Grown Men Don't Cry
Encyclopedia
"Grown Men Don't Cry" is the title of a song written by Tom Douglas
and Steve Seskin
, and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw
. It was released in April 2001 as the first single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down
album. The song reached Number-One on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) chart and peaked at number 25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
told The Boot the story behind the song. "I had gone to the grocery store one day, had parked my car and was walking into the store when I saw this woman talking on a pay phone. She had mascara tears running down her face, and her little boy was weaving in and out of her legs while she was talking on the phone and she looked like an ice cream cone, melting. I went in the store, got my groceries, came back out, and wondered what happened to them. And then I passed by a car, and they were in it. And in the back of the car were newspapers and Chef Boyardee
cans. And I thought, what should I do? And I did nothing except get back in my car and go home. And I was haunted by my paralysis and inability to do anything about that. And that feeling started this song when I sat down to write with Steve. I had that first verse, and actually the second vignette was more Steve's life than it was mine ... about putting the rose on the grave and talking to the wind. And then the third verse was kind of a combination of both of our lives, but being tied together by singing, 'I don't know why they say grown men don't cry.'"
Tom Douglas (songwriter)
Thomas Stevenson "Tom" Douglas is an American country music songwriter. Active since the early 1990s, he has written Top Ten hits for John Michael Montgomery, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye and others....
and Steve Seskin
Steve Seskin
Steve Seskin is an American songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Peter Frampton, Waylon Jennings, Brian McComas, Neal McCoy, Tim McGraw, John Michael Montgomery, Colin Raye, Tebey and Mark Wills...
, and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
. It was released in April 2001 as the first single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down
Set This Circus Down
Set This Circus Down is the seventh album by country music singer Tim McGraw. Certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA for U.S. sales of three million copies, the album produced four singles for McGraw on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
album. The song reached Number-One on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) chart and peaked at number 25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Background and writing
One of the songwriters, Tom DouglasTom Douglas (songwriter)
Thomas Stevenson "Tom" Douglas is an American country music songwriter. Active since the early 1990s, he has written Top Ten hits for John Michael Montgomery, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye and others....
told The Boot the story behind the song. "I had gone to the grocery store one day, had parked my car and was walking into the store when I saw this woman talking on a pay phone. She had mascara tears running down her face, and her little boy was weaving in and out of her legs while she was talking on the phone and she looked like an ice cream cone, melting. I went in the store, got my groceries, came back out, and wondered what happened to them. And then I passed by a car, and they were in it. And in the back of the car were newspapers and Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee is a brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by ConAgra Foods. Named after its founder, Italian-American immigrant Ettore Boiardi, the company began production in the United States in the 1920s...
cans. And I thought, what should I do? And I did nothing except get back in my car and go home. And I was haunted by my paralysis and inability to do anything about that. And that feeling started this song when I sat down to write with Steve. I had that first verse, and actually the second vignette was more Steve's life than it was mine ... about putting the rose on the grave and talking to the wind. And then the third verse was kind of a combination of both of our lives, but being tied together by singing, 'I don't know why they say grown men don't cry.'"
Chart performance
"Grown Men Don't Cry" debuted at number 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the chart week of March 24, 2001.| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 25 |