| "Cryin'" | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Aerosmith | ||||||||
| from the album Get a Grip | ||||||||
| B-side | "Walk on Down" | |||||||
| Released | October 1993[1] | |||||||
| Format | CD, Cassette | |||||||
| Recorded | 1992 at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, California and/or Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada[2] | |||||||
| Genre | Blues rock, hard rock | |||||||
| Length | 5:08 | |||||||
| Label | Geffen | |||||||
| Writer(s) | Steven Tyler Joe Perry Taylor Rhodes |
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| Producer | Bruce Fairbairn[2] | |||||||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA)[3] | |||||||
| Aerosmith singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Cryin'" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Taylor Rhodes. It was released by Geffen Records in October 1993 as a single from their April release, Get a Grip.[1] The song features a music video with Alicia Silverstone and Josh Holloway.
Contents |
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[4] | 5 |
| Canada (RPM100 Singles)[5] | 8 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[6] | 5 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[7] | 3 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[8] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 12 |
| US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[9] | 1 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Top 40[9] | 11 |
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[10] | 6 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[11] | 7 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[12] | 1 |
| End of year chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] | 60 |
The song begins with a bluesy guitar-oriented intro. It then becomes stripped down during the first verse, before going into a heavier arrangement for the first chorus. The song picks up in even more steam during the second verse before mellowing out during the third verse. The chorus repeats several times throughout the song.
The song is also highlighted by the clear guitar parts of Brad Whitford and Joe Perry, who each play guitar solos on the song. There is also a notable harmonica solo by Steven Tyler towards the end of the song before the last refrain of the chorus.
A strong rhythm section is provided by bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer, as well as synthesizers.
The song samples the famous chord progression from Pachelbel's Canon.
The music video for the song, directed by Marty Callner, features the first appearance of Alicia Silverstone in the band's videos, as well as the band performing in the Central Congregational Church in Fall River, Massachusetts.[14] The song flashes back and forth between the band and Alicia Silverstone, who plays a teen who has a falling out with her boyfriend (played by Stephen Dorff) after catching him cheating. She feigns an attempt to kiss him, but instead leans away annoying him. She then punches him and shoves him out of the car leaving him in the dust. She begins a phase of rebellion and individuality and gets a navel piercing, which has largely been credited as introducing navel piercing to mainstream culture.[15] After having her purse stolen by another young man (played by then-unknown Josh Holloway of Lost), she chases him down and knocks him to the ground. The video then cuts to her standing on the edge of an overpass bridge, contemplating jumping. Her ex-boyfriend arrives on the scene, along with numerous police officers, encouraging her to come down from the overpass. She jumps, but a rope is revealed, arresting her fall and leaving her dangling over the freeway, laughing at Dorff's character. The video ends with the dangling Silverstone looking up at Dorff and giving him the finger.
The video was a smash success on MTV, becoming one of the most requested videos in 1993, and earning the band several awards at the Video Music Awards.
"Cryin'" was one of the 24 songs, for which the first file-sharing copyright infringement lawsuit brought by major record labels to be tried to a jury. Jammie Thomas, single mother of four, was found liable in a 2007 trial for downloading the 24 songs from Kazaa and ordered to pay $222,000 ($9,250/song) in damages. In a second trial, in 2009, a jury again found against Thomas, this time awarding $1,920,000 ($80,000/song) in damages.