Fell In Love With A Boy

Album: The Soul Sessions (2003)
Charted: 18
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Joss Stone was only 16 years old when she covered "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes. Stone switched the song's pronouns and transformed it from an erratic garage-rock number into a sultry, soulful ode to teenage desire that propelled her to fame in 2003.
  • While this cover divided White Stripes fans, Jack White appreciated it. In an interview with Q in 2007, Stone said The White Stripes even recreated her arrangement of the song at their concerts. "He told me he loved it and that when he plays it live, he plays my version rather than his own!" Stone said. "How's that for approval! Cool bloke, Jack White!"
  • The Roots frontman Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson produced the song and played drums on the track. "Ahmir is the coolest person. He's so nice! I love him," Stone enthused to Pop Entertainment in 2003.
  • "Fell In Love With A Boy" features backing vocals from R&B legends Angie Stone and Betty Wright.
  • Speaking to MTV in 2003, Stone said she was initially unsure how to make this cover her own. "When I first heard it, I was like, 'I don't know how this is going to be soulful,'" she said. "But then Betty put down the scratch vocal, and the Roots kind of messed it up a little bit, which sounded really cool."
  • The music video shows Stone and her band performing in a packed blues club. Nzingha Stewart directed the clip. While she got her start in music videos, Stewart has gone on to become a successful television director, helming popular shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Daisy Jones & the Six.
  • Stone isn't the only artist to put a distinctive spin on "Fell In Love With A Girl." On his 2003 album Poodle Hat, parody mastermind Weird Al Yankovic recorded a polka-style version of the song as part of his "Angry White Boy Polka" medley.
  • In 2020, Stone did, indeed, fall in love with a boy: former marine Cody DaLuz. The couple moved to Nashville and had two children: Violet Melissa (2021) and Shackleton Stoker (2022).
  • "Fell In Love With A Boy" was issued as the lead single from Stone's debut album, The Soul Sessions. The song reached #18 in the UK, and although it didn't chart in the US, The Soul Sessions gradually gained an audience and became a sleeper hit in America, peaking at #39 on the albums chart on May 8, 2004, eight months after it was released.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.