Part of the success of the song is due to its music video, filmed at the Florida hotel in Jesolo (Veneto, Italy). In it, Sabrina splashes about in a swimming pool, while her bikini top keeps sliding down, thus repeatedly revealing varying shares of her nipples.^[1] It remains one of the most downloaded videoclips on the Internet.^[2]

During an interview with Nino Firetto on the Music Box program on Super Channel in late 1988, Sabrina explained that the video for "Boys" was originally created to be a segment in a magazine show. This was Sabrina''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s explanation of why its style more closely matched that of Italian magazine shows of the time (more overtly sexualised) than that of the traditional music video.

The song was a big hit in France, staying for five weeks at number one. The single debuted at number 29 and remained on the French SNEP Singles Chart for 25 weeks from December 12, 1987 to May 28, 1988. Sabrina was the only pin-up girl at that time to reach the top of the charts in France, as opposed to the French Lova Moor and the British Samantha Fox. Certified Gold disc by the SNEP, the single was the first number one by an Italian singer.^[3] According to the Infodisc Website, the song is the 292nd best-selling single of all time in France, with 683,000 copies sold.^[4] It also reached number three in the UK Singles Chart (despite, or perhaps because of, the video''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s ban^{[citation needed]} there) and number 11 in Australia in 1988. It also reached #6 in South Africa.^[5]