"Girls Like Girls" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter
Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft (born April 3, 1991) is an American singer, dancer and actress. As a child model and actress, she appeared in a variety of films including ''Scooby-Doo!'' film series (2009–2010), '' Lemonade Mouth'' (2011), '' Blue Lagoon ...
for her second extended play ''
This Side of Paradise
''This Side of Paradise'' is the debut novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1920. It examines the lives and morality of carefree American youth at the dawn of the Jazz Age. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive ...
''. The song was released with a music video as the second single on June 24, 2015, directed by Kiyoko and Austin S. Winchel.
Composition
"Girls Like Girls" is written by Kiyoko along with
Owen Thomas and Lily-May Young; with production handled by
James Flannigan. The concept of the song is based around writing about subjects that may not be in the spotlight.
In an interview in ''
Us Weekly
''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...
'', Kiyoko stated: "I loved the idea of how all these guys always are stealing other guys’ girls and I was like, ‘There’s no female anthem for a girl stealing another guy's girl,' and that is the coolest thing ever,
Girls Like Girls' hasbecome a universal video that brings out different kinds of emotions for different kinds of people."
Music video
A music video, directed by both Kiyoko and Austin S. Winchell was released in August. It stars her ''
Jem and the Holograms
''Jem'', also known as ''Jem and the Holograms'', is an American animated musical television series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The series is about record company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, and the adventures of Jem and her ...
'' costar
Stefanie Scott
Stephanie Noelle Scott (born December 6, 1996) is an American actress and singer. Scott began acting with the comedy film '' Beethoven's Big Break'' (2008), and thereafter released her debut extended play ''New Girl in Town'' (2009). This was fol ...
in the main role of Coley as the love interest of Sonya (played by
Kelsey Chow
Kelsey Asbille Chow (born September 9, 1991) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Mikayla in the Disney XD sitcom ''Pair of Kings'', and as Monica Long in the TV Series '' Yellowstone''. From 2005 to 2009, she had a recurring rol ...
).
The music video itself caused a big impact on microblogging website
Tumblr
Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
and eventually went viral, reaching more than 145 million views.
Synopsis
The music video follows Coley and Sonya as they realize their love for each other extends beyond friendship. The clip opens with Coley looking sad as she rides a bike through a suburban neighborhood with cuts on her face. Coley gets the cuts after Sonya's boyfriend catches them almost kissing by the pool and physically assaults her in a rage. Before the altercation takes place, Coley and Sonya hang out as friends. They smoke together at Sonya's house and Coley watches adoringly as Sonya dances freely in an outdoor open space. They exchange knowing looks and long stares as they change into swimsuits before the pool party. Another day, as Sonya is sitting by the pool, Coley approaches her and sits by her. They try to kiss, but Sonya's boyfriend assaults them. After Coley is hit by the boyfriend, she jumps on him as he yells at Sonya and continues punching him until Sonya manages to tear her off of him. The two finally kiss, and the video concludes with Coley riding happily on her bike in the same suburban neighborhood from the first scene.
Critical reception
In 2019, ''
Billboard'' included the song in its list of the "30 Lesbian Love Songs".
Track listings
*Digital download (Remixes)
#"Girls Like Girls" (Jenaux Remix) – 3:53
#"Girls Like Girls" (Oski Remix) – 3:44
#"Girls Like Girls" (Kuga Remix) – 2:56
#"Girls Like Girls" (Vali Remix) – 3:45
Certifications
References
{{authority control
2015 songs
Electropop songs
Hayley Kiyoko songs
Lesbian feminist mass media
Lesbian-related songs
2015 singles