Boys Don't Cry
by The Cure

Boys Don't Cry by The Cure
(Compilation album)
Year: 1980
Release date: 1980-02-05
Overall rank: 1,865th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 322 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1980 (39th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (289th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,865th)

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The Cure Boys Don't Cry (CD) Single (UK IMPORT)
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Boys Don’t Cry The Cure 12” Single
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The Cure Boys Don't Cry Vinyl LP Fiction SPELP 26 12" 33 RPM Rock Post-Punk
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The Cure bestography

Boys Don't Cry is ranked 10th best out of 40 albums by The Cure on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The Cure is Disintegration which is ranked number 30 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 26,191.

The Cure album bestography « Higher ranked (1,548th)
Three Imaginary Boys
This album (1,865th)
Boys Don't Cry
Lower ranked (2,026th) »
Bloodflowers

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Boys Don't Cry track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Boys Don't Cry rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,865th | 1980s rank: 289th | 1980 rank: 39th

Boys Don't Cry collection

Boys Don't Cry ratings

Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 322 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 322 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 
44 hours ago Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  8,02070/100
 
80/100
 
02/19/2026 00:02 traistboar  Ratings distribution  1,63779/100
 
80/100
 
02/11/2026 20:32 nextorgd  Ratings distribution  1,16984/100
 
100/100
 
12/20/2025 22:34 Devilwoac  Ratings distribution  95097/100
 
65/100
 
11/12/2025 23:20 NYAndreas  Ratings distribution  1,43344/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.5/100, a mean average of 77.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.1.

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Boys Don't Cry comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 12 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
85/100
From 07/20/2019 17:52 | #240019
At first I didn't quite like this album (though I certainly rate it much higher than Three Imaginary Boys) as much as I love the other Cure albums. Maybe that was because I wasn't very fond of this beginner punk style, but as the years have gone by, I find myself revisiting this album a lot! Certainly they sound so young and unexperienced, but that's what gives this album its charm. So so good.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 05/17/2018 23:48 | #215082
Sulky teenagers sing up-beat protest songs just before morphing into goths....
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/27/2017 16:02 | #198825
I like this album better than Three Imaginary Boys. The added tracks really do the album good. And some lesser tracks are dropped. I don't regard this as a compilation..
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 12/30/2016 01:46 | #181267
Includes new songs: Boys Don't Cry, Killing An Arab, Jumping Someone Else's Train, Plastic Passion, World War
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/05/2015 21:36 | #134065
This was the American equivalent of the British release Three Imaginary Boys.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/05/2014 14:57 | #123400
This is basically a modified version of their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys. It's a good modification though, as it takes out some poor songs and replaces them with classics like Boys Don't Cry, Killing An Arab, etc.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
50/100
From 03/10/2014 16:10 | #105893
seventeen seconds and boys don't cry - one band, one year - two worlds. on the one hand this dirty-punk-surf-rock-compliation of baseline-driven singles with the giggeling voice of robert. on the other hand the dark-gothic-piece-of-art.
before my very eyes it's easily seventeen seconds. but this one has it's moments too.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 11/23/2013 21:54 | #94230
Easily my favourite Cure album (OK I know it's classed as a compilation but only just). The tracks added here improve Three Imaginary Boys by someway. I love the feel and production of these songs, kinda sparse and the bass guitar sounds great. It also has of course the timeless 'Boy's Don't Cry' and the wonderful Fire in Cairo. To be honest I really like every track here. Just a great record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/09/2013 12:17 | #88041
I fell in love with this album when I first heard it...hmm...33 years ago. Still remains my favorite Cure album and always a good listen.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 05/15/2012 19:12 | #42398
Ah The Cure. Such a good band. This is the US version of their first album, Three Imaginary Boys. It replaces a few songs on that one with some singles and things. It's a great first album, but I can't say whether or not it's better than TIB because I haven't heard that album. This isn't goth yet but it doesn't need to be.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1980
1. Remain In Light by Talking Heads
2. Closer by Joy Division
3. Back In Black by AC/DC
4. Scary Monsters by David Bowie
5. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys
6. Peter Gabriel (1980) by Peter Gabriel
7. The River by Bruce Springsteen
8. Permanent Waves by Rush
9. Pretenders by Pretenders
10. Seventeen Seconds by The Cure
11. Making Movies by Dire Straits
12. Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies
13. Sandinista! by The Clash
14. Ace Of Spades by Motörhead
15. Boy by U2
16. Heaven And Hell by Black Sabbath
17. Dirty Mind by Prince
18. Gaucho by Steely Dan
19. Sound Affects by The Jam
20. Get Happy!! by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
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