Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' Video: A 15-Step Analysis

Imagine you're Justin Bieber. You're an international pop superstar with swag seeping out of your teenage pores. You just released your first "adult" single, "Boyfriend," and you want a killer visual to shine like you're laying in the snow. So what do you do? Hire Director X, round up some sick cars and beautiful people, and hit the rooftop just before sunset, of course.

Justin Bieber to Perform at 2012 Billboard Music Awards

In 3 minutes and 31 seconds, the "Boyfriend" video (which premiered on Thursday, May 3) offers a slew of super-cool images to coincide with Bieber's musical skill, emotional maturity and overall swagginess. There are too many great moments in the clip to count, but here are 15 of our favorite: 

Bieber's Watching You (0:04 into the video)
He gazes up at the camera with icy confidence. "Oh, hello, were you looking for me? I've been right here all along."

Look At This Video! On My Phone! (0:22)
Bieber's world is actually being voyeuristically admired by two attractive ladies in an equally attractive convertible! They are LOVING the Biebs! But why not go inside and watch the video on TV or your laptop, girls? Bieber should be appreciated in high-def glory. 

Watch Out For the Shadow Hands, Justin! (0:30)
The first 30 seconds end with a bunch of anonymous hands grasping our hero and pulling him into the darkness, like the ghouls dragging Willy Lopez to the netherworld in "Ghost." It's a disastrous second of footage for Bieber, but thankfully...

IT'S ALL FAKE! (0:31)
That's right, the first 30 seconds of the video are just icicle-filled fodder for the REAL video, which gets a proper introduction and rooftop setting. The audible is abrupt and recalls a "REEEE-MIX!" treatment, but feels like the work of an evil genius: after all, young Bieber has just tricked us into watching his beautiful antics for an extra 30 seconds. World domination comes from subtle techniques, and entrancing our eyeballs for an additional half-minute is the slyest of moves.

Falsetto Countdown (1:00)
Classic Biebs, in control behind the wheel, helps us count down to the falsetto reveal. The ladies look on, fascinated by the promise of his falsetto, as Justin slips in an extra 'swag,' as he always should. 

Dramatic Glasses Take-Down (1:08)
"Hey girl... let me talk to you," a pensive Bieber sings as he slowly removes his shades and ever-so-slightly furrows his brow. The viewer cannot tell what Bieber is looking at, but judging from his grave expression, he's looking staring at the most beautiful woman in the world or has just seen a ghost on the rooftop. This face, my friends, could one day get Bieber an Oscar.

Too Cool For Driving Safety (1:17)
It's one thing to do some donuts in your tricked-out car. It's entirely another to be so good at doing donuts that you can calmly sing into the camera without even peeking out the windshield at where you're headed. This in-control shot could someday lead to Bieber starring in "Fast & The Furious 6: All Roads To Canada."

"Swaggy" (1:50)
Did Bieber just do a second-long Dougie on the word "swaggy"? Is that even legal? Did Cali Swag District just change its name to Cali Swaggy District? Clearly, we weren't ready for this.

Bieber, Guitarist (1:51)
Forget the dancing people around him. Why would Bieber want to boogie when he can serenade their souls and demonstrate his artistry? The teen star's pained expression and gentle strumming are enough to woo any potential girlfriend.

Mystery Girl Appears (2:10)
For most of the video, Bieber is preoccupied with a single girl who sort of resembles his real-life lady Selena Gomez. But who is this actress sitting in the passenger seat of a car, eyeing Bieber and looking kind of angry about this whole rooftop-dancing affair? Why isn't she out dancing too? Is she scared? Maybe her moves aren't fly. But do you think Bieber and his friends would really judge her like that? We're lost on this one.

Backseat Seduction (2:20)
Bieber's chilling with his girl in the backseat of his car, leaving the party behind for a little intimacy. His arm is smoothly wrapped around her, and his hand rises to meet hers. His head nudges up against hers, and when the Biebs breaks out the falsetto and pleads, "So give me a chance...," resistance is futile. When Bieber swags on you in a backseat, you're powerless to his charm. 

"Chunky Bieber" (2:58)
Sometimes, legends are created over time. Other times, they emerge fully formed and presented to the world. Such is the case with "Chunky Bieber." Someone get this man his own 3 minutes and 31 seconds of music video magic.

Clap-Shimmy-Head-Nod (3:00)
Just a cool dance move, arguably Bieber's finest in the whole clip. He seems so nonchalant throughout the winning piece of choreography, simply letting the rhythm take hold of him and his boys back him up. 

"Watch My Shoes" (3:12)
The King Midas of Pop slays with the close-up on his gold-colored kicks, sliding across the shiny surface with the ease of his mentor, Usher. As the song winds down, Bieber is still flashing swag through the selection and utilization of his footwear.

Kiss? Maybe? (3:20)
The clip cuts to black as Bieber gazes at his girl, perhaps suggesting an impending kiss -- or an awkward goodbye. The climactic smooch never comes, but for the sake of the Bieber-Gomez union, it's for the best, really.

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Justin Bieber makes highest Billboard debut with "Boyfriend"

Singer Justin Bieber speaks at a ceremony where Michael Jackson's shoes and gloves are used to make hand and foot imprints in cement in the courtyard of Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 26, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Phil McCarten

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES | Wed Apr 4, 2012 3:29pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Canadian pop phenomenon Justin Bieber made his highest single debut on Wednesday with new track "Boyfriend," debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

More than 559,000 copies were sold of "Boyfriend" in its first week.

Despite the singer's popularity -- 41 million fans on Facebook and 19 million on Twitter -- this is only the third time Bieber has managed to break into the Hot 100 top ten. Previous hit, "Never Say Never" made it to No. 8 last year, and "Baby" notched No. 5 in 2010.

"Boyfriend" sees the 18-year-old singer take a more mature direction with his music, making a transition from catchy pop tunes to heavy R&B beats as Bieber displays his rapping talents.

The track was played 3,961 times on U.S. radio in its first week, an average of 31 plays on each station, making "Boyfriend" the best first-week plays for a song by a male artist in Billboard's Pop Songs chart history.

Bieber was unable to beat chart-toppers fun., who held the Hot 100 No. 1 again with their single "We Are Young," featuring Janelle Monae, which sold 363,000 digital copies last week.

Despite Bieber's song selling more copies than "We Are Young", "Boyfriend" ranked lower on the Hot 100, which measures sales, airplay and on-demand songs from streaming services such as Spotify.

"Boyfriend" was available only on iTunes in its first week, while "We Are Young" was available to stream and purchase from all digital retailers.

Elsewhere on the Hot 100 singles chart, Gotye's quirky break-up song "Somebody That I Used To Know" featuring Kimbra climbed to No. 3, while British boy band The Wanted dropped to No. 4 with their dance anthem "Glad You Came."

Fellow Brits One Direction also entered the top ten with their pop track "What Makes You Beautiful," at No. 9, fueled by the band's recent promotional tour in the U.S.

"American Idol" alum Kelly Clarkson rounded out the top five with the dance-pop track "Stronger."

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' Lyrics: The 5 Best Lines

by Jason Lipshutz, N.Y.  |   March 21, 2012 5:10 EDT

The Beliebers may have to wait until Monday (Mar. 26) to hear Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend" in its entirety, but the pop superstar was kind enough to unveil the full lyrics of his new single on his official web site on Wednesday, so that his fans could submit their own videos of the song using the lyrics. Riddled with tender come-ons, introductions to his falsetto (yes, he literally says "Say hello to falsetto" before presumably reaching new heights with his voice) and the word 'swag,' the Mike Posner-produced track seems to -- from a lyrical standpoint, at least -- up the ante for the teen titan.

What, you ask, are the standout lines in "Boyfriend," the memorable turn-of-phrases that pop fans will be mouthing along to all summer long? Billboard.com was happy to rank (and attempt to decipher) the five best lines from Justin Bieber's latest single:

5. "You could be my girlfriend until the ---- world ends." This chestnut from verse 2 raises a lot of questions. Is 18-year-old Bieber really ready to commit to one girl (in this case, Selena Gomez) for all of eternity, until the apocalypse arrives? If that's the case, why doesn't he just marry that special girl? Is this line suggesting that Bieber will never choose a wife, and will only be capable of "boyfriend" status until Earth is no more? We've probably read too much into this one already -- let's move on.

4. "Tell me what you like yeah tell me what you don't/I could be your Buzz Lightyear fly across the globe." Classic Pixar reference. Who doesn't like "Toy Story"? Although, technically, Buzz Lightyear never really had any desire to "fly across the globe" -- dude was more of a Space Ranger than a pilot. But it's the thought that counts, and Bieber is demonstrating just how far he would literally travel to please his special girl.

3. "Swaggie." As it exists on the lyrics sheet, this one, crazy word is given its own separate line in the second verse, after the phrase, "Voice goin crazy on this hook like a whirl wind," and before the second pre-hook. What could it be doing there? Bieber has already busted out the "swag" in the song (more on that later); is he now going for the jugular by dropping a context-free "swaggie"? If so, count us on board. Bieber needs a catchphrase, and like his buddy Chris Brown's "leggo," "swaggie" is perfectly cool-sounding nonsense. Can we start printing up a thousand "Swaggie" t-shirts yet?

2. "I'ma make you shine bright like you're laying in the snow/Burr." There's a lot to love in this one -- not only the idea that Bieber's adoration will make his lady shine so bright that it's like she's covered in the crystal-clear whiteness of fresh, powdery snow, but also the extra "Burr" for added emphasis, as if he's convincing his girl that she is, indeed, laying in the snow, and yes, it is cold. There is no game-playing when it comes to Bieber's smooth moves -- when he says that you're shining bright like you're laying in the snow, the simile is so real to him that he actually feels a bit chilly. Someone get this heartthrob a scarf!

1. "Swag swag swag, on you/Chillin by the fire why we eaten' fondue." Let's give credit where credit is due -- did you think it was possible to follow the phrase "Swag swag swag, on you" with an even more awesome line? Not only does Bieber let his audience momentarily wonder how he specifically plans to triple-swag on his girl, he then drops the ultimate image in his listeners' minds: the Biebs and his special lady, sitting by a roaring fire, eating some fondue. Fondue! Most couplets in the English language strive to end with the word "fondue," but more often than not, they fall short. Bieber wastes no time in lyrically embracing the cheesy dessert dish, and immediately creates a lasting image in his first single. (Side note: the lyrics on Bieber's web site read, "Chillin by the fire why we eaten' fondue." This may or may not be a typo and the line could go "Chillin by the fire while we eatin' fondue" in the finished audio, but we hope it remains a question of "why" in the song. Maybe Bieber is expressing a deep-rooted confusion: "Chillin by the fire -- wait, why are we eating fondue? I hate fondue!" We don't know why Bieber and his gal are eating fondue, but perhaps we'll find out soon enough.)

Here are the full lyrics to Justin Bieber's "Boyfriend":

VERSE 1
If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go
I can take you places you ain't never been before
Baby take a chance or you'll never ever know
I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow
Swag swag swag, on you
Chillin by the fire why we eatin' fondue
I dunno about me but I know about you
So say hello to falsetto in three two
PRE HOOK
I'd like to be everything you want
Hey girl, let me talk to you
HOOK
If I was your boyfriend, never let you go
Keep you on my arm girl, you'd never be alone
I can be a gentleman, anything you want
If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, I'd never let you go
VERSE 2
Tell me what you like yeah tell me what you don't
I could be your Buzz Lightyear fly across the globe
I don't never wanna fight yeah, you already know
I am 'ma a make you shine bright like you're laying in the snow
Burr
Girlfriend, girlfriend, you could be my girlfriend
You could be my girlfriend until the ---- world ends
Make you dance do a spin and a twirl and
Voice goin crazy on this hook like a whirl wind
Swaggie

PRE HOOK
I'd like to be everything you want
Hey girl, let me talk to you
HOOK
If I was your boyfriend, never let you go
Keep you on my arm girl you'd never be alone
I can be a gentleman, anything you want
If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, I'd never let you go
BRIDGE
So give me a chance, 'cause you're all I need girl
Spend a week wit your boy I'll be calling you my girlfriend
If I was your man, I'd never leave you girl
I just want to love you, and treat you right
HOOK
If I was your boyfriend, never let you go
Keep you on my arm girl you'd never be alone
I can be a gentleman, anything you want
If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, never let you go
Na na na, na na na, na na na
Ya girl
Na na na, na na na, na na na ey
Na na na, na na na, na na na ey
Na na na, na na na, na na na ey
If I was your boyfriend

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