"Cry for Help" is a song by English singer-songwriter

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...

, released as the first single from his third studio album, ''

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the difference betw ...

'' (1991). It was written by Astley and Rob Fisher, formerly one half of the 1980s pop outfits

Naked Eyes Naked Eyes are an English new wave duo"All Eyes on Pete Byrne", ''Newsday'', 15 October 2013 that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. The band had four US Top 40 singles. The group's first hit, " Always Something There to Remind Me", was ...

and

Climie Fisher Climie Fisher were a British pop duet (music), duo formed by vocalist Simon Climie and former Naked Eyes keyboardist Rob Fisher (British musician), Rob Fisher. In 1987–88, they had two international hit singles: "Rise to the Occasion (Climie F ...

. The

Andraé Crouch Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music profess ...

Choir provided backing vocals. The song is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, unlike Astley's earlier dance-oriented hit singles. Released as a single on 14 January 1991 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

, "Cry for Help" reached number seven on both the UK Singles Chart and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Astley's last top-10 hit in either country. It also reached number four in Canada and was a number-one hit on both the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. Its accompanying music video received

heavy rotation In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time. However, they are not completely sh ...

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initia ...

. "Cry for Help" was awarded one of BMI's Pop Awards in 1993, honoring the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the song. The song has been sung by Rick Astley in duet with Søren Sko and covered by

Thomas Anders Bernd Weidung (born 1 March 1963), known by his stage name Thomas Anders, is a German singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the vocalist of the former pop duo Modern Talking. Starting his singing career while still in sc ...

(ex-

Modern Talking Modern Talking was a German pop duo consisting of arranger, songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen and singer Thomas Anders. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the to ...

). In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his album '' The Best of Me''. On 27 April 2021, the original music video was upgraded to 1080p HD to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the song reaching number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On 18 July 2024, the original music video was upgraded again to 4K to celebrate the reissue of ''Free''.

Critical reception

Dave Obee from ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' felt the "finest moments" on the song come from

Andrae Crouch Andrae, Andræ (Danish) or Andrä is a surname and given name, which is a variant of Andreae, itself a patronymic (via the Latin genitive case) from the personal name Andreas. Notable persons with this name include: Surname * Ahmed-Tobias Andr ...

's choir arrangement, adding that it's what makes "Cry for Help" "worth hearing".

David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine ''NME'', his writing credits have included '' On the Hour'', ' ...

from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' wrote, "Rick still sings like God, and "Cry for Help" is pretty good in a

Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits on the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. They are best known for their 1994 cover of the Troggs' 1960s hit " Love Is All Around", which ...

sort of way, especially when the Proper Choir comes in". Eleanor Levy from ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' described it as "a Michael McDonald style ballad that, rather than shocking the world, cuddles it instead."

Track listing

* 12-inch single # "Cry for Help" – 6:26 # "Behind the Smile" – 4:33 # "Cry for Help" (album version) – 4:50 * CD single # "Cry for Help" (7" version) – 4:20 # "Behind the Smile" – 4:37 # "Cry for Help" (12" version) – 6:27 * 7-inch and cassette single # "Cry for Help" (edit) – 4:03 # "Behind the Smile" – 4:33

Personnel

* Rick Astley – lead vocals * Dave West – acoustic piano,

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, synthesizers * Hywel Maggs – guitars *

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...

– drums *

Anne Dudley Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genre ...

– string arrangements and conductor * The Andraé Crouch Choir – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1991 songs 1991 singles 1990s ballads RCA Records singles Rick Astley songs Songs written by Rick Astley Songs written by Rob Fisher (British musician)