Boys Don't Cry (band)
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| Boys Don't Cry | |
|---|---|
| Origin | UK |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Synth Pop, Rock |
| Years active | 1983-1988 |
| Label(s) | Legacy Records (UK) Profile Records (U.S.) Mercury Records (Canada) Intercord Tonträger GmbH (Germany) |
| Former members | |
| Nick Richards Brian Chatton Jeff Seopardi Nico Ramsden Mark Smith |
|
Boys Don't Cry was a British studio band known for the hit single "I Wanna Be a Cowboy", which peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 in 1986 and charted around the world. They are considered a one-hit wonder, though they released an EP, two albums and several singles.
The group released their debut EP Don't Talk to Strangers on independent UK label Legacy Records in Britain in 1983. The band consisted of Lead vocalist and Keyboardist Nick Richards and keyboardist Brian Chatton, along with Jeff Seopardi on drums, Nico Ramsden on guitar, and Mark Smith on bass. Chatton had previously had a brief stint on keyboards with 1970s progressive band Jackson Heights, contributing heavily to their Ragamuffin's Fool LP.
[edit] Aspirations of cowboyhood
Boys Don't Cry were discovered by Paul Oakenfold, who was a talent scout for Profile Records in London in the mid-'80s. Best known for being Run DMC's record label at the time, Profile signed the band for the U.S. market and Legacy retained the rights to the band's UK releases. Mercury Records won the bidding for Canada and Intercord Tonträger GmbH handled their releases in Germany.
The tune "I Wanna Be a Cowboy" was released in 1985. A novelty song with deadpan humor and kitschy references, the song has been described as the perfect musical realization of a spaghetti western movie. "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" was Madonna's favorite song of 1986.[citation needed] It hit #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi Singles Sales chart in 1985-1986, and was R&R #8. "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" was also a top 10 hit in Australia and South Africa.
They would go on to release two full-length albums: a self-titled debut in 1986, which included "I Wanna Be a Cowboy," and a follow-up the following year titled Who the Am Dam do You Think We Am. The second album was simply released in America as "Boys Don't Cry," creating some confusion there, since the band now had two consecutive self-titled albums released within a year of each other. Follow-up single to "Cowboy" was (necessarily perhaps) a complete departure; "Cities On Fire", an energetic rush of synth-rock which was released in 7" and 12" remix form, received early attention from MTV but failed to connect with fans of the novelty hit and didn't receive enough play to create a new fanbase.
Contrary to popular belief, the moniker "Boys Don't Cry" did not actually come from The Cure song/album of the same name. Rather, the name has its origins in some whispered lyrics from fellow British band 10CC's hit song "I'm Not In Love" (specifically, "be quiet...big boys don't cry"). However, the band were evidently completely aware of (and perhaps amused by) the confusion surrounding their name, and they even included an instrumental bonus track titled "The Cure" on their second album as a joke. (source: Brian Chatton himself, in an online discussion originally found at www.onehitwondercentral.com)
After the group disbanded, Richards signed as a solo artist with RCA. Chatton has collaborated with Phil Collins, Meat Loaf, The Hollies, Flaming Youth, Jon Anderson of Yes, Tony Kaye of Yes, Sheena Easton, 'N Sync and others. Seopardi has played with Paul Carrack and Modern English. Ramsden has played with The Proclaimers, Mike Oldfield and Rick Wakeman. Smith has most recently been recording and touring with The Waterboys.
On July 30, 1997, co-writers Nick Richards and Brian Chatton sued Paula Cole, Warner Brothers Records, and Imago Records, along with remix producers DJ EFX, Big Ed, and the E-Team, for $7 million in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claiming that Cole's remix "Where Have all the Cowboys Gone?" used the phrase "I wanna be a cowboy" 24 times in the same style and syntax as their song and constituted copyright infringement.
[edit] Discography
Albums:
- 1983: Don't Talk To Strangers (5 track mini-LP. UK release only)
- 1986: Boys Don't Cry (became known in America simply as "I Wanna Be a Cowboy" due to its inclusion of the hit single of that name)
- 1987: Who the Am Dam do You Think We Am (released in America simply as Boys Don't Cry)
