Cry (Michael Jackson song)
Encyclopedia
"Cry" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson
that features on his tenth and final studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written by R&B
singer-songwriter R. Kelly
, who had previously written Jackson's 1995 single "You Are Not Alone
". "Cry" was produced by Jackson and Kelly. It was released in December 2001 under Epic Records
as the second single from Invincible. "Cry" is a R&B
ballad, with lyrics that highlight problems with the planet. The lyrics also urge people to unite to make the world a better place. The track, thus, recalls previous Jackson songs that promote peace and environmentalism.
The song was released with two B-side tracks; "Shout" and "Streetwalker". "Cry" received mixed reviews from music critics. The single had a moderate chart performance internationally, with its highest peak being number sixteen in Denmark, and its least successful charting country being Austria. The track was promoted with a music video, which was filmed by Nicholas Brandt. The video does not feature Jackson but shows people holding hands and standing side by side in a variety of settings, including a beach and a forest.
for his tenth and final studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written by R&B
singer-songwriter R. Kelly
, who had previously worked with Jackson on his 1995 single, "You Are Not Alone
"; Jackson and Kelly's collaboration on "Cry" is the second of what would be three collaborations. The track was produced by Jackson and Kelly. Outside of the United States, the song was released in December 2001 as the third and last single from Invincible, under Epic Records
. The single was released with two B-side tracks; "Shout" and "Streetwalker". "Shout" was a previously unreleased song, and "Streetwalker" had previously appeared as a track on the 2001 special edition of Jackson's seventh studio album, Bad
(1987).
felt that Jackson cries the lyrics "I can't do it by myself". The song's lyrics and themes are similar to the ones in Jackson's 1988 single "Man in the Mirror
" and his 1991 single "Heal the World
". Hartford Courant rock music critic Roger Catlin believed that Jackson "sheepishly" sings lyrics in the song. A journalist for the Contra Costa Times
said that the track contained "tailor-made Jackson lyrics". George Varga of The San Diego Union Tribune felt that the track sounded similar to music recorded by George Michael
. "Cry" is composed in the key
of A major
and the song's time signature is common time
. "Cry" has a moderate metronome of eighty four beats per minute. The single is built in the chord progression
of A–G/A–A–A/G in the verses and A–A/G–D–A in the chorus. The sheet music indicates the vocal range
spans A3 to G5.
-produced ballads for Bad, and indicates the song's themes are those of alienation and sorrow rather than love. He believes the strength of the strings, the competent backing vocals, and the keyboard figures prevent the listener from convulsing with laughter at Jackson's "oh-so-pained delivery" and interjections of "Hold on" or "Oh my!" Jon Pareles
of the New York Times called the track the "change-the-world-song" and wrote that the single "applies its grand buildup to one of pop's strangest utopian schemes", which was asking everyone to cry at the same time, at which point Jackson may answer their prayers. Catherine Halaby of Yale Daily News
felt that the song is a "less triumphant use of a contemporary's input" on the album.
NME
music critic Mark Beaumont believed that Jackson "starts banging creepily on about" the lyrics which pertain to saving the children. Frank Kogan of the Village Voice noted that while "Cry" and another song from Invincible ("Speechless") are "very pretty", they give the impression that Jackson's "standing sideways, so as to let the beauty slide off him". Los Angeles Times
staff writer Robert Hilburn wrote that the track "fills the social commentary role" of Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (1988), while Hartford Courant rock music critic Roger Catlin believed that the single is a redux to Jackson's "Heal the World" (1991). Newsday
staff writer Glenn Gamboa said that the song was "equally average" to other tracks on Invincible. James Hunter of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that R. Kelly "more or less succeeds with the kind of life affirming number" on the single.
Roger Friedman, a writer for Fox News Channel
, said that he "will admit to being a sucker for two of the ballads" on the album, which were "Don't Walk Away" and "Cry". He added that he "loved" the melody to the track, but felt that the lyrics are "ridiculous". Jim Farber of New York's Daily News wrote that in "Cry", Jackson "goes into his healing-the-world shtick, though rarely has he been this condescending about his role as universal savior." Chicago Tribune
rock music critics Greg Kot believed that R. Kelly "reprises the formula of his big gospel-stoked anthem" ("I Believe I Can Fly
") on the track. A journalist for The Wichita Eagle
wrote that Jackson "shines on the sincere ballads" such as "Cry", "Heartbreaker" and "Speechless". Pop music critic Thor Christensen of the Dallas Morning News described the single as being the musician's "latest batch of inspirational cotton candy". Francisco Cangiano of University Wire noted that the overall good songs from Invincible are "Heartbreaker", "Cry" and "Speechless". Pamela Davis and Gina Vininetto of St. Petersburg Times
called the song "hubris- filled" and said that it was full of Jackson's "freaky messiah-savior complex".
within the country. Unlike previous singles released from Invincible that charted internationally, "Cry" was a moderate commercial success worldwide. "Cry" debuted at number twenty five, its peak position, on December 22, 2001, on the UK Singles Chart
. The single remained on the country's chart for four consecutive weeks from December 2001 to January 2002, before falling out of the top 100 positions. The track debuted at number thirty seven on December 12, and peaked at number thirty in the succeeding week on the French Singles Chart. The song debuted at its peak position, number forty three, on December 12, on the Australian Singles Chart
. It only remained on the country's chart for one week. "Cry" did not chart on Belgian Tip Singles Chart, but did chart on the Belgian Walonia music chart, debuting at number thirty seven on December 15, and peaking at number thirty one on January 12, 2002.
"Cry" charted on the Swedish Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks. Having debuted at number fifty on December 21, and peaked at number forty eight the following week. The single spent the next four weeks fluctuating down the chart. The track peaked at number forty two on the Swiss Singles Chart, and remained on the country's chart for six weeks. The single's most commercially successful charting territory was Denmark. Although the track only remained on the singles chart for one week, it managed to chart within the top 20, peaking at number sixteen. The single's least successful chart territory was Austria. Having debuted on the country's singles chart at its peak position, number sixty five on December 16, in the succeeding week the track charted at number seventy one and fell out of the top 100 positions the following week. Regarding the song's chart performance, Halstead and Cadman wrote that it was a "setback for sure, but not a major one" for Jackson.
" (1995), "Childhood
" (1995) and "Stranger in Moscow
", all of which were from Jackson's 1995 album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The video was filmed in six different locations, five of which were in California
and another in Nevada
. People featured in the video included members of a real life gospel group. The video does not feature Jackson, as he refused to appear in it. This is rumoured due to the ongoing rift between the pop-star and Sony at that time. Regarding Jackson's absence from the video, Craig Halstead and Chris Cadman, authors of the book Michael Jackson the Solo Years, wrote that compared with Jackson's previous efforts on other music videos for his songs, the final result was "woefully tame". The two writers believed that Jackson having no involvement in the video "did little" to promote the music video. The video begins with dozens of people of different ages, ethnicities, and attires holding hands by a beach. Different settings appear: a forest, a meadow, a cityscape. In the final moments of the video, the people clap their hands and sing the chorus.
UK vinyl, 12"
UK cassette single
CD-maxi
CD-single
US vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
European CD single promo
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
that features on his tenth and final studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written by R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer-songwriter R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, who had previously written Jackson's 1995 single "You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone
"You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and...
". "Cry" was produced by Jackson and Kelly. It was released in December 2001 under Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
as the second single from Invincible. "Cry" is a R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
ballad, with lyrics that highlight problems with the planet. The lyrics also urge people to unite to make the world a better place. The track, thus, recalls previous Jackson songs that promote peace and environmentalism.
The song was released with two B-side tracks; "Shout" and "Streetwalker". "Cry" received mixed reviews from music critics. The single had a moderate chart performance internationally, with its highest peak being number sixteen in Denmark, and its least successful charting country being Austria. The track was promoted with a music video, which was filmed by Nicholas Brandt. The video does not feature Jackson but shows people holding hands and standing side by side in a variety of settings, including a beach and a forest.
Background
"Cry" was recorded by American singer Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
for his tenth and final studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written by R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer-songwriter R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, who had previously worked with Jackson on his 1995 single, "You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone
"You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and...
"; Jackson and Kelly's collaboration on "Cry" is the second of what would be three collaborations. The track was produced by Jackson and Kelly. Outside of the United States, the song was released in December 2001 as the third and last single from Invincible, under Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. The single was released with two B-side tracks; "Shout" and "Streetwalker". "Shout" was a previously unreleased song, and "Streetwalker" had previously appeared as a track on the 2001 special edition of Jackson's seventh studio album, Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
(1987).
Composition
The themes of "Cry" are world issues such as isolation, war, and brotherhood. It also suggests if everyone pulls together as one, then they make a change to the world, with Jackson singing, "You can change the world/I can't do it by myself". Music critic Mark Brown of Rocky Mountain NewsRocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
felt that Jackson cries the lyrics "I can't do it by myself". The song's lyrics and themes are similar to the ones in Jackson's 1988 single "Man in the Mirror
Man in the Mirror
"Man in the Mirror" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson and written and composed by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. It peaked at number one in the United States when released as a single in January 1988 off his seventh solo album, Bad. It is one of Jackson's most critically acclaimed songs and...
" and his 1991 single "Heal the World
Heal the World
"Heal the World" is a song from Michael Jackson's hit album, Dangerous, released in 1991. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest, especially Burundi. It is also one of only a handful of Michael Jackson's videos not to feature Jackson himself, the others being...
". Hartford Courant rock music critic Roger Catlin believed that Jackson "sheepishly" sings lyrics in the song. A journalist for the Contra Costa Times
Contra Costa Times
The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, U.S.. The paper serves Contra Costa and eastern Alameda counties, in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area...
said that the track contained "tailor-made Jackson lyrics". George Varga of The San Diego Union Tribune felt that the track sounded similar to music recorded by George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
. "Cry" is composed in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of A major
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
and the song's time signature is common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
. "Cry" has a moderate metronome of eighty four beats per minute. The single is built in the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of A–G/A–A–A/G in the verses and A–A/G–D–A in the chorus. The sheet music indicates the vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
spans A3 to G5.
Critical reception
Jason Elias of Allmusic thinks "Cry" is a moody and reflective piece of material reminiscent of Jackson's Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
-produced ballads for Bad, and indicates the song's themes are those of alienation and sorrow rather than love. He believes the strength of the strings, the competent backing vocals, and the keyboard figures prevent the listener from convulsing with laughter at Jackson's "oh-so-pained delivery" and interjections of "Hold on" or "Oh my!" Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of the New York Times called the track the "change-the-world-song" and wrote that the single "applies its grand buildup to one of pop's strangest utopian schemes", which was asking everyone to cry at the same time, at which point Jackson may answer their prayers. Catherine Halaby of Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
felt that the song is a "less triumphant use of a contemporary's input" on the album.
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
music critic Mark Beaumont believed that Jackson "starts banging creepily on about" the lyrics which pertain to saving the children. Frank Kogan of the Village Voice noted that while "Cry" and another song from Invincible ("Speechless") are "very pretty", they give the impression that Jackson's "standing sideways, so as to let the beauty slide off him". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
staff writer Robert Hilburn wrote that the track "fills the social commentary role" of Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (1988), while Hartford Courant rock music critic Roger Catlin believed that the single is a redux to Jackson's "Heal the World" (1991). Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
staff writer Glenn Gamboa said that the song was "equally average" to other tracks on Invincible. James Hunter of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that R. Kelly "more or less succeeds with the kind of life affirming number" on the single.
Roger Friedman, a writer for Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, said that he "will admit to being a sucker for two of the ballads" on the album, which were "Don't Walk Away" and "Cry". He added that he "loved" the melody to the track, but felt that the lyrics are "ridiculous". Jim Farber of New York's Daily News wrote that in "Cry", Jackson "goes into his healing-the-world shtick, though rarely has he been this condescending about his role as universal savior." Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
rock music critics Greg Kot believed that R. Kelly "reprises the formula of his big gospel-stoked anthem" ("I Believe I Can Fly
I Believe I Can Fly
"I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was written, produced and performed by Kelly and was featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. The song later appeared on Kelly's 1998 album R.....
") on the track. A journalist for The Wichita Eagle
The Wichita Eagle
The Wichita Eagle is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas. It is owned by The McClatchy Company, which publishes 31 other newspapers, including The Kansas City Star.It is the largest newspaper in Wichita, Kansas and the surrounding area....
wrote that Jackson "shines on the sincere ballads" such as "Cry", "Heartbreaker" and "Speechless". Pop music critic Thor Christensen of the Dallas Morning News described the single as being the musician's "latest batch of inspirational cotton candy". Francisco Cangiano of University Wire noted that the overall good songs from Invincible are "Heartbreaker", "Cry" and "Speechless". Pamela Davis and Gina Vininetto of St. Petersburg Times
St. Petersburg Times
The St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
called the song "hubris- filled" and said that it was full of Jackson's "freaky messiah-savior complex".
Chart performance
"Cry" was released as a single outside of the United States and it did not chart on any Billboard music chartsBillboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
within the country. Unlike previous singles released from Invincible that charted internationally, "Cry" was a moderate commercial success worldwide. "Cry" debuted at number twenty five, its peak position, on December 22, 2001, on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The single remained on the country's chart for four consecutive weeks from December 2001 to January 2002, before falling out of the top 100 positions. The track debuted at number thirty seven on December 12, and peaked at number thirty in the succeeding week on the French Singles Chart. The song debuted at its peak position, number forty three, on December 12, on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. It only remained on the country's chart for one week. "Cry" did not chart on Belgian Tip Singles Chart, but did chart on the Belgian Walonia music chart, debuting at number thirty seven on December 15, and peaking at number thirty one on January 12, 2002.
"Cry" charted on the Swedish Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks. Having debuted at number fifty on December 21, and peaked at number forty eight the following week. The single spent the next four weeks fluctuating down the chart. The track peaked at number forty two on the Swiss Singles Chart, and remained on the country's chart for six weeks. The single's most commercially successful charting territory was Denmark. Although the track only remained on the singles chart for one week, it managed to chart within the top 20, peaking at number sixteen. The single's least successful chart territory was Austria. Having debuted on the country's singles chart at its peak position, number sixty five on December 16, in the succeeding week the track charted at number seventy one and fell out of the top 100 positions the following week. Regarding the song's chart performance, Halstead and Cadman wrote that it was a "setback for sure, but not a major one" for Jackson.
Music video
"Cry" was promoted by a music video, or "short film". The music video was directed by Nicholas Brandt, who had previously worked on promos for Jackson's other singles, "Earth SongEarth Song
"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the fifth song on the second disc of the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious...
" (1995), "Childhood
Scream/Childhood
"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...
" (1995) and "Stranger in Moscow
Stranger in Moscow
"Stranger in Moscow" is the fifth and final single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The song was released worldwide in November 1996 but was not released in the United States until August 1997...
", all of which were from Jackson's 1995 album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The video was filmed in six different locations, five of which were in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and another in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. People featured in the video included members of a real life gospel group. The video does not feature Jackson, as he refused to appear in it. This is rumoured due to the ongoing rift between the pop-star and Sony at that time. Regarding Jackson's absence from the video, Craig Halstead and Chris Cadman, authors of the book Michael Jackson the Solo Years, wrote that compared with Jackson's previous efforts on other music videos for his songs, the final result was "woefully tame". The two writers believed that Jackson having no involvement in the video "did little" to promote the music video. The video begins with dozens of people of different ages, ethnicities, and attires holding hands by a beach. Different settings appear: a forest, a meadow, a cityscape. In the final moments of the video, the people clap their hands and sing the chorus.
Track listing and formats
UK enhanced maxi- 1 "Cry" - 5:01
- 2 "Shout" - 4:17
- 3 "Streetwalker" - 5:49
- 4 "Cry (Short Film)" - 5:00
UK vinyl, 12"
- A "Cry" - 5:01
- B1 "Shout" - 4:17
- B2 "Streetwalker" - 5:49
UK cassette single
- A1 "Cry" - 5:01
- A2 "Shout" - 4:17
- A3 "Streetwalker" - 5:49
- B1 "Cry" - 5:01
- B2 "Shout" - 4:17
- B3 "Streetwalker" - 5:49
CD-maxi
- 1. "Cry" - 5:01
- 2. "Shout" - 4:17
- 3. "Streetwalker" - 5:49
- 4. "Cry" (Video) - 5:01
CD-single
- 1. "Cry" - 5:01
- 2. "Shout" - 4:17
US vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
- A "Cry" - 5:01
- B "Cry" - 5:01
European CD single promo
- 1 "Cry" - 5:01
Credits and personnel
- Written and composed by R. Kelly
- Produced by Michael Jackson and R. Kelly
- Lead vocalLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
by Michael Jackson - Percussion by Paulinho Da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
- KeyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and drum programming by Michael Jackson and Brad Buxer - Choir arrangement by R. Kelly
- Drums by John "JR" Robinson
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s by Michael Landau - Recorded by Mike Ging, Bad Gilderman and Humberto GaticaHumberto GaticaHumberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American record producer, music mixer, audio engineer anda long-time collaborator with producer David Foster....
- Mixed by Michael Jackson and Mick GuzauskiMick GuzauskiMick Guzauski is a multi-platinum Mixing Engineer and sound engineer.Guzauski's work spans a wide range of styles, including jazz, R&B, Latin, rock, pop, and easy listening...
Charts
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
43 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 65 |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... (Walonia) Singles chart |
31 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 16 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 39 |
| France Singles Chart | 30 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
48 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
42 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
25 |
External links
- The music video for "Cry" at MTV.co.ukMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.