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( July 2011 ) Boys Do n't Cry Origin UK Genres Pop, rock, new wave, synthpop Years active 1983 -- 1988, 2009 -- present Labels Legacy Records ( UK ) Profile Records ( US ) Mercury Records ( Canada ) Intercord Tonträger GmbH ( Germany ) Past members Classic Lineup Nick Richards Brian Chatton Jeff Seopardi Nico Ramsden Mark Smith Other Members Richard Taee Steve Creese Boys Do n't Cry are a British pop / rock band known for the hit single `` I Wanna Be a Cowboy '', which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 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. Contents 1 Biography 2 Origin of name 3 Recent times 4 Discography 4.1 Albums 4.2 Singles 5 References 6 External links Biography The band was formed in 1983 as the brainchild of lead vocalist / keyboardist Nick Richards, who had just purchased Maison Rouge Recording Studios in London. An early version of the group ( featuring Richards, guitarist Richard Taee and drummer Steve Creese, augmented by session musicians ) released their debut EP Do n't Talk to Strangers on independent UK label Legacy Records in Britain in 1983. By the mid-1980s, the band 's line - up had stabilised around principal members Richards and keyboardist Brian Chatton ( one of the session players on the debut EP ), 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. Boys Do n'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 US 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 single `` I Wanna Be a Cowboy '' was released in 1986. A novelty song with deadpan humour and kitschy references, the song has been described as the perfect musical realisation of a spaghetti western movie. It hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 13 on the Hot Dance Music / Maxi - Singles Sales chart in 1986 -- 1987, and was R&R No. 8. `` I Wanna Be a Cowboy '' was also a top 10 hit in Australia and South Africa. The video, filmed on - location in Hampstead Heath, featured a cameo appearance by Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. 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 Do n't Cry, creating some confusion there, since the band now had two consecutive self - titled albums released within a year of each other. The follow - up single to `` I Wanna Be a 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 did n't receive enough airplay to create a new fanbase. On 30 July 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 US District Court for the Central District of California, claiming that Cole 's remix of `` Where Have All the Cowboys Gone ? '' used the phrase `` I wan na be a cowboy '' 24 times in the same style and syntax as their song and constituted copyright infringement. Origin of name Contrary to popular belief, the moniker `` Boys Do n't Cry '' did not actually come from The Cure 's 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 do n'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. Recent times 2009 saw Nick Richards and Brian Chatton teaming up again in Los Angeles to write an album. The first single from the album, `` Do n't Call Me a Country Singer '' peaked at No. 7 on the FMQB a / c radio charts. Richards put together a new Boys Do n't Cry line - up, featuring Doug Gild on bass, Mike Licata on drums, Aaron McClain and James Richards on guitars, and Teddy Rae Richards on backing vocals. Barbara Baker has taken over the management. This incarnation later planned to tour with Red Entertainment on an `` Eighties Retro '' tour. On 30 October 2009, the band 's former bass player, Mark Smith, died at his home in London. Mark was just 49 years old, and he had originally been tapped to join the band for the following year 's touring. The anthology album, White Punks on Rap is now available to download. It is a solid history of the band from 1983 to 1995. The band played a New Year 's Eve show in Hollywood with special guest stars including Roy Hay from Culture Club and Nina Hagen. They have also released a brand new 6 - track EP entitled Blow Me, which is only available as a download. Boys Do n't Cry have released a brand new album, `` HEAR IT IS ! '', on 14 August 2014. The songs were penned by original members Nick Richards and Brian Chatton. The album is on Richards ' own label Microrich inc. The band will be touring the states for the rest of the year in support of the album. Discography Albums 1983 : Do n't Talk To Strangers ( 5 - track mini LP, UK release only ) 1986 : Boys Do n'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 Do n't Cry ) Others 2009 : White Punks on Rap ( recorded with unreleased songs during 1983 -- 1999 ) 2014 : Hear It Is Singles 1983 : `` Heart 's Bin Broken '' 1984 : `` Turn Over ( I Like It Better that Way ) '' 1984 : `` Do n't Talk to Strangers '' 1985 : `` Lipstick '' 1986 : `` I Wanna Be a Cowboy '' 1986 : `` Cities on Fire '' 1987 : `` Who the Am Dam Do You Think You Am ? '' 1988 : `` We Got the Magic '' References Jump up ^ Richard Taee 's YouTube page ( his last name is often incorrectly listed as `` Tace '' ). Retrieved 15 November 2015. Jump up ^ Popson, Tom. ( 1986 ). `` Boys Do n't Cry Hit Trail, Counter ' Cowboy ' Image. '' Chicago Tribune. 8 - 15 - 1986. Retrieved 21 June 2015. Jump up ^ Boys Do n't Cry -- Who the Am Dam Do You Think You Am @ Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` MY NAME IS TED ''. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2009. External links Back to the 80s : Interview with Nick Richards from Boys Do n't Cry -- Kickin ' it Old School Kickin ' it Old School -- 80s Pop Culture ( 1 ) https://boysdontcry.bandcamp.com/ http://www.reverbnation.com/boysdontcry1986 MusicBrainz : e57182dc - 2693 - 46fc - a739 - a81c734a4326 VIAF : 145577513 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boys_Don%27t_Cry_(band)&oldid=803968610 '' Categories : English pop music groups English new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Hidden categories : EngvarB from October 2017 Use dmy dates from October 2017 Articles needing additional references from April 2010 All articles needing additional references Articles lacking reliable references from July 2011 All articles lacking reliable references Articles with multiple maintenance issues Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from February 2010 Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 5 October 2017, at 20 : 45 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sang i wanna be a cowboy
Answer: Boys Don't Cry