Released October 1951 Recorded October 16, 1951 Length 3:02 | Format 45 rpm, 78 rpm Genre Pop | |
B-side "The Little White Cloud That Cried" | ||
"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. The biggest hit version was recorded in New York City by Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads on October 16, 1951.
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Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads version
The Johnnie Ray recording was released on Columbia Records subsidiary label Okeh Records 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. 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.
Ronnie Dove Version
Ronnie Dove had a Top 20 pop hit with his cover version, bringing it to number 16 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. It also charted in the Top 20 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary Charts.
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.
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. During TV-promotion he wore specially designed specs with an in-built water-sprayer for audience-exposure.