Who's Crying Now
"Who's Crying Now" is a song by the American rock band Journey. It was written by Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry. It was released in 1981 as the first single from Escape and reached No. 4 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. The song charted at No. 46 in the UK Singles Chart, and was the band's highest charting single in the UK until "Don't Stop Believin'" (also released as a single from the Escape album in 1981) incurred a resurgence in UK popularity in 2009.
| "Who's Crying Now" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Journey | ||||
| from the album Escape | ||||
| B-side | "Mother, Father" | |||
| Released | 10 July 1981 (US)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 4:24 (single version) 5:01 (album version) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Journey singles chronology | ||||
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The song is highlighted by Steve Perry's lyrics (with vocal riffs highly reminiscent of Sam Cooke) and piano playing by Jonathan Cain which segues into a bass riff by Ross Valory, and other guitars.
Background
Singer Steve Perry said the chorus popped into his head while driving to Los Angeles, which he recorded on his personal mini cassette player. Once he arrived in LA, he went straight to keyboardist Jonathan Cain's house to show him the work in progress. Perry had come up with most of the melodies and rhythms, but was stumped on the lyrics. Cain helped write most of the verses.[2]
At the end of the song, Neal Schon plays a repeating guitar solo that sounds similar to Santana. According to Schon on In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted an entire episode to the making of Escape), originally he recorded an aggressive, experimental guitar solo which he liked but Perry and Cain did not. He then recorded a second solo, the "simplest thing he could play off the top of his head" as recalled by Perry. That one was appreciated much more by the rest of the band. Steve Smith's drumming is only found in the choruses and towards the end of the song.
Reception
Billboard praised "Who's Crying Now" as "one of Journey's strongest and classiest records," and "one of the most appealing love songs" of 1981.[3]
Cover version(s)
R&B singer Randy Crawford recorded a soulful version on her 1992 album Through the Eyes of Love.[4] Her cover of this song also features jazz pianist Joe Sample of The Crusaders.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report[5] | 65 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Singles[6] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[7] | 3 |
| Radio Luxemburg Singles[8] | 29 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 46 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 4 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 14 |
| US Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 4 |
| US Cashbox Top 100[11] | 3 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1981) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[12] | 40 |
| US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[13] | 56 |
| US Cashbox Top 100[14] | 26 |
References
- ^ "RIAA certifications".
- ^ Kielty, Martin (April 25, 2020). "How Steve Perry Came Up with Journey's Hit 'Who's Crying Now'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard Magazine. July 18, 1981. p. 75. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
- ^ "The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ . Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ . Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ "Ultimate Music Database". Umdmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ "Journey: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
- ^ "Journey Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ . 17 October 1981. Archived from the original on 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
- ^ . Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
- ^ "Number One Awards – Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. December 26, 1981. p. YE-9. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ . 26 December 1981. Archived from the original on 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2014-05-06.