?"Boyfriend" by Best Coast
The opening track from Bethany Cosentino's debut Best Coast album "Crazy for You," "Boyfriend" is a low-fi surf-rock song about the perfect guy -- someone who causes her to wait by the phone all night. However, the man she sings about happens to be taken by another woman, someone she perceives as skinnier, smarter and prettier. "I wish he was my boyfriend," Cosentino sings in the chorus. "If only I could get her out of the picture."
"My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels
This 1963 hit song by girl group The Angels was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks in a row. The song tells a story about a girl whose boyfriend is out of town, when another man attempts to romance her. She turns him down, which causes the man to spread rumors that she cheated on her significant other. But as the hook explains, "My boyfriend's back, and there's gonna be trouble." The boyfriend of the song is portrayed as protective, and looking to teach this other guy a lesson. She warns, "If you see him running, you better cut out on the double."
"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," by the Ramones
From the Ramone's 1976 debut album, the legacy of their pop-punk anthem "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" lies in its simplicity. Clocking in a little over two minutes, the lyrics reflect the sentiment of the title, and not much more. As the singer courts a "sweet little girl," the refrain "I wanna be your boyfriend" is rings throughout the song. "Do you love me babe? What can I say?" For the Ramones, there is nothing else to say -- he wants the girl, and that's that.
"I'm Not Gonna Teach your Boyfriend how to Dance with You" by Black Kids.
This 2008 song describes a girl's boyfriend from the perspective of another man, specifically the girl's close friend. Here the setting is key -- a dance party. As referenced in the title, the protagonist's friend and her boyfriend don't seem to be compatible on the dance floor. "He's got two left feet, and he's biting my moves," howls singer Reggie Youngblood. What's worse, he's in love with the girl too and knows how to cut a rug.