Killing an Arab

original song composed by Robert Smith, Lol Tolhurst, Michael Dempsey, words by Robert Smith; first recorded by The Cure

"Killing an Arab" is a 1978 debut single by English gothic rock band The Cure. It was not included on their debut studio album Three Imaginary Boys but was included on their 1980 album Boys Don't Cry. It did not chart at all in the United Kingdom.

"Killing an Arab"
Single by the Cure
from the album Boys Don't Cry
B-side"10:15 Saturday Night"
Released22 December 1978 (UK)
9 February 1979 (UK reissue)
Recorded20 September 1978
GenrePost-punk[1]
Length2:21
LabelSmall Wonder, Fiction
Songwriter(s)The Cure (Robert Smith, Michael Dempsey, Lol Tolhurst)
Producer(s)Chris Parry
The Cure singles chronology
"Killing an Arab"
(1978)
"Boys Don't Cry"
(1979)
Official audio
"Killing an Arab" at YouTube

The song's title and lyrics come from Albert Camus's novel The Stranger. Some people protested against the song during the Gulf War and after the 9/11 attacks as racist.

Track listing change

7-inch single

  1. "Killing an Arab"
  2. "10:15 Saturday Night"

References change

  1. Mathews, Liam (2 August 2017). "10 Ways The Sinner Is and Isn't Like The Cure's Song "Killing an Arab"". TV Guide. Retrieved 9 March 2020.