Peak
2
Weeks
16
Score
3,171
Chart Year
1961
Orbison claimed to have written this as the result of an encounter he had with an old flame with whom he was still in love. He refused to say how much she meant to him, and when he ran into her again it was too late. Orbison started writing this song for a country singer named Don Gibson; the working title was "Once Again." Orbison's songwriting partner, Joe Melson, then came up with the lyrics, "Once again I'm crying, once again I'm crying," which became the basis for the song, so Orbison changed the title. Orbison claimed the stunning climax at the end of the song was not contrived, but just happened in the course of the song. He told the NME in 1980: "Immediately I thought of a past experience and just retold that, was the way that came about. It was the retelling of a thing with a girlfriend that I had had. I couldn't tell you right now what notes I hit at the end of the song, or anything." At the time, rock artists didn't typically write songs about crying over a girl. Orbison wanted to show that crying was not weakness, but sensitivity. Other voices would have a hard time pulling this off, but Orbison could emote very naturally when he sang, which he did on many of his hits. In 1987, shortly after he signed with Virgin Records, Orbison recorded a duet of this song with kd lang which was released as a single and later used as the B-side to his 1989 release "She's A Mystery To Me." This duet won the 1988 Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, and was re-released in the UK in 1992, where it hit #13. Lang said that when they met to do the recording, it was obvious that their voices had a "tonal connection." This recording was made for the 1987 Jon Cryer movie Hiding Out, and produced by Pete Anderson, who was Dwight Yoakam's producer. In our interview with Pete Anderson, he said: "The editor cut it for the movie, and he slowed it down for this scene where they were roller skating. So my daunting task was to recut 'Crying' as a duet with kd lang, Roy Orbison, and slow it down a little bit. It was great - it's Roy and kd, so you can't go wrong no matter what you do. I more-or-less witnessed it because they were so terrific. The biggest plus out of it was just getting to know Roy a little bit and spending a little time with Roy, who was a very, very special person." Roy Orbison explained in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh how he came to write this song: "I was dating a girl and we broke up. I went to the barber shop to get a haircut and I looked across the street and there was this girl that I had split up with. I wanted to go over and say, 'Let's forget about what happened and carry on'. But I was stubborn. So I got in the car and drove down the street about two blocks and said to myself, 'Boy, you really made a mistake. You didn't play that right at all.' It certainly brought tears to my eyes and that's how I came up with 'Crying'." In 1978 Don McLean recorded a cover version of this for his Chain Lightning album. It was originally released as a single in Europe successfully, and by 1980 it had become a #1 hit in the UK and #5 in the US. Jay & the Americans also had a hit with the song, taking it to #25 in the US in 1966. Orbison broke convention by following up a hit ballad with another ballad: his previous release was "Running Scared," and while conventional wisdom was to never release two ballads back to back, it worked out just fine for Orbison as "Crying" was also a hit.
I was alright for a while I could smile for a while But I saw you last night, you held my hand so tight As you stopped to say, "Hello" Oh, you wished me well, you couldn't tell That I'd been crying over you Crying over you Then you said, "So long" Left me standing all alone Alone and crying Crying Crying Crying It's hard to understand But the touch of your hand Can start me crying I thought that I was over you But it's true, so true I love you even more than I did before But darling, what can I do? For you don't love me And I'll always be Crying over you Crying over you Yes, now you're gone And from this moment on I'll be crying Crying Crying Crying Yeah, crying Crying Over you
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 14, 1961 | 71 | 55 |
| 2 | Aug 21, 1961 | 49 | 77 |
| 3 | Aug 28, 1961 | 29 | 97 |
| 4 | Sep 4, 1961 | 16 | 110 |
| 5 | Sep 11, 1961 | 11 | 115 |
| 6 | Sep 18, 1961 | 5 | 121 |
| 7 | Sep 25, 1961 | 4 | 122 |
| 8 | Oct 2, 1961 | 3 | 123 |
| 9 | Oct 9, 1961 | 2 | 124 |
| 10 | Oct 16, 1961 | 4 | 122 |
| 11 | Oct 23, 1961 | 11 | 115 |
| 12 | Oct 30, 1961 | 15 | 111 |
| 13 | Nov 6, 1961 | 18 | 108 |
| 14 | Nov 13, 1961 | 22 | 104 |
| 15 | Nov 20, 1961 | 34 | 92 |
| 16 | Nov 27, 1961 | 39 | 87 |