2, 2023, David Lawrence noted that his father could sing light pop songs like “Pretty Blue Eyes” (a top 10 hit in January 1960) and “Go Away Little Girl,” and also sing more sophisticated, jazz-accented fare like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” “He could sort of position his voice in more of a pop arena and then turn around and swing like nobody’s business,” David recalled. “That’s that I find most impressive – he’s so versatile.”
If “Go Away Little Girl” was lightweight material for a singer of Lawrence’s age and vocal abilities, why was it such a big hit? It’s a pretty song, with a lovely melody and a warm vocal — and in early 1963, a year before The Beatles electrified the music business, that was often enough to get you to No. 1.
Lawrence had had a string of three consecutive top 10 hits on the Hot 100 in 1960-61 (“Pretty Blue Eyes,” “Footsteps” and “Portrait of My Love,” the latter first recorded by British singer Matt Monro), but his recording career had cooled in 1962. He released three songs that didn’t make the top 40, followed by two that didn’t even make the Hot 100.
Lawrence signed with Columbia Records in 1962 after stints on King, Coral, ABC-Paramount and United Artists. His first release for Columbia wasn’t much of a hit: “The Lady Wants to Twist,” a trendy twist/swing number written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, “bubbled under” the Hot 100 at No. 120.
So, it wasn’t really a surprise when “Go Away Little Girl” entered the Hot 100 in the bottommost rung in the week ending Nov. 10, 1962. But the song quickly made up for that slow start: It vaulted from No. 41 to No. 20 in the week ending Dec. 8, then made the top 10 the following week. In the week ending Jan. 12, 1963, it reached No. 1, dislodging the Tornadoes’ instrumental smash “Telstar,” a three-week leader. “Go Away Little Girl” remained on top for two weeks before being dislodged by the Rooftop Singers’ folk ballad “Walk Right In.”
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Goffin and King also wrote several follow-up singles for Lawrence, including “Poor Little Rich Girl,” “Walking Proud,” “I Want to Stay Here” and “I Can’t Stop Talking About You” (the latter two were credited to Steve & Eydie).
Lawrence had five more top 40 hits on the Hot 100 after “Go Away Little Girl,” though he never returned to the top 20. His last Hot 100 hit was “We Can Make It Together” in 1972, a collab with his wife and The Osmonds.
A 1966 remake of “Go Away Little Girl” by The Happenings, released as the follow-up to their smash “See You in September,” reached No. 12 on the Hot 100. The peppy record echoes the hit sound of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons.
In September 1971, less than nine years after Lawrence’s single topped the Hot 100, a remake of the song by Donny Osmond also reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, making it the first song to top Billboard’s flagship songs chart by two different artists. Just eight other songs have subsequently equaled that feat – and no other pair of songs has reached No. 1 in such quick succession.
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Osmond was 13 when “Go Away Little Girl” was a hit, making the song more age-appropriate for him than it had been for Lawrence. Osmond tweaked the lyric from “I belong to someone else and I must be true” to “I’m dating somebody else – I must be true.” Apparently, 13 was deemed too young by some in Osmond’s camp to “belong to someone else.”
While “Go Away Little Girl” was Lawrence’s biggest hit single, it wasn’t his most lasting claim-to-fame. He is better-known and remembered for his role in popularizing such standards as “More” and “I’ve Gotta Be Me” and for his long decades-long partnership with his wife, Eydie Gormé. The couple did some of their best work on a string of classy TV specials in the 1970s celebrating the music of George & Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. They won a Primetime Emmy in 1979 for Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin, which featured Carol Burnett, Sammy Davis Jr. and jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
Travis Kelce is becoming the Eras Tour’s No. 1 groupie. Amid Taylor Swift‘s second batch of shows in Singapore, fans are certain that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has made his way overseas to be with his superstar girlfriend. Though Kelce has not yet been photographed in the country, some Swifties have noticed that […]
Ariana Grande is just hours away from releasing her long-awaited seventh record Eternal Sunshine, a concept album partially inspired by the sci-fi romantic drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 posted Thursday (March 7), the 30-year-old pop star opened up about her love for […]
Ariana Grande is one of pop’s biggest trend-setters, in music and beyond. From her sky-high ponytail — which has been dyed a rainbow of different hues over the years — to her long sweatshirt sleeves and thigh-scraping boots, the singer has carved out a style that’s just as singular as her R&B-infused pop anthems or […]
NewJeans brought the fun to Billboard’s Women in Music event on Wednesday night (March 6), where they took the stage to perform a high-energy mash-up of “OMG” and their viral hit, “Super Shy,” before accepting the Group of the Year award. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Selena Gomez can turn her love on, but trust that she can also turn it right off.
In a funny video shared to TikTok on Thursday (March 7), the 31-year-old singer/actress passed along some advice on how to get over a crush, featuring some moral support from her Only Murders in the Building co-star Steve Martin.
In the clip, Gomez mouths along to a hilarious audio on set while adjusting her hair in the view finder, while the Pink Panther actor watches her curiously from his seat in the background. “If you have a crush on a guy, don’t worry,” the Rare Beauty founder lip-syncs as Martin smiles behind her. “Just get to know him and it’ll go away.”
Gomez then turns around and walks out of the room while the 78-year-old grins at the camera.
“Feat. Steve Martin lol,” she wrote in her caption.
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The fourth season of Only Murders — starring Gomez and Martin, along with Martin Short — is currently in production, with Hulu recently announcing that Kumail Nanjiani is joining the cast. The Wizards of Waverly Place alum’s new TikTok appears to have been filmed while the main trio was shooting season 3, based on the fact that the gold dress she wears in the clip was featured in the 10th episode of the show’s latest installment.
Gomez and Martin previously hung out together in January at the 2024 Emmys, where Only Murders was nominated for best comedy series (the award ended up going to FX’s The Bear). The “Single Soon” singer brought her boyfriend, producer Benny Blanco, as her date to the ceremony, marking one of the couple’s first major public outings.
On the music side of things, the multi-hyphenate is fresh off the release of her new single “Love On,” which debuted at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated March 9.
“I try not to read too much into things, but I think the whole idea was to make a song that felt good,” she recently told Billboard of the track. “I feel like I’m in such a light and happy place, and that’s reflected in the song.”
See Gomez’s TikTok with Martin below.
Alex Rodriguez was in total dad mode at Olivia Rodrigo’s concert Wednesday night (March 6). After working all day, the 48-year-old sports broadcaster rallied his energy to make one of his teenage daughter’s dreams come true by taking her to the Guts World Tour stop in Miami, which he documented in a relatable Instagram video.
“All right I’ve been filming all day, I’ve never been more tired,” he says in the clip as he and 15-year-old Ella, whom Rodriguez shares with Cynthia Scurtis, walk to their seats in Kaseya Center. “Now I’m at a Rodrigo …”
After Ella reminds him of the “Drivers License” singer’s first name, the former Yankees star continues, “… [an] Olivia Rodrigo concert surrounded by 22,000 teenage girls, and all I wanna do is go to sleep.”
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“Oh man, here we go, here goes nothing,” he adds. “Wish me luck — Rodrigo here we go!”
The video then cuts to Rodriguez and his daughter enjoying the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series alum’s performance of her Guts lead single “Vampire,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks last summer. “POV: Life as a Teenager’s Dad,” the retired athlete wrote in text over the clip. “Rodrigo is pretty good TBH.”
On Instagram, Rodriguez – who also shares 19-year-old daughter Natasha with Scurtis — added in his caption, “Props @oliviarodrigo… I won’t mess up your name next time 😂.”
Rodrigo’s first-ever arena tour kicked off Feb. 23, and has so far seen the Grammy winner play shows in Phoenix, three cities in Texas, New Orleans and Orlando in addition to Miami. Next, she’ll take the trek to Spectrum Center in Charlotte Friday (March 8) before setting up shop at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville the day after.
Rodriguez’s clip was posted the same day Rodrigo poked fun at a viral TikTok in which the creator mistakenly called her by the former shortstop’s last name. “Olivia Rodriguez, the li’l Mexican girl that be crying,” the apparently confused user said in their video, which the singer, who is of Filippino descent, then recreated while biting into a Guts-themed Crumbl cookie.
Watch Rodriguez take his daughter to the Guts World Tour below.
Former Fifth Harmony members Dinah Jane and Ally Brooke were on the carpet and ready to talk at Wednesday night’s (March 6) Billboard Women in Music 2024 event, with both women offering a tantalizing tease about a potential return by the “Worth It” group. Asked if the X Factor-created quintet — which also featured Lauren […]
Bolstered by acts like Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan and Luke Combs, country music in 2023 experienced its biggest growth spurt in more than 30 years — way back when Garth Brooks soared to superstardom. Already, this year seems on track to continue that explosion, as country stars and pop icons alike are capitalizing on the genre’s recent boom.
In February, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with her galloping hit, “Texas Hold ’Em,” from her upcoming Act II, expected to be a full-on country album, out March 29. Post Malone has teased a duet with Combs on social media and written with other genre stars including Wallen and HARDY for his upcoming country album. And Lana Del Rey — who declared that her fall album, Lasso, will be a country set — recently posted a snippet of a song that she worked on with noted Nashville songwriter-producer Luke Laird.
CMT senior vp of music strategy and talent Leslie Fram views the influx as a sign of “overwhelming respect for the storytelling and the songwriting in Nashville,” but predicts that noncountry artists taking up slots at terrestrial country radio “is going to be a major topic of conversation … If [a core country artist] has spent 30 to 50 weeks trying to climb up a chart and, all of a sudden, they’re replaced by someone who is not in the genre, I do believe there will be concerns.”
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However, Simon Tikhman, co-founder of The Core Entertainment, which manages Nickelback and country upstarts Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith, sees the possible radio displacement as a good sign overall. “We were on a call with Nate’s Sony team talking about adds at radio, and No. 1 was Beyoncé and No. 2 was Nate,” he says, adding that The Core Entertainment co-founder Kevin “Chief” Zaruk “and I were like, ‘This is amazing that she sees what’s going on over here.’ She’s as brilliant as a performer gets, and she wants to be part of this. It just goes to show how powerful the genre is right now.”
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As Alan Jackson famously sang in his 1994 hit, “Gone Country,” for decades, any artist who released such music but who hadn’t moved to Nashville or put in the time building a country audience and courting country radio was considered a carpetbagger. But now, many insiders see it as a sign that borders between genres have fallen and that country’s recent surge in popularity has made it extremely appealing to artists who have fallen in love with the music, too.
And unlike in the past, when artists might explore country only as their pop career dwindled, today’s infiltration and interest are coming from names at the peak of their pop prowess. “It isn’t like the heritage artists before that wanted to do a country record. These are artists at the top of their game,” Fram says. Olivia Rodrigo attended Megan Moroney’s Los Angeles show last year and posted photos backstage together. And in November, Post Malone made his debut performance at the Country Music Association Awards.
Plus, fandom aside, it’s smart business. “The pop labels are seeing the success of a Morgan Wallen,” Sony Nashville chairman/CEO Randy Goodman says of the country superstar, whose smash “Last Night” and album One Thing at a Time logged the most weeks of any song or album on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 last year, respectively. He adds: “The biggest female artist in the world is Taylor [Swift], who started in country. I don’t think that’s lost on any of the labels.”
Range Media Partners co-founder Matt Graham, whose company manages Jack Harlow, Midland and Saweetie, believes the pop transplants could help expand country’s global audience. “It’s good for making the genre international,” he says, noting that acts like Wallen and Combs have already helped country grow worldwide. “This has the potential to blow that wide open.” He predicts streaming numbers for country artists, which were already up nearly 24% year over year in 2023 domestically, according to Luminate, will “drastically” increase this year and beyond.
And the genre-flipping isn’t just flowing one way: Country artists are finding success in other formats, too. Combs had a massive crossover hit with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” and Wallen topped Billboard’s year-end Streaming Songs Artists chart, the first time a country act had achieved the feat. Meanwhile, Jelly Roll and HARDY — both of whom are considered primarily country artists — reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock and Hard Rock charts, respectively.
Like 21-year-old Rodrigo, younger music listeners don’t “put music in a box,” Zaruk says, noting Zimmerman’s November duet with the Jonas Brothers. “For years, country fans didn’t really listen to hip-hop and rap and rap fans were not listening to country,” he continues. “We’re genreless now.”
This story will appear in the March 9, 2024, issue of Billboard.