Album · Compilation
Boys Don’t Cry
Boys Don't Cry is the first compilation by the Cure, released on 5 February 1980 by North American Records. It gathered several tracks from their May 1979 debut, Three Imaginary Boys, which had not yet been issued in the US, and added other material from the band's 1978 to 1979 era. For American listeners, it was the first real way into the group's earliest work.
It sits at the very start of the Cure's story, just before Seventeen Seconds took them in a different direction. Chris Parry produced, and Bill Smith came up with the concept for the cover. Tim Pope later directed the videos for "Killing an Arab" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train", which appeared on a 1986 video compilation. Post-punk and new wave sit side by side here, and it is a handy snapshot of a young band finding its voice.
Boys Don’t Cry: tracklist, credits and charts
13 tracks · 36:11Tracklist
- 1Jumping Someone Else’s TrainDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:50
- 2Boys Don’t CryDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:49
- 3Plastic PassionDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:40
- 410.15 Saturday NightDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:15
- 5AccuracyDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:58
- 6ObjectDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:57
- 7Subway SongDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst1:57
- 8Killing an ArabDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:30
- 9Fire in CairoDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:20
- 10Another DayDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:24
- 11Grinding HaltDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:49
- 12World WarDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst2:30
- 13Three Imaginary BoysDempsey, Smith, Tolhurst3:12
- Produced by
- Chris Parry
- Recorded at
- Morgan Studios
- Recorded
- 1978–1979
- Mixed by
- Chris Parry
- Mixed at
- Morgan Studios
- Engineered by
- Mike Hedges
- Labels
- North American Records, Fiction
- Length
- 36:11
Line-up
- Michael Dempsey · bass guitar, bass
- Robert Smith · guitar, vocals, lead vocals
- Lol Tolhurst · drums (drum set)
Singles
- “Killing an Arab” · December 1978
- “Boys Don't Cry” · June 1979
- “Jumping Someone Else's Train” · November 1979
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1980–1986 | 71 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1980–1986 | 25 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1980–1986 | 60 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| France · 1986 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1991 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
57.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
12
ListenBrainz listeners
103k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
17k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from The Cure
Full discography →
Three Imaginary Boys
1979
Seventeen Seconds
1980
Happily Ever After
1981
Faith
1981
Pornography
1982
Japanese Whispers
1983
The Top
1984
Concert: The Cure Live
1984
The Head on the Door
1985
Half an Octopuss
1985
Standing on a Beach: The Singles
1986
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
1987
The Peel Sessions
1988
Disintegration
1989
Mixed Up
1990
Entreat
1991
Lost Wishes
1992
Wish
1992
Sideshow
1993
Show
1993
Paris
1993
Wild Mood Swings
1996
Five Swing Live
1997
Galore: The Singles 1987–1997
1997
Bloodflowers
2000
Greatest Hits
2001
Trilogy
2003
Join the Dots: B‐Sides and Rarities
2004
The Cure
2004
Hypnagogic States EP
2008
4:13 Dream
2008
Bestival Live 2011
2011
Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018
2018
Songs of a Lost World
2024
Mixes of a Lost World
2025
The best of 1980
All of 1980 →
Back in Black
AC/DC · 1980
Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps
David Bowie · 1980
Blizzard of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne · 1980
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden · 1980
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure · 1980
Boy
U2 · 1980
Making Movies
Dire Straits · 1980
British Steel
Judas Priest · 1980
Sandinista!
The Clash · 1980
Permanent Waves
Rush · 1980
The Game
Queen · 1980
Emotional Rescue
The Rolling Stones · 1980
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 5 February 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 5 February 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 5 February 1980 | |
| US release | 5 February 1980 | earliest US date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | AU | Fiction | other | |
| — | US | Elektra | other | |
| 1980 | CA | North American Records | other | |
| 1980 | DE | Fiction | other | |
| February 1980 | US | PVC Records | other | |
| 5 February 1980 | US | PVC Records | original | |
| 1983 | GB | Fiction | other | |
| 1983 | GB | Fiction | other | |
| 1986 | GB | Fiction | other | |
| 1986 | DE | Fiction | 042281501128 | other |
| 1986 | US | Elektra | 075596078610 | other |
| 1986 | US | Elektra | 075596078641 | other |
| 29 April 1986 | DE | Fiction | 042281501128 | other |
| 1988 | US | Elektra | 075596078627 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Elektra | 075596078276 | other |
| 1990 | XE | Fiction | 042281501128 | other |
| — | — | Polydor | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 500×500 | upscaled |