The Crying Game (song)

"The Crying Game"
Single by Boy George
B-side	"I Specialise in Loneliness"
Released	August 1992 (UK) March 1993 (US)
Format	12" CD single Cassette single
Genre	Pop music
Label	Spaghetti Records
Producer(s)	Pet Shop Boys
Boy George singles chronology
"After the Love" (as Jesus Loves You, 1991) "The Crying Game" (1992) "Sweet Toxic Love" (as Jesus Loves You, 1992)

"The Crying Game" is a song written and composed by Geoff Stephens. It was first released by Dave Berry in July 1964.^[1] It reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart. Session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan played lead guitar on Berry's version of the song, and Jimmy Page supported.^[2]

Song history

The song was recorded by Brenda Lee in 1965 and also by Boy George in 1992, and both the latter version and the original Dave Berry recordings were used as the theme to the Neil Jordan movie The Crying Game.

Boy George's version of the song was produced by the Pet Shop Boys and reached #22 on the UK Singles Chart in 1992, #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., and #1 in Canada on the RPM 100 national singles chart the following year.^[3]

In addition, the song has been covered by artists such as The Associates, Chris Connor, Kylie Minogue, Percy Sledge, Barbara Dickson, Chris Spedding, Jimmy Scott (on his 1998 album Holding Back the Years), and crooner Alex Moore.

The Boy George version of the song was featured in the Jim Carrey comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This was a joke reference to the film The Crying Game, with which it shared a plot point.

Track listing of the Boy George single

UK and European 7"

A. "The Crying Game"

B. "I Specialise in Loneliness" (edit)

US 7" (red vinyl)

A. "The Crying Game"

B. "Stand by Your Man" (by Lyle Lovett)

European and UK 12" and CD single

1.(A) "The Crying Game"

2.(B1) "The Crying Game" (Extended Dance Mix)

3.(B2) "I Specialise in Loneliness" (edit)

US 12" promo 

A1. "The Crying Game" (Digifunky String Mix)

A2. "The Crying Game" (Digifunky Diva Dub)

A3. "The Crying Game" (album version)

B1. "The Crying Game" (Third Floor Trance Mix)

B2. "The Crying Game" (Third Floor Trance Dub)

B3. "The Crying Game" (DJ EFX's Tribal as a Mofo Mix)

US Cassette Single

A. "The Crying Game" (Boy George)

B. "The Crying Game" (Dave Berry)

Chart performance

References