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"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.

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"Boys Don't Cry"
Single by The Cure
from the album Boys Don't Cry
B-side	"Plastic Passion"
Released	15 June 1979 (1979-06-15)
Recorded	1979
Genre	Post-punk[1] new wave[2] jangle pop[3]
Length	2:35
Label	Fiction
Songwriter(s)	Robert Smith Lol Tolhurst Michael Dempsey
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"
Released	25 April 1986 (1986-04-25)
Length	2:38
Label	Fiction
Songwriter(s)	Robert Smith Lol Tolhurst Michael Dempsey
Producer(s)	Chris Parry Robert Smith Dave Allen
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

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]

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.[7] 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.[8]

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.

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

• Michael Dempsey – bass guitar
• Robert Smith – vocals, electric guitar
• Lol Tolhurst – drums

Chart history

Chart (1979–80)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9]	99

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

Chart (1986)	Peak position
German Singles Chart[citation needed]	19
UK Singles Chart[10]	22
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9]	26
French Singles Chart[citation needed]	28
Dutch Top 40 Singles Chart[citation needed]	37
Spain (AFYVE)[11]	31

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[12]	Gold	25,000
Portugal (AFP)[13]	Gold	20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[14]	Gold	400,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

External links

• "Boys Don't Cry" at Discogs (list of releases)

На других языках

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- [en] Boys Don't Cry (The Cure song)

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[es] Boys Don't Cry (canción de The Cure)

«Boys Don't Cry» es el segundo sencillo editado por la banda británica The Cure. Se grabó en el Reino Unido como un sencillo independiente al mismo tiempo que su álbum de debut, Three Imaginary Boys (1979) pero al igual que el primer sencillo, 'Killing an Arab', no fue incluido en dicho álbum. No obstante, sí sería incorporado a la reedición estadounidense de dicho álbum, Boys Don't Cry, de (1980), que tomaría el nombre de dicha canción. En 1986 se reeditaría el sencillo, bajo el título Boys Don't Cry (New Voice · New Mix).

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[ru] Boys Don’t Cry (песня)

«Boys Don’t Cry» — второй сингл The Cure, выпущенный в июне 1979 года. Он был выпущен в Великобритании в качестве самостоятельного сингла и был включен как заглавный трек сборника Boys Don’t Cry, американское переиздание альбома Three Imaginary Boys.

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