"Boys Don't Cry"
Single by The Cure
from the album Boys Don't Cry
B-side"Plastic Passion"
Released15 June 1979 (1979-06-15)
Recorded1979
Genre
Length2:35
LabelFiction
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Chris Parry
The Cure singles chronology
"Killing an Arab"
(1978)		 "Boys Don't Cry"
(1979)		 "Jumping Someone Else's Train"
(1979)
Official audio
"Boys Don't Cry" on YouTube
"Boys Don't Cry (New Voice - New Mix)"
1986 UK re-release
Single by The Cure
B-side
  • "Pillbox Tales"
  • "Do the Hansa"
Released25 April 1986 (1986-04-25)
Length2:38
LabelFiction
Songwriter(s)
  • Robert Smith
  • Lol Tolhurst
  • Michael Dempsey
Producer(s)
The Cure singles chronology
"Close to Me"
(1985)		 "Boys Don't Cry (New Voice - New Mix)"
(1986)		 "Why Can't I Be You?"
(1987)
Official video
"Boys Don't Cry" (1986) on YouTube

"Boys Don't Cry" is a song by English rock band the Cure. It was released in the UK as a stand-alone single in June 1979, and was included as the title track on Boys Don't Cry, the American equivalent to Three Imaginary Boys.

History

Written by band members Michael Dempsey, Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst, the lyrics tell the story of a man who has given up trying to regain the love that he has lost, and tries to disguise his true emotional state. In an interview with the NME, Smith stated:

And as an English boy at the time, you’re encouraged not to show your emotion to any degree. And I couldn’t help but show my emotions when I was younger. I never found it awkward showing my emotions. I couldn’t really continue without showing my emotions; you’d have to be a pretty boring singer to do that. So I kind of made a big thing about it. I thought, ‘Well, it’s part of my nature to rail against being told not to do something’.[4]

In April 1986, it was re-released on under the title "New Voice · New Mix", in which the original track was remixed and the vocals re-recorded.[5] The 7" mix of the new version has not appeared on any subsequent release by the Cure, but can be heard in the music video for "Boys Don't Cry". It was released to promote Standing on a Beach; however, the original version of the song appears on the album. The 12" version "New Voice · Club Mix" was included on the 2018 remastered Deluxe Edition of Mixed Up.

Music video

The video, released in 1986 to promote the "New Voice New Mix" re-recording, features three children, including voice actor Mark Heatley who mimes the song. Behind a curtain, Smith, Tolhurst and Dempsey (in his only appearance with the band since his 1979 departure), appear as the children's shadows, with red eyes. This effect was attained by painting their eyelids with fluorescent paint.[6]

Reception

"Boys Don't Cry" is widely regarded as one of the Cure's best songs. In 2019, Billboard ranked the song number four on their list of the 40 greatest Cure songs,[7] and in 2023, Mojo ranked the song number three on their list of the 30 greatest Cure songs.[8]

Legacy

The 1999 film Boys Don't Cry took its title from the song; a cover version, performed by Nathan Larson, was used as the title song for the film. The song has appeared in numerous other films, including The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, Starter for Ten, I Do, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Friends with Benefits (a cover version, performed by Grant-Lee Phillips, is used in the soundtrack of the film) and Me and You. The song also featured in the second season of the TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother.[9] The post-grunge band Oleander covered the song on their 1999 album February Son.

In 2018, the song was the subject of an episode of the BBC Radio 4 series Soul Music. The programme featured an interview with Tolhurst about the history of the song.[10]

In 2020, the song appeared during the episode "Fagan" of the Netflix show The Crown.[11]

American band I Dont Know How But They Found Me released a cover of the song in November 2021 as part of the deluxe version of their album Razzmatazz.

The song was performed live for the 1000th time on December 13, 2022 at the OVO Arena in Wembley, London, England. [12]

Track listings

7" vinyl

  1. "Boys Don't Cry" – 2:34
  2. "Plastic Passion" – 2:15

1986

7" vinyl
  1. "Boys Don't Cry" (New Voice · New Mix) – 2:38
  2. "Pill Box Tales" – 2:54
12" vinyl
  1. "Boys Don't Cry" (New Voice · Club Mix) – 5:31
  2. "Pill Box Tales" – 2:56
  3. "Do the Hansa" – 2:40

Personnel

Chart history

Chart (1979–80) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 99

"Boys Don't Cry (New Voice · New Mix)"

Chart (1986) Peak
position
German Singles Chart 19
UK Singles Chart[14] 22
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 26
French Singles Chart 28
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart 37
Spain (AFYVE)[15] 31

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[16] Gold 25,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[17] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Anthony DeCurtis; James Henke; Holly George-Warren (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews : Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist. Random House. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-679-73729-2.
  2. ↑ Dominic Pedler (25 May 2010). The Songwriting Secrets Of The Beatles. Omnibus Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-85712-346-6.
  3. ↑ SPIN Media LLC (June 1992). SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. p. 32. ISSN 0886-3032.
  4. ↑ Andrew Trendell (21 October 2019). "Robert Smith on the power of The Cure's 'Boys Don't Cry' on gender norms – and never being "goth"". NME. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "The Cure - Boys Don't Cry (New Voice • Club Mix)". Discogs.
  6. ↑ "Cure video - Boys Don't Cry". April 2, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02.
  7. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (March 29, 2019). "The Cure's 40 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Cure's 30 Greatest Songs Ranked". Mojo. November 14, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Soundtracks". IMDb. 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Boys Don't Cry". BBC Radio 4 - Soul Music. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Soundtracks". IMDb. 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Cure Concert Setlist at OVO Arena Wembley, London, England on December 13, 2022". setlist.fm. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  13. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 130. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. ↑ "Italian single certifications – The Cure – Boys Don't Cry" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 25 February 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Boys Don't Cry" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  17. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – The Cure – Boys Don't Cry" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  18. ↑ "British single certifications – The Cure – Boys Don't cry". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
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