“Boys Don’t Cry” (86 Mix) single artwork. (Fiction Records)
The Cure has officially released their 1986 mix of the band’s classic song “Boys Don’t Cry.”
Following its original debut in 1979, frontman Robert Smith rerecorded the vocals for “Boys Don’t Cry” and remixed the backing track for The Cure’s 1986 best-of compilation, Standing on a Beach. However, the updated “Boys Don’t Cry” was left off the final Standing on a Beach track list.
“I re-sang it in 1986 because I thought I could do a bit more with the song – I felt I was improving as a singer, becoming more confident,” Smith says. “So although I didn’t really deviate too much from the original vocal melody or phrasing, I knew I could get a bit more tone and emotion into the rework.”
Now, after 40 years, you can listen to the 1986 mix of “Boys Don’t Cry” to your heart’s content via the digital outlet of your choice. It’s also now been released on vinyl and CD.
Considered one of The Cure’s signature songs, the legacy of “Boys Don’t Cry” lives on decades after its premiere. It joined Spotify’s Billions Club earlier in January, and according to Billboard, has been undergoing a resurgence on TikTok.
