Toy Boy (song)

"Toy Boy" was Sinitta's first collaboration with producers Stock Aitken Waterman.{{Cite web |title=A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 25: Toy Boy on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ep-25-toy-boy/id1565879477?i=1000553082663 |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-AU}} In his book, Simon Cowell claims to have come up with the song idea for "Toy Boy", coining the phrase "toy boy" which described older women dating considerably younger guys.{{cite book |first=Simon |last=Cowell |title=I Don't Mean To Be Rude But... |publisher=Ebury Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-09-189828-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/idontmeantoberud0000cowe }} However, this is contradicted by writer/producer Mike Stock in his book The Hit Factory: The Stock Aitken Waterman Story as he claims that his inspiration came from the fact that Sinitta herself at the time was dating a younger man. It was inspired by a tabloid newspaper article about the singer's love life, and Sinitta wrote the rap.

Max Bell from Number One complimented the song's "clever wordplay".{{cite magazine|first=Max|last=Bell|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/50184241842/in/album-72157715344654967/|title=Albums|work=Number One|date=30 January 1988|page=33|access-date=12 March 2023}} Maggi Farran of British magazine Music Week described "Toy Boy" a "great dance track that only a corpse could ignore" which she attributed to PWL team's work, while noting Sinitta's great look and voice.{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1987/Music-Week-1987-07-18.pdf |title=Singles |first=Maggi |last=Farran |magazine=Music Week |date=18 July 1987 |page=22 |via=World Radio History |access-date=10 September 2023}} When reviewing the parent album, Nancy Culp from Record Mirror considered that songs like "Toy Boy" "can hardly taken seriously, and certainly have no pretensions whatsoever to being state of the art. They're plain and simple, and just good fun".{{cite magazine |last=Culp |first=Nancy |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/87/Record-Mirror-1987-12-19.pdf |title=Albums |magazine=Record Mirror |date=12 December 1987 |page=16 |location=London |publisher=Spotlight Publications Ltd.|via=World Radio History |issn=0144-5804 |access-date=31 October 2023}} When reviewing the Sinitta! album, Richard Lowe of Smash Hits called "Toy Boy", along with "GTO", "splendidly trashy classics".{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1988/Smash-Hits-1988-01-13.pdf |title=Albums |magazine=Smash Hits |volume=10 |issue=1 |date=13–26 January 1988 |last=Lowe |first=Richard |page=42 |issn=0260-3004 |via=World Radio History |access-date=14 November 2023}} Retrospectively, in a 2015 review of the parent album, the Pop Rescue website called "Toy Boy" an "exceptionally catchy, bouncy and fun" song.{{cite web|title= REVIEW: "SINITTA!" BY SINITTA (CD, 1987) |publisher= Pop Rescue |date= 4 March 2015 |url= https://poprescue.com/2015/03/04/pop-rescue-sinitta-sinitta-cd-1987/ |accessdate= 30 October 2023}}

"Toy Boy" entered the UK chart at number 41 on 25 July 1987, reached number four for consecutive three weeks in August 1987, staying on the charts for 14 weeks, six of them in the top ten, and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry. It was thus Sinitta's second most successful single in terms of peak position and number of weeks on the charts, after "So Macho". The song was the 27th best-selling single of 1987 in the UK, selling more than some number ones from that year. In Ireland, it missed the top ten by one place and charted for six weeks there. In Continental Europe, "Top Boy" peaked within the top five in three nations, attaining number three in Switzerland and Greece, and number four in Finland. In Germany and Denmark, it peaked at number nine and spent 13 weeks on the German chart, was a top-15 hit in both Sweden and the Flanders region of Belgium, and a top-25 hit in the Netherlands and Spain. On the overall Eurochart Hot 100 compiled by the Music & Media magazine, it started at number 91 on 8 August 1987, climbed until number nine in its ninth week, and remained on the chart for 15 weeks. It was not much aired on radios and appeared for only four weeks on the European Airplay Top 50, with a peak at number 43. Outside Europe, "Toy Boy" was well-received on the US dance charts, peaking at number 19, reached number 13 in New Zealand where it charted for 11 weeks, but barely made the top 50 in Australia.

• 7" 1 single[http://www.discogs.com/Sinitta-Toy-Boy/release/625582 discogs.com]

1. "Toy Boy" - 3:25
2. "Toy Boy" (Instrumental) - 4:56

• 7" 2 single[http://www.discogs.com/Sinitta-Toy-Boy/release/1569770 discogs.com]

1. "Toy Boy" - 3:25
2. "Toy Boy" (Extended Rap Version) - 3:50

• 12" single[http://www.discogs.com/Sinitta-Toy-Boy/release/744258 discogs.com]

1. "Toy Boy" (The Extended Bicep Mix) - 7:36
2. "Toy Boy" - 3:25
3. "Toy Boy" (Instrumental) - 4:56

• US 12" single[http://www.discogs.com/Sinitta-Toy-Boy/release/741411 discogs.com]

1. "Toy Boy" (The Extended Bicep Mix) - 7:36
2. "Toy Boy" (The Extended British Mix) - 7:00

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Toy Boy"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Sinitta|title=Toy Boy|award=Silver|relyear=1987|certyear=1987|id=7732-1452-1|access-date=5 September 2023|refname="UKcert"}}

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Category:1987 singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman

Category:Sinitta songs

Category:Songs written by Mike Stock (musician)

Category:Songs written by Matt Aitken

Category:Songs written by Pete Waterman

Category:1987 songs

Category:Fanfare Records singles