Boys Don't Cry (The Cure Song)
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"Boys Don't Cry" is a song by English rock band
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
. It was released in the UK as a stand-alone single on 12 June 1979, and was included as the title track on '' Boys Don't Cry'', the American equivalent to ''
Three Imaginary Boys ''Three Imaginary Boys'' is the debut studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 8 May 1979 by Fiction Records, and reached number 44 on the UK Albums Chart.Roberts, David (ed.) (2006). '' British Hit Singles & Albums'', 19th edit ...
''.


History

Written by band members
Michael Dempsey Michael Stephen Dempsey (born 29 November 1958) is an English musician, best known as the bassist for the Cure and The Associates (band), the Associates. Biography Dempsey was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now known as Harare, Zimbabwe ...
, Robert Smith and
Lol Tolhurst Laurence Andrew Tolhurst (born 3 February 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, producer, and author. He was a founding member of the Cure, for which he first played drums before switching to keyboards. He stayed a member of the Cure until ...
, 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 ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', Smith stated: 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. 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, actors Mark Heatley, Christian Andrews and Russell Ormes miming 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, an effect that was attained by painting their eyelids with fluorescent paint.


Reception

"Boys Don't Cry" is widely regarded as one of the Cure's best songs. In 2019, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' ranked the song number four on their list of the 40 greatest Cure songs, and in 2023, ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...
'' ranked the song number three on their list of the 30 greatest Cure songs.


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 ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells th ...
'', ''
50 First Dates ''50 First Dates'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd in supporting roles. It follows the st ...
'', '' Starter for Ten'', ''I Do'', ''
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ''Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Alexis Dziena, Ari Graynor, Aaron Yoo and Jay Baruchel. Written by Lorene Scafaria and ...
'', '' 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 ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
''. The post-grunge band
Oleander ''Nerium oleander'' ( ), commonly known as oleander or rosebay, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the genus ...
covered the song on their 1999 album '' February Son''. In 2018, the song was the subject of an episode of the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
series ''Soul Music''. The programme featured an interview with Tolhurst about the history of the song. In 2020, the song appeared during the episode "Fagan" of the ''
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
'' show ''
The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
''. American band
I Dont Know How But They Found Me I Dont Know How But They Found Me (stylized in all caps), often shortened to IDKHow (stylized as iDKHOW), is an American indie pop solo project based in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah, fronted by singer-songwriter Dallon Weekes. It was ori ...
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.


Track listings

7" vinyl # "Boys Don't Cry" – 2:34 # "Plastic Passion" – 2:15 1986 :7" vinyl # "Boys Don't Cry" (New Voice · New Mix) – 2:38 # "Pill Box Tales" – 2:54 :12" vinyl # "Boys Don't Cry" (New Voice · Club Mix) – 5:31 # "Pill Box Tales" – 2:56 # "Do the Hansa" – 2:40


Personnel

*
Michael Dempsey Michael Stephen Dempsey (born 29 November 1958) is an English musician, best known as the bassist for the Cure and The Associates (band), the Associates. Biography Dempsey was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now known as Harare, Zimbabwe ...
– bass guitar * Robert Smith – vocals, electric guitar *
Lol Tolhurst Laurence Andrew Tolhurst (born 3 February 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, producer, and author. He was a founding member of the Cure, for which he first played drums before switching to keyboards. He stayed a member of the Cure until ...
– drums


Chart history

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


Certifications


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boys Don't Cry (Song) The Cure songs 1979 songs 1979 singles 1986 singles Oleander (band) songs 1999 songs 2000 singles Songs written by Robert Smith (musician) Songs written by Michael Dempsey Songs written by Lol Tolhurst Fiction Records singles Jangle pop songs