Cry (Churchill Kohlman song)

"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.

Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads version

The Johnnie Ray recording was released on Columbia Records subsidiary label Okeh Records^[2] as catalog number Okeh 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. This 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.^[3] When the single started to crack the charts the single was released on Columbia Records catalog number Co 39659.

Stan Freberg satirized this song, under the title "Try", and reported getting more angry feedback than from any of his many other parodies.^[2]

Ronnie Dove Version

Ronnie Dove had a Top 20 pop hit with his cover version, bringing it to number 18 in 1966 on Diamond Records. He would perform this song on The Ed Sullivan Show the following year. This was Ronnie's last Top 40 hit.

Lynn Anderson version

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.^[4] It also charted in the Top 20 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Charts.

Chart positions

Crystal Gayle version

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.^[5]

Chart positions

Dutch-language versions

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.^[6] During TV-promotion he wore specially designed specs with an in-built water-sprayer for audience-exposure.^[7]

Other versions

• Brenda Lee recorded the song for her 1961 Emotions album.
• Diana Trask took a version to #99 on the country singles charts in 1975.
• David Cassidy did a cover of the song for his album Then and Now.
• Kevin Coyne included a cover of the song on his 1978 album, Dynamite Daze.
• Billy Anderson did one featuring guitarist Mark Gendel in the early 2000s.
• 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.
• Ray Charles also covered the song for his 1964 album "Sweet and Sour Tears".
• Connie Francis recorded the song during 1989 Muscle Shoals AL session.
• Eros and the Eschaton recorded a version for Bar None Records in 2014.^[8]

References