Boys Don’t Cry

I’ve been listening to less music than I used to. Gone are the days of constantly blasting through endless playlists and several albums a day. I’ve been trying to cut down my Spotify usage, instead opting for music I’ve downloaded on my phone. But I only have so many songs on there, and sometimes I’m missing the song that’s so deeply engrained into my brain that I can’t listen to anything else.

During this week of stress and poor sleep, that song is The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Everyone knows this song, or they should. It’s a classic 80s jam in terms of instrumentation and vocals, but the lyrics are timeless. The singer mourns the end of a relationship throughout the verses of the song, explaining the reasons he’s distraught, leading to the chorus:

I try to laugh about it Cover it all up with lies I try to laugh about it Hiding the tears in my eyes ‘Cause boys don’t cry Boys don’t cry

46 years after the song came out, a lot more boys cry than they used to. We’ve come a long way, but when there’s life to be lived, things to do be done, I hear the chorus in my head again.