"Crying in the Rain" is a song composed by Carole King with lyrics by
Howard Greenfield
Howard Greenfield (March 15, 1936 – March 4, 1986) was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building. He is best known for his successful songwriting collaborations, including o ...
, originally recorded by American duo
the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
. The single peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1962.
The song was the only collaboration between songwriters Greenfield and King, both of whom worked for
Aldon Music
Aldon Music was a New York-based music publishing company, founded by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins in 1958. Aldon is regarded as having played a significant role in shaping the Brill Building Sound in the late 1950s and 1960s.
History
Nevins was ...
at the time of the song's composition. On a whim, two Aldon songwriting partnerships decided to switch partners for a day – Gerry Goffin (who normally worked with King) partnered with Greenfield's frequent writing partner, Jack Keller, leaving King and Greenfield to pair up for the day. Despite the commercial success of their collaboration, King and Greenfield never wrote another song together.
Track listing
Charts
Tammy Wynette version
In 1981, "Crying in the Rain" was notably covered by American
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
artist
Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...
. It became a major hit after being released as a single that year.
Wynette's version was produced by Chips Moman at the Moman Recording Studio in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
. The recording session also included nine additional tracks that would appear on Wynette's 1981 studio album.
The song was released as a single in July 1981. It reached number 18 on the '' Billboard''
Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...
chart that same year. "Crying in the Rain" became Wynette's third single to reach the country songs top 20 in the 1980s decade. The song was issued on Wynette's twenty-second studio album, '' You Brought Me Back'' (1981). Additionally, "Crying in the Rain" peaked at number 11 on the ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
'' Country Tracks chart in Canada around the same time. It was her highest-charting solo song on the ''RPM'' survey since 1979.
Track listing
*7-inch single
:A. "Crying in the Rain" – 3:12
:B. "Bring My Baby Back to Me" – 3:25
Charts
A-ha version
In 1989, Norwegian band A-ha covered the song. It was the first single taken from their fourth studio album, '' East of the Sun, West of the Moon'' (1990). Following its success, A-ha became closer to the Everly Brothers, who had originally recorded the song. The band members were presented a set of guitars by the Everly Brothers that A-ha continues to use.
Commercial performance
"Crying in the Rain" was A-ha's last single to reach the top 40 on a ''Billboard'' chart in the United States to date, peaking at number 26 on the
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...
chart during the week ending April 6, 1991. It was more popular in other countries, topping the charts in the band's native Norway, and peaking at number 13 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. It was the 32nd most successful song of the year 2010 in
Romanian Top 100
Multiple record charts have been inaugurated in Romania since the 1990s. The Romanian Top 100 was the country's national chart until 2012. Founded in 1995, it was a ranking based on the compilation of charts submitted by local Romanian radio stat ...
, although it peaked outside the Top 20.
Music video
The video was directed by Steve Barron. The theme of the video is a robbery gone wrong. It is actually the second version of this video. The first version did not feature any of the scenes of
Morten Harket
Morten Harket () (born September 14, 1959) is a Norwegian vocalist and songwriter, who is the lead singer of the synthpop/rock band A-ha.
A-ha has released 10 studio albums to date, and topped the charts internationally after their breakthrough ...
singing alone. The video was filmed entirely with a specific technique of mobile cameras, and it was filmed in
Big Timber, Montana
Big Timber is a city in, and the county seat of Sweet Grass County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2020 census.
Big Timber takes its name from Big Timber Creek, which was named by William Clark because of the large cot ...
. Academy Award nominated actor
John Hawkes (actor)
John Marvin Perkins (born September 11, 1959), known professionally as John Hawkes, is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Independent Spirit Awards, and has been nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden ...
had a small role as a robber in the music video for Crying in the Rain by A-ha in 1990.
Track listings
*UK CD single
# "Crying in the Rain" (LP version) – 4:25
# "(Seemingly) Nonstop July" – 2:55
# "Cry Wolf" (LP version) – 4:05
*UK 7-inch single
:A. "Crying in the Rain" (LP version) – 4:25
:B. "(Seemingly) Nonstop July" – 2:55
*UK 12-inch single
:A. "Crying in the Rain" (LP version) – 4:25
:B1. "(Seemingly) Nonstop July" – 2:55
:B2. "Cry Wolf" (LP version) – 4:05
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Other cover versions
"Crying in the Rain" was covered by many other artists. In 1969,
The Sweet Inspirations
The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Ciss ...
recorded a rendition which reached number 38 on the US R&B chart. It was their second Everly Brothers cover hit, having charted two years earlier with " Let It Be Me."
In 1972, Penny DeHaven in duet with
Del Reeves
Franklin Delano Reeves (July 14, 1933 – January 1, 2007) was an American country music singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell". He is also know ...
released a Country version on a single only (number 54 on the ''Billboard'' country chart). In 1989 it was covered by Blessings in Disguise, a band composed of
Dave Hill
David John Hill (born 4 April 1946) is an English rock musician. He is the lead guitarist, a backing vocalist and the sole continuous member in the English band Slade. Hill is known for his flamboyant stage clothes and hairstyle.
Early life
B ...
and
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the English band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his unique and powerful voice, Holder co ...
of British hard rock band,
Slade
Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
. The song was released as a single, backed with the Dave Hill written track, "Wild Nites".
In 1976, American-Canadian trio Cotton, Lloyd and Christian released the song on a single (with "One More River" on the B-side). "Crying in the Rain" was also included on the trio's second studio album, ''Number Two''.
The song was also covered by Crystal Gayle on her 1981 album ''
Hollywood, Tennessee
''Hollywood, Tennessee'' is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Crystal Gayle. Released in August 1981, it peaked at #5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
As the title intends to suggest, half of the album was produced in ...
'' and by the British duo
Peter and Gordon
Peter and Gordon were a British pop duo, composed of Peter Asher (b. 1944) and Gordon Waller (1945–2009), who achieved international fame in 1964 with their first single, the million-selling single " A World Without Love". The duo had sever ...
. Singer
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 h ...
, of
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
fame, covered the song in his album '' Up 'til Now'' (1993) in a duet with
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
. It was released in 2010 on Micky Dolenz King For a Day album.
The song was also covered by the Eurovision Song Contest winner Johnny Logan. German band Gregorian covered the song on their album '' Masters of Chant Chapter VI''.
The song was covered by Marty Kristian of the New Seekers in 1973 "Crying In The Rain"/"A Woman Grows" (Polydor 2058 394)
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Dave Edmunds released a version of the song on their 1980 EP, ''Nick Lowe & Dave Edmunds Sing The Everly Brothers''.Carole King covered the song she co-wrote on her 1983 album
Speeding Time
''Speeding Time'' is an album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1983. King's 13th album in 14 years, ''Speeding Time'' was poorly reviewed and was her first album not to chart. Following the album's release, King did not rec ...
and in a rare live performance with the group The Wallflowers in a televised performance.
In 1994,
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 h ...
had a Canadian Pop and AC hit with the song.
Danzig covered the song on the 2015 album ''
Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...