Somebody's Crying

"Somebody's Crying"
Single by Chris Isaak
from the album Forever Blue
Released May 1995
Format CD
Genre Rockabilly
Length 2:46
Label Reprise
Writer(s) Chris Isaak
Producer(s) Erik Jacobsen
Chris Isaak singles chronology
"Solitary Man"
(1993)		 "Somebody's Crying"
(1995)		 "Go Walking Down There"
(1995)

"Somebody's Crying" is a song by musician Chris Isaak from his fifth album, Forever Blue. The song was released as the album's first single in May 1995.[1] It also appears on his 2006 Best of Chris Isaak compilation. A live version is included on Isaak's 2008 Live in Australia album.

Inspiration and lyrics

Isaak wrote the song shortly after a breakup with his girlfriend. Isaak had attended a friend's party, but soon realized that he did not want to be there.[2] He went inside a walk-in closet, closed the door, grabbed a guitar that was leaning against the back wall, and wrote "Somebody's Crying."[2]

Lyrically, the song describes one's yearning for a former lover, and the fear of communicating again with that person.[3] In a 1995 interview, Isaak compared the lyrics to a way children often speak:

“ Most of us are as terrified of love as little kids are terrified of the world. Little kids come up to you and say, "I know someone who loves you" or "I know someone who likes you." They say it like, I'm not going to really come out and say it. And for adults, it's probably the same way. They never really get beyond that fear.[3] ”

Music video

The music video for "Somebody's Crying" was released in 1995 and was directed by Bill Pope.[4] In contrast to the song's melancholy lyrical content, the video presents a more upbeat story of a summer romance, and features Isaak riding a surfboard, a favorite pastime of his.[5] Isaak said, "I thought it would be more fun to do. More and more I'm trying to keep a little bit of fun in what I'm doing."[5] Actors Jennifer Rubin, Jenna Elfman, Zen Gesner, and Chris Penn appear in the video.

The video received a 1995 MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Male Video, but lost to Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How It Feels."[6]

Release and reception
"Somebody's Crying"
Sample of "Somebody's Crying", taken from Chris Isaak's 1995 album Forever Blue.
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"Somebody's Crying" peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1995, making it Isaak's second-highest charting single after "Wicked Game", which reached number six in 1991.[7] "Somebody's Crying" also peaked at number 27 on the Hot AC chart, number 34 on the Alternative Songs chart, and number 36 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. Elsewhere, the song peaked at number five in Australia and number 22 in New Zealand, marking Isaak's highest chart placement in those countries. However, the single was not as commercially successful in the UK, reaching only number 100 on its chart.

The song received a 1996 Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, but again lost to Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How It Feels."[8]

Track listing

CD and Cassette (US, UK, Australia, Germany)
  1. "Somebody's Crying"
  2. "Changed Your Mind"
CD Maxi Single (Australia, Germany)
  1. "Somebody's Crying" (album version) - 2:46
  2. "Change Your Mind" (album version) - 3:50
  3. "The Little White Cloud That Cried" (written by Johnnie Ray) - 2:19

The song was played during parts of two episodes of the Fox television series Party of Five in 1995.[9][10] It was also featured in a 1995 episode of MTV's Beavis and Butt-head.[11] An acoustic performance of the song by Isaak is included in the 2000 DVD compilation, MTV Unplugged: Ballads.[12]

Chart performance

Chart (1995) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 45 [13]
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 27 [13]
U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs 34 [13]
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 36 [13]
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 5 [14]
New Zealand Singles Chart 22 [15]

References

  1. ↑ Chris Isaak - "Somebody's Crying" single. Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved on 2009-06-22
  2. 1 2
  3. 1 2 Goldberg, Michael (June 1995). "Chris Isaak walks a lonely road". Addicted to Noise. Archived from the original on 2000-09-29. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  4. ↑ MTV Videos. MTV.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  5. 1 2 Bowles, Jennifer (1995-05-26). "Singer's breakup with girlfriend inspires recording". The Ledger. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  6. ↑ Chris Isaak Timeline (1995). RockOnTheNet.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  7. ↑ Chris Isaak Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-28.
  8. ↑ Grammy Award Nominations. MarkNeedham.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  9. ↑ "Party of Five" - "Ready or Not". IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  10. ↑ "Party of Five"- "Dearly Beloved". IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  11. ↑ "Beavis and Butt-head" - "Spanish Fly". IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  12. ↑ MTV Unplugged: Ballads. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Somebody's Crying" - Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-28.
  14. ↑ Australian Charts - "Somebody's Crying". australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2009-06-22.
  15. ↑ New Zealand Charts - "Somebody's Crying". charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 2009-06-24.
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