Stella Donnelly - 'Boys Will Be Boys' (Official Music Video) 

i wish someone would’ve hugged me instead all of them saying its my fault when i was just eight. years. old.

How have so many people misinterpreted this song? It's not saying that all males sexually assault women. It's just saying how when a woman (or a man) claims that someone has sexually assaulted them, we as a society have a tendency to say stuff like 'well she shouldn't have worn such revealing clothes' or 'how is a man supposed to control his desires'. 'Boys will be boys' isn't supposed to say that all males will rape your family. It's a common saying told to girls who have been teased by boys when they're young and is meant to dismiss their inappropriate behaviours as something boys just do. I personally have been told that if a boy annoys me, that must mean he likes me. It's just highlighting the effect of the messages that we tell young girls and boys.

"Would you blame your little sister, if she cried to you for help" Deep.

Almost 9 years ago, and I’m still scarred but this makes me feel less alone. Thank you 👏🏼

Cried the first time I heard this driving to work... Have fought back tears every time since. Beautiful, powerful stuff.

It's not an easy song to listen to, but I don't think the message could have been delivered any more perfectly. And the best part is it's still a really good song!

"A song is just a song but at the very least I hope it will open up difficult yet important conversations between family members, friends, government bodies, organisations and most importantly, boys and men." Your song is art and art is never "just", sometimes it is everything. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful work of art.

"you invaded her magnificence" *SHUDDERS*

This is such an important video because rape and sexual assault is something that happens and people ignore it, don't talk about it or even try to prevent it. There is lovely men in the world that would never ever do such things but the fact is there are men that do. Its common enough that I don't know a girl who doesn't have friends or herself hasn't been sexually assaulted. Its so important that we talk about this topic. I love all your music Stella xxxx

It's my 2 year anniversary, been on my mind everyday since. I had PTSD. Have it worse now, mostly of him. Happy anniversary to me

This comment section is a perfect microcosm of our rape culture as a whole. It really highlights the importance of a song like this.

Stella...you saved my life. Thank you.

[Lyrics] My friend told me of a secret Told me that she blames herself You invaded her magnificence Put your hand over her mouth Why was she all alone Wearing her shirt that low They said, "Boys will be boys" Deaf to the word no Your father told you that you're innocent Told you that women rape themselves Would you blame your little sister If she cried to you for help Why was she all alone Wearing her shirt that low They said, "Boys will be boys" Deaf to, deaf to Deaf to the word No, no, no, no Like a mower in the morning I will never let you rest You broke all the bonds she gave you Time to pay the fucking rent

what the fuck is with 457 dislikes ? some people got issues

Boys Will Be Boys is such a beautiful song with such an important massage, and this video truly lives up to the song's beauty in discussing such a confronting subject matter. What a truly groundbreaking masterpiece. Thanks for opening up my eyes

Years later and i still can't stop listening to this. Thank you for making it.

Well written lyrics. And so well sung. This song is like an open wound. Be proud of yourself, you deserve it.

I'm so glad I got to see this live a couple weeks ago. What a powerful song, I swear the whole crowd got goosebumps. I can't wait to see you get bigger and bigger, Perth represent!

every time i hear this song it makes me feel like crying. it’s perfect

My friend suggested me this song and then I heard it. Idk I felt really relieved and at peace hearing this song. I felt like I couLd feel the song diffusing into my Mind and my body. This song is the voice of every oppressed individual

My favorite song, so comforting anytime the flashbacks come and ruin my day, refusing to leave my head.

Not many songs stop you in your tracks. What a powerful a message, thank you Stella.

This song is already so intense but listening to it right after you've been in a disgusting situation is on another level

This song makes me cry so much

Your voice really is amazing! This is pure greatness. It makes me cry every time!!. Very moving lyrics. I love this song. SO much!

Wow, this is powerful and heartbreaking. We don't know how to deal with uncomfortable or tragic situations related to this subject and instead excel at isolating the already wounded person. I am very sorry for anyone experiencing anything on this spectrum of difficulty. And the rent line and it's placement is brilliant

it wasn't as strong as most of the comments here, but it still had an impact. I wish they had done something.

this song hit me in a way no one in my life understands and i am so thankful to feel heard

September 30th. Just know that it is not your fault and it will never be your fault. You didn’t deserve it. You’re still gold. I love you.

Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist brought me to this song. I love every note. Thank you, Stella Donnelly, for kicking ass. So glad I found this ❤

Her brother goes to my school and I fangirl whenever I see him lmao. Also this song is beautiful and deep and I love it

This song, Violence Out Tonight by Little Comets and Cherry Wine by Hozier are such important songs, especially for those who have experienced the horrendous injustices the songs highlight. It’s quite impressive how Stella shows the toxicity of the statement “Boys will be boys” and clearly shows the brushing off of inappropriate behaviour with the shrug-like dismissal that most don’t even think twice about. She’s definitely given me a whole new perspective and a wider lens.

Getting very confused with the amount of dislikes on female solo vocalists like this and other artists like Soccer Mommy - very baffling where these dislikes are coming from

This song was played on the radio after the female anchor spoke about her own experiences on the street as a reaction to the murder of Sarah Everard last week. I literally had to pull over and stop the car because I had tears in my eyes. What happened to decency? To kindness? Us men need to lead by example. Believe your female friends when they tell you about these things: they are not overreacting. Walk them home when they don't feel safe. Raise your goddamn voice when you see something suspicious happening and step in before it gets worse. If this had happened to somebody I knew, I don't know if I could have lived with it. Fuck this is devastating.

Oh my gosh I heard this song a long while ago but forgot the name and lost it I'VE FOUND IT such a beautiful and sad song

Such powerful, savage beauty. Says more than one hundred Weinstein articles.

people need to understand this song isn't one sided against men, it is a fact guys have more of a unhealthy sexual tendency than woman. Instead of being defensive, let's just let these troubled souls express themselves, it's okay

why are there any dislikes at all?

I just saw this on Rage. Fantastic song. Clear message.

hauntingly beautiful, thank you

i downloaded this song on apple music and i listen to it all the time. the 'boys will be boys' attitude is a big problem in society and this song portrays it really well and how it needs to be fixed asap

Here’s the thing, gentleman.... if you’re saying, “well, not all men...” you first missed the point. Second, you’ve probably also done something in your life once that seemed innocuous.... only for it to have left an impactful impression on a woman once. Truth is, society has allowed us boys and men to get away with a lot of shit. None of us, including myself, are innocent. We need to listen, gentleman. Instead of arguing and getting defensive... why don’t we listen? These women are our mothers, our sisters, cousins, best friends, girlfriends and wives. Let’s listen to them.

Beautiful song, thanks.

well I wasn't expecting to cry today but here I am. thrush metal is a wonderful ep, looking forward to whatever you put out next. :)

I get really saddened that all the women can relate, and comprehend each lyric so clearly... and most of the male commentators argue certain sentiments as they cannot get from A to C. Their rejections of "boys will be boys" unfortunately lacks that depth. But I guess when you don't have the direct lived experience of systemic objectification and appropriation that women have, how could you? I guess in that case you'd want to trust that women know what they are talking about and be god damn thankful that you don't have a clue.

"they said boys will be boys, deaf to the word no" Damn that's good lyric writing

전 당신의 노래가 좋아요 비록 가사가 잘 안들려도 감정은 저에게 닿으니까요♥

NME Magazine brought me here and I'm so thankful because this was beautiful

yup pitchfork brought me here... and wow what a song...

My friend told me of a secret Told me that she blames herself You invaded her magnificence Put your hand over her mouth Why was she all alone Wearing her shirt that low They said, "Boys will be boys" Deaf to the word no Your father told you that you're innocent Told ya women rape themselves Would ya blame your little sister If she cried to you for help Why was she all alone Wearing her shirt that low They said, "Boys will be boys" Deaf to, deaf to Deaf to the word No, no, no, no Like a mower in the morning I will never let you rest You broke all the bonds she gave ya Time to pay the fucking rent

what an absolutely moving song, truly

Amazing, combining such sweet sounding melodies and vocals with such topical and hard-hitting lyrics that would make many uncomfortable. True art.

A beautifully written and empowering song, thank you

Beautiful song. So powerful

I love this song, but hate how people only show one side of victims.. There are two sides, one that covers and hides another side that is actually a lot worse, they use their own body against them after because they believe that's all that's good with them...

Hey guys, the comments are full of victim-blamers and people who deny the personal venting aspects of this song so be careful please

Stella *Donnelly ✊✊✊✊ 💪💪💪💪 💓💓💓💓 👊👊👊👊

This is how you convey this kind of message, the project take notes

It happened for 4 years. From my 8 to my 12. Raping me, abusing me and making me feel like a piece of sh1t all my life. Like I was nothing, useless and worthless. That I better never exist. Now, more than ten years after, he s still free, building his own family with a nice girlfriend while I m wondering when I will be able to look at the mirror and see something else than an ugly and fat garbage who should be better dead than alive. Happy me ♡

Stella, this is so simple and so poignant. So good. So so good. Thankyou x

Randomly came across on iTunes!!! Obsessed

This song after watching the series Unbelievable hits so hard

Wasn't planning on sharing this...ever but after seeing some of these comments I feel I should. The message of these song is talking about the many excuses we, as a society, say when a FEMALE is raped. Keyword is female because this is a female's perspective of rape. This doesn't invalidate men who are raped although I do agree it needs to be talked about more as well. The song does not say that all men are rapist but that women who are raped by men hear these word. I can attest that the term 'boys will be boys' (to signify the whole... aww he pulled your hair! He must like you! or 'oh it's just a little bruise you know how boys are.') is used way to often. Not to mention the whole 'Well she is wearing some pretty revealing clothing...' I remeber in middle school this group of girls was picking on this chick who got pregnant (everyone knew she hadn't been the most willing of participants) and they laughed at her and said how they bet she won't 'dress like a slut again'... this wasn't just the boys who said that either the girls did too... I sadly never stuck up for her because at the time I was too afraid they'd turn to me. I had been dealing with my own issues, namely, two boys who would pretend to 'fight' over me and was always touching me and trying to kiss and get me alone. I repeatedly tried to stop them but the wouldn't take no for an answer. I hated lunch because I had to sit alone (Each class had 3 assigned tables and the other girls didn't want me to sit with them and the other table was filled with the boys in our class...) and they would always take the opportunity to sit next to me and take my arms and basically play tug of war with me... When I went to the school counselor she just chucked and said 'they obviously like you! Don't worry they're just being boys. That's is just how young boys are.' Anyways that's my two cents.

i love you! congrats on the pitchfork feature

Beautiful song Stella! Props to you for writing a song about such a taboo topic xx

Heard this on RRR and came straight here, OMG. Thankyou.

wow it such a great song and message!! love itt

Probably all the dislike are the rapist themselves! Wishing healing to all the victims... it’s not something anyone wants to go through. Beautiful song that share awareness for any gender!

congrats on the pitchfork feature!

this is amazing YOU are amazing! I love your songs!

Changing the world one heart at a time ❤️ powerful stuff

Played on The Paradigm Shift 4ZZZ FM 102.1 Community radio in Brisbane Fridays at noon ...

Just went scrolling through the comments for a bit, holy dam this went deep lol... I was here for this catchy beat just chilling with headphones phone in the pocket so didn’t see the music vid, and tbh wasn’t paying a whole deal of attention to the lyrics, just admiring such a pleasant and soft song ( my music description isn’t up to scratch so me had ), and the song to me felt calming and peaceful and I guess mellow. I didn’t realise the lyrics when deeper into domestic violence and stuff like that.

This is beautiful ✨

A great song indeed.

Wow... I'm really impressed, such an important massage. (also in love with your wonderful voice ^^

ABSOLUTELY SOBBED WHEN I SAW THIS LIVE

This video is simply gorgeous.

This song continues to be a valuable educational resource. Please if you have watched this, share this song , share the message and use it to open up discussions. IMO the lyrics are a message to ardently challenge the idea of stereotypes, explicitly that males behave in a certain manner simply because they are male and have no self control over their actions and the impending consequence. If we accept the ‘boys will be boys’ stereotype, we are accepting the problem of all stereotypes and being complicit with acceptance. Challenge acceptance of stereotypes….boys will be boys is not an accepted stereotype. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie “ The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete. They make one story the only story.”.

Such a beautiful and powerful song!

Finally a video..im waiting for moree😗😍

Thanks for your courage to use your voice. Sad that after hundreds, thousands of years, we still have to have this conversation.

As a boy I feel really bad. I'll raise my kids right. I will.

@Stella, thank you for making this song, I can't promote it enough. ♥️

why the dislikes

Fantastic video!

siempre lloro con esta canción T-o-T

I remember hearing this in the car and just crying

Reallly evocative song and I like how she took the melody to 5th Dimension song "Last Night I didn't get to sleep at all" for this.

This is magnificent. I love the message and everything about it

Thank you Stella! This song is a masterpiece! ❤️

Still so powerful

Why are there so many dislikes???

Beautiful song and beautiful video. Saw you at mojo's cafe today. How lucky was I to happen to be there at the right time?

Thank you Stella. Absolutely beautiful. And by the way it's not "just a song"

This is such a bop

Wow - what an amazing song!!!

Thank you Stella. (Perhaps we should all forward a copy to Christian Porter's Office?)

Japanese hiphop unit, Namedaruma uses mosquito as beat. so i come here her song is so gooood!!!👍👍👍

Incredibly beautiful!