This song is the musical equivalent of watching a woman get her face smashed in. Until recently I had no idea that the Y Pants rendition was a cover version, or that the original was sung by 1960's teen pop icon Lesley Gore. The two versions of the song couldn't be more different. In Lesley Gore's original the negative sentiment is smothered by the sweetness of the pop arrangement. Y Pants bring all the negativity in the lyrics to the fore, singing them acappella, while in the background a woman's muffled scream gradually builds in intensity. I can never decide if it's terrifying or hilarious.
Conventional wisdom says that Y Pants took a 60s pop hit and subverted it, but I'm not so sure. Lesley Gore came out as a lesbian a few years ago, and in retrospect this song is clearly sapphic propaganda masquerading as girl group pop for impressionable teenagers. You know they can't have children of their own, so they have to...oh...ok
Lesley Gore - That's the way boys are
Y Pants - That's the way boys are
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