"Sometimes We Cry" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

and included on his 1997 album, ''

The Healing Game ''The Healing Game'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1997 by Polydor Records, Polydor. It reached the Top Ten in four countries, and the Top Twenty in three more. Following two overtl ...

''. This version features the backing vocals of Brian Kennedy and

Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the only B ...

. It has often been performed as a

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

and a version with Morrison and

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

was included on Jones' '' Reload'' album that was released in 1999 and charted at No. 1 on the UK charts in both 1999 and 2000. Van Morrison's daughter

Shana Morrison Shana Caledonia Morrison (born April 7, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison, and his ex-wife, Janet Rigsbee Minto. Early life Morrison was born in Cambridge MA and grew up in ...

has often performed this as a duet with her father when she makes appearances at his concerts and also released it on her 1999 album, '' 7 Wishes''. On this album version, her father joins in at the end of the song with his harmonica playing and vocals on the last verse. Shana said in an interview that she was surprised that her father agreed to over-dub his harmonica solo on the previously recorded studio song:

He usually does things live in one take and is opposed to any over-dubbing. It just came about all of a sudden. I asked him to do it, and he said yes. Maybe he was in a good mood that day.

Covers

with Van Morrison ('' Reload'' album, 1999) *

with Van Morrison *J. Michaels Band

Personnel

– vocals *

–

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

, backing vocals *

Ronnie Johnson Te'Ron Stephon Johnson (born December 12, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Niagara River Lions of the NBL Canada. He played college basketball for Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball, Purdue, Houston Cougars men's ba ...

– electric guitar * Nicky Scott – electric bass guitar *

Alec Dankworth Alexander William Tamba Dankworth (born 14 May 1960) is an English jazz bassist and composer. Early life and education Born in London, the son of John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, Alec Dankworth grew up in the villages of Aspley Guise and Wavend ...

– double bass * Leo Green –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

Ralph Salmins The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, with Scott remaining the only constant membe ...

– percussion *

Geoff Dunn Geoffrey Edwin Dunn (born 26 February 1961 in Clapham, London, England) is an English rock drummer. From 2002 until his departure in 2007, he was the drummer with the rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Before joining the Earth Band, his long ...

– drums *

Pee Wee Ellis Alfred James Rogers (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 19 ...

–

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

, horn arrangements *Matt Holland – trumpet * Haji Akbar –

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

* Robin Aspland – piano * Brian Kennedy – backing vocals

Notes

{{Authority control 1997 songs Van Morrison songs Vocal collaborations Tom Jones (singer) songs Songs written by Van Morrison Song recordings produced by Van Morrison