"Cry" is the title of a 1951 popular song written by Churchill Kohlman. The song was first recorded by Ruth Casey on the Cadillac label.[1] The biggest hit version was recorded in New York City by Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads on October 16, 1951.
Contents |
| "Cry" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads | |
| from the album Cry | |
| B-side | "The Little White Cloud That Cried" |
| Released | 1951 |
| Format | 7" 45, 10" 78 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | Okeh |
| Writer(s) | Churchill Kohlman |
The recording was released by Okeh Records as catalog number 6840. It was a No.1 hit on the Billboard magazine chart that year, and one side of one of the biggest two-sided hits, as the flip side, "The Little White Cloud That Cried," reached No.2 on the Billboard chart. The Johnnie Ray recording also hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers lists and the flip side, "The Little White Cloud that Cried," peaked at number six.[2]
| Preceded by Slow Poke |
Cash Box magazine best selling record chart #1 record February 2, 1952–March 22, 1952 |
Succeeded by Wheel of Fortune |
| Preceded by "Flamingo" by Earl Bostic and His Orchestra |
Billboard Best Selling Retail Rhythm and Blues Records number-one single January 12, 1952 |
Succeeded by "Flamingo" by Earl Bostic and His Orchestra |
| Preceded by "(It's No) Sin" by Eddy Howard |
U.S. Billboard Best Sellers in Stores number-one single December 29, 1951–March 8, 1952 |
Succeeded by "Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr |
| "Cry" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Lynn Anderson | ||||
| from the album Cry | ||||
| Released | January 1972 (U.S.) | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Churchill Kohlman | |||
| Lynn Anderson singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
Lynn Anderson had major success in the country music market with her 1972 version, released on Columbia Records, which hit No.1 on the Cashbox country charts, and No. 3 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.[3] It also charted in the Top 20 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Charts.
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 71 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Singles | 16 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 77 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 9 |
| Preceded by "Good Hearted Woman" by Waylon Jennings |
RPM Country Tracks number-one single March 25, 1972 |
Succeeded by "All His Children" by Charley Pride |
| "Cry" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Crystal Gayle | ||||
| from the album Straight to the Heart | ||||
| Released | July 1986 (U.S.) | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Writer(s) | Churchill Kohlman | |||
| Producer | Jim Ed Norman | |||
| Crystal Gayle singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
Crystal Gayle had her own hit version of the song in 1986, taking it to No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.[4]
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Preceded by "Just Another Love" by Tanya Tucker |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single October 25, 1986 |
Succeeded by "It'll Be Me" by Exile |
| RPM Country Tracks number-one single November 8, 1986 |
In 1982, singer/comedian André van Duin recorded it as "Als je huilt" (a double A-side with his take on Edith Piaf's "Les Trois Cloches") which became a #1-hit in the Dutch Top 40 by mid-August.[5] During TV-promotion he wore specially designed specs with an in-built water-sprayer for audience-exposure.[6]
| Preceded by "Someone Loves You Honey" by June Lodge & Prince Mohammed |
Dutch Top 40 number-one single "Als je huilt" / "Bim bam" by André van Duin 21 August 1982 – 11 September 1982 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring |
Stan Freberg did a parody of Johnnie Ray's version of "Cry" entitled "Try", in which he did an emotional "sobbing out of tune" performance with different lyrics. The lyrics include the title of the B-side song "The Little White Cloud That Cried", in the line "even little white clouds do it". Johnnie Ray was not initially pleased with this parody. However, he later accepted Freberg's version.