Cry (Godley & Creme song) explained

Cry
Cover:Godley & Creme Cry.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Godley & Creme
Album:The History Mix Volume 1
Released:11 March 1985
Recorded:1984
Genre:Soft rock
Length:
  • 6:35 (album version)
  • 3:55 (single edit)
Label:Polydor
Producer:
Prev Title:Golden Boy (Extended)
Prev Year:1984
Next Title:A Little Piece of Heaven
Next Year:1988

"Cry" is a song released by the English music duo Godley & Creme on 11 March 1985. It was included on the duo's album The History Mix Volume 1.

The song reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Godley & Creme's lone top 40 hit in the US apart from their former band, 10cc. It reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The duo also directed the song's music video, which featured faces blended into each other using dissolving and wiping effects.

Creation and recording

After Godley & Creme left their former band 10cc after the group's fourth album, they began writing songs for their own albums, but became better known for producing music videos for other bands. Within the music video producing process, they met producer Trevor Horn, ex of the Buggles and now heading his own label ZTT Records.

Godley & Creme asked Horn to produce their album, but had very little material that was recording studio ready. After their first track failed to produce the required effect, Horn asked what else they had. The pair had already written the first verse of "Cry", and much as though the song came from a position – a man in a relationship where his partner lies and cheats on him – unlike 10cc's "I'm Not in Love", it did not come from real-life experience. The three hence sat down and started writing down words and phrases which could be associated with the first verse, and then Horn put Godley in the recording booth to record them. Godley later described the song's creation process as "patchwork like", but it worked due to its envisaged simple production.

The basic sound of the track was provided by electronic music specialist J. J. Jeczalik who used a Fairlight CMI synthesizer. Godley & Creme then created the full backing track, which was mixed and produced by Horn.[1]

Track listing

7" – Polydor (UK) 881 786-7

  1. "Cry" – 3:55
  2. "Love Bombs" – 3:54

12" – Polydor (UK) 881 786-1

  1. "Cry" (extended version) – 6:30
  2. "Love Bombs" – 4:52

12" – Polydor (US) 881 786-1

  1. "Cry" (extended remix) – 7:25
  2. "Cry" (single version) – 3:55
  3. "Cry" (extended version) – 6:30

12" – Polydor (CA) POLSXC 107

  1. "Cry" (remix 12" club version)
  2. "Cry" (extended version)
  3. "Love Bombs"

CDV – Polydor (UK) 080 010-2

  1. "Cry" (extended version) – 6:30
  2. "Love Bombs" – 4:53
  3. "Under Your Thumb" – 3:45
  4. "Power Behind the Throne" – 3:31
  5. "Cry" (video) – 3:36

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (1985–1986)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 43
Canadian Singles Chart (RPM)[3] 7
Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart[4] 2
German Media Control Singles Chart[5] 8
Irish Singles Chart[6] 27
New Zealand Singles Chart[7] 16
UK Singles Chart[8] 19
UK Singles Chart (Remix)66
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 16
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play22
US Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales21
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks6
US Billboard Adult Contemporary5

Year-end charts

Chart (1985)! scope="col"
Rank
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 54

The Philosopher Kings version

Cry
Type:single
Artist:The Philosopher Kings
Album:Famous, Rich and Beautiful
Released:May 1998
Genre:Soft rock
Length:3:04
Label:Columbia
Producer:Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo
Prev Title:Hurts to Love You
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:You Don't Love Me (Like You Used To Do)
Next Year:1998

Canadian band The Philosopher Kings covered the song for their 1997 album, Famous, Rich and Beautiful. It was released in May 1998 as the third single from the album and peaked at No. 10 on Canada's RPM Top Singles chart, ranking in at No. 38 on the magazine's year-end edition.[11] [12]

Charts

Other versions

In 1992, Australian musician Lisa Edwards covered the song and released it as a single. It reached No. 5 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, earned a Gold record from the Australian Recording Industry Association, and was the country's 41st-best-selling hit of the year.[13] [14]

Legacy

A remix of the song appears at the end of the 1986 Miami Vice episode "Definitely Miami".[15]

The song is in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the radio station Liberty Rock Radio.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cry by Godley & Creme - Songfacts. www.songfacts.com.
  2. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. St. Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. Illustrated. 127. 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  3. Web site: RPM Magazine, 28 September 1985. 17 July 2013. bac-lac.gc.ca. 7 April 2020.
  4. Web site: Adult Contemporary - Volume 43, No. 5 Oct 12, 1985. 17 July 2013. bac-lac.gc.ca. 7 April 2020.
  5. Web site: Charts Surfer - UK, German and French charts. charts-surfer.de. 23 December 2008.
  6. Web site: The Irish Charts . IRMA . 23 December 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100126040745/http://www.irishcharts.ie/ . 26 January 2010 . dmy .
  7. Web site: charts.nz > Godley & Creme – Cry (song). Hung Medien. 11 June 2016.
  8. Web site: Official Charts > Godley and Creme. The Official UK Charts Company. 11 June 2016.
  9. Web site: [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p4378|pure_url=yes}} allmusic (((Godley & Creme > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles)))]. Billboard.com 2006 VNU eMedia. 23 December 2008.
  10. Brendan . Lyttle . RPM's Top 100 singles of 1985 . 43 . 16 . . Dec 28, 1985. 7 April 2020.
  11. RPM 100 Hit Tracks – June 8, 1998. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 15 January 2021.
  12. RPM's Top 100 Hits of '98. RPM. 68. 12. 20. 14 December 1998. 15 January 2021.
  13. Web site: Australian-charts.com – Lisa Edwards – Cry. ARIA Top 50 Singles. 15 January 2021.
  14. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1992. ARIA. 15 January 2021.
  15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0647056/?ref_=nm_flmg_eps_tt_1 Definitely Miami
  16. Web site: RoTak . GTA 4 Radio Stations: Full List of Songs in IV, TLaD & TBoGT . 2024-03-21 . GTA Base . en-gb.