Don't Cry

Last updated

"Don't Cry"
Don't Cry by Guns N' Roses US CD.jpg
Single by Guns N' Roses feat. Shannon Hoon
from the album Use Your Illusion I and II
B-side "Don't Cry" (alt. lyrics) (LP version)
ReleasedSeptember 1991
Studio
Genre Hard rock [1]
Length4:45
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Guns N' Roses feat. Shannon Hoon singles chronology
"You Could Be Mine"
(1991)
"Don't Cry"
(1991)
"Live and Let Die"
(1991)
Music video
"Don't Cry" on YouTube

"Don't Cry" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, two versions of which were released simultaneously on different albums. The version with the original lyrics is the fourth track on Use Your Illusion I (1991), while the version with the alternate lyrics is the 13th track on Use Your Illusion II (1991). Only the vocal tracks differ, and even then only in the verses; however, in those verses, not only are the words entirely different, but the meter and melody are also slightly different. There is also a third version, officially released only on the single for the song, which was recorded during Appetite for Destruction sessions in 1986.

Contents

Referred to as a power ballad, [2] "Don't Cry" reached the top 10 in many countries, including peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Ireland, "Don't Cry" became Guns N' Roses' second number-one single, and in Finland, it became the second number-one hit from the Use Your Illusion albums. The song also topped Portugal's music chart, reached number two in New Zealand and Norway, and peaked within the top five in Australia, Denmark, and Switzerland. Andy Morahan and Mark Racco directed its accompanying music video.

Composition and recording

Stradlin and Rose wrote the song (with the working title "Don't You Cry Tonight") in March 1985, shortly after Guns N' Roses was formed in Los Angeles. [3] In fact, at a show in Atlantic City, NJ on September 12, 2021, Rose claimed it was "the first song that was written for Guns N’ Roses.” [4] In the 1993 video Don't Cry: Makin' F@*!ing Videos Part I Rose says that "Don't Cry" was their most Hanoi Rocks -influenced song. In the Special Collector's Edition of Rolling Stone dedicated to the band, Kory Grow quotes Rose:

It was [about] a girl that Izzy had gone out with, and I was really attracted to her, and they split up. I was sitting outside the Roxy, and I was really in love with this person and she was realizing this wasn't going to work – she wanted to do other things, and she was telling me goodbye and I sat down and just started crying, and she was telling me, 'Don't cry.' The next night, we got together and wrote the song in five minutes.

At the September 2021 Atlantic City show cited above, Rose told the crowd:

“I went over to Izzy’s and I threw some rocks at his window. He came to the window and was worried I came over there to kick his ass. We’d been in an argument for a few months. It was like the Blues Brothers. ‘We gotta get the band back together'...We sat down, and I was like, ‘Hey, I got some really depressing lyrics.’ He was like, ‘I got a really depressing guitar part.’ I was like, ‘Perfect, we got it made.'” [4]

In his book Over the Top: The True Story of Guns N' Roses, Mark Putterford notes the song's contrast with much of the other material on the Illusion albums, citing Rose's "deeply ingrained whore/madonna dichotomy" and his "dew-eyed romantic cooing with tenderness." [5] "Don't Cry" features Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon as a co-lead vocalist. Hoon sings an octave higher than Rose, and his voice is placed further back in the mix; Hoon also appears in the music video, singing alongside Rose during the helipad scenes. [6] In his autobiography, Slash states that Hoon's harmony vocal "made that song all the more soulful." [7] Along with "Estranged" and "November Rain," it forms a narrative inspired in part by the short story "Without You" by Del James. [8]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan and Mark Racco. [9] John Linson was the producer of the video. [10]

Rose commented on the difficulty of filming the video and how certain scenes inspired by his relationship with Erin Everly affected him emotionally:

With our video for "Don't Cry," and the fight that Stephanie Seymour, (Axl's then-current girlfriend) and I had over the gun, you don't necessarily know what's going on. But in real life that happened with Erin Everly (Axl's ex-wife) and myself. I was going to shoot myself. We fought over the gun and I finally let her win. I was kind of mentally crippled after that. Before shooting our documentary, I said, "This seems really hard, 'cause it really happened." And the night we wrote the scene, my friend Josh said, "Okay, how are you going to play that?" He wanted to rehearse and I was like, "Look, leave me alone." But he kept pushing until, finally, I stood up. I had this cigarette lighter that looked like a real gun and I said, "Look, I'm gonna do it like this." And I just went over and slammed around in the hallway a bit and threw the gun and said, "Is that good enough for you?" [11]

Izzy Stradlin did not attend the music video shoot by the time the band came to film the video and therefore does not appear in the video for the song he co-wrote. A month later, it was announced he had quit the band. A sign saying 'Where's Izzy' can be seen in the video. Stradlin later deemed the multi-million dollar video "a pointless indulgence." [12]

Axl Rose also briefly wore a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap in the video. This is possibly a reference to the Riverport Riot that occurred after Guns N' Roses performed at the Riverport Ampitheater in St. Louis on July 2, 1991. They were banned from performing there again, but played there again on July 27, 2017 on the Not In This Lifetime... Tour.

Live performances

"Don't Cry" was performed quite frequently during the early tours and the Use Your Illusion Tour. It was absent from the early legs (i.e. 2001–02) of the Chinese Democracy Tour but reappeared to an extent in 2006, as guitarist Bumblefoot began using an instrumental version of the song as a guitar solo spot. In 2007, during the Bumblefoot solo spot, Axl came on stage to sing along to the solo on two occasions, marking the first times since 1993 that Axl had sung it live.

"Don't Cry" made another return during the 2009/2010 World Tour, with Axl singing along with the solo spot on each occasion that it has been played.

A recording of the song from the Tokyo Dome was released on the album Live Era '87–'93 and a VHS/DVD. A further recording was issued on Appetite for Democracy 3D .

Track listing

  1. "Don't Cry" (original) – 4:42
  2. "Don't Cry" (alt. lyrics) – 4:42
  3. "Don't Cry" (demo – 1985 Mystic Studio Sessions) – 4:42

Personnel

Additional musicians

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [42] Gold45,000
Italy (FIMI) [43] Platinum50,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) [44] Gold5,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [45] Gold30,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [47] Gold500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Use Your Illusion I</i> 1991 studio album by Guns N Roses

Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion II. It was the band's first album to feature drummer Matt Sorum, who replaced Steven Adler following Adler's departure in 1990, as well as keyboardist Dizzy Reed. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 685,000 copies in its first week, behind Use Your Illusion II's first-week sales of 770,000. Use Your Illusion I has sold 5,502,000 units in the United States as of 2010, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Each of the Use Your Illusion albums have been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Izzy Stradlin</span> American guitarist

Jeffrey Dean Isbell, best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded four studio albums and left at the height of their fame in 1991.

<i>Use Your Illusion II</i> 1991 studio album by Guns N Roses

Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album was released on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion I. Both albums were released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour. Bolstered by the lead single "You Could Be Mine", Use Your Illusion II was the slightly more popular of the two albums, selling a record 770,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ahead of Use Your Illusion I's first-week sales of 685,000. As of 2010, Use Your Illusion II has sold 5,587,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Both albums have since been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for a single week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Child o' Mine</span> 1988 single by Guns N Roses

"Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released on their debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). In the United States, the song was released on June 21, 1988 as the album's first single, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the band's only US number-one single. In the United Kingdom, the song was released in August 1988, reaching number 24 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. Re-released there in May 1989, it peaked at number six.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November Rain</span> 1992 single by Guns N Roses

"November Rain" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Written by the band's lead vocalist Axl Rose, the power ballad was released in February 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Use Your Illusion I (1991). The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was the longest song to enter the top ten of the chart at the time of its release. As of 2019, it was the fourth longest song to enter the Hot 100 chart. Additionally, "November Rain" reached number two on the Portuguese Singles Chart, number four on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 on several other music charts around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Use Your Illusion Tour</span> 1991–93 concert tour by Guns N Roses

The Use Your Illusion Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses which ran from January 20, 1991, to July 17, 1993. It was not only the band's longest tour, but one of the longest concert tours in rock history, consisting of 194 shows in 27 countries. It was also a source of much infamy for the band, due to riots, late starts, cancellations and outspoken rantings by Axl Rose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise City</span> 1989 single by Guns N Roses

"Paradise City" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). Released as a single in January 1989, it is the only song on the album to feature a synthesizer. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100—becoming the band's third single to reach the Top 10—and number six on the UK Singles Chart. It also topped the Irish Singles Chart, their first of three singles to do so.

<i>Use Your Illusion</i> 1998 compilation album by Guns N Roses

Use Your Illusion is the name of two releases by American rock band Guns N' Roses: a 1998 compilation album, drawing from the Use Your Illusion I and II studio albums featuring songs without explicit lyrics, and a 2022 box set anniversary edition of both albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to the Jungle</span> 1987 single by Guns N Roses

"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured as the opening track on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). It was released as the album's second single initially in the UK in September 1987 then again in October 1988 this time including the US, where it reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 24 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Live Era 87–93</i> 1999 live album by Guns N Roses

Live Era '87–'93 is a double live album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on November 23, 1999. The record was the first official Guns N' Roses release since "The Spaghetti Incident?" released on the same day 6 years prior in 1993. Guitarist Slash notes that the album is "not pretty and there are a lot of mistakes, but this is Guns N' Roses, not the fucking Mahavishnu Orchestra. It's as honest as it gets."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patience (Guns N' Roses song)</span> 1989 single by Guns N Roses

"Patience" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses from their second studio album, G N' R Lies (1988), released as a single in April 1989. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song is a ballad, played using three acoustic guitars and was recorded in a single session by producer Mike Clink. A music video of the song was shot and appears on the band's music video DVD, Welcome to the Videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightrain</span> 1989 single by Guns N Roses

"Nightrain" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses. The song is a tribute to an infamous brand of cheap Californian fortified wine, Night Train Express, which was extremely popular with the band during their early days because of its low price and high alcohol content. The title is spelled differently, omitting a T and removing the space, making a portmanteau of the two words.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's So Easy (Guns N' Roses song)</span> 1987 single by Guns N Roses

"It's So Easy" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, appearing on their 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. The song was released as the band's first single on June 15, 1987, in the UK, where it reached number 84 on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-Side with "Mr. Brownstone". It was also released as a maxi-single in Germany later in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Could Be Mine</span> 1991 single by Guns N Roses

"You Could Be Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses from their fourth studio album, Use Your Illusion II. The song was released on June 21, 1991, as the first single from the Use Your Illusion albums. The song was originally released as a song in director James Cameron's 1991 film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Backed with "Civil War" from Use Your Illusion II, the single reached number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Finland and Spain. It became a top-five hit in more than 10 additional countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil War (song)</span> 1990 song by Guns n Roses

"Civil War" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses that originally appeared on the 1990 compilation Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal and later on the band's 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. It is a protest song on war, referring to all war as "civil war" and stating that war only "feeds the rich while it buries the poor". In the song, lead singer Axl Rose asks, "What's so civil about war, anyway?"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yesterdays (Guns N' Roses song)</span> 1992 single by Guns N Roses

"Yesterdays" is the third track on the Guns N' Roses album Use Your Illusion II. It was written by Axl Rose, West Arkeen, Del James and Billy McCloud. This song is featured in the 2004 compilation Greatest Hits, and the Vegas version below was included on the album Live Era '87–'93. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live and Let Die (song)</span> 1973 song by Paul McCartney and Wings

"Live and Let Die" is the theme song of the 1973 James Bond film of the same name, performed by the British–American rock band Wings. Written by English musician Paul McCartney and his wife Linda McCartney, it reunited McCartney with former Beatles producer George Martin, who produced the song and arranged the orchestra. McCartney was contacted to write the song by the film's producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli before the screenplay was finished. Wings recorded "Live and Let Die" during the sessions for Red Rose Speedway in October 1972 at AIR Studios. It was also the first rock song to open a Bond film. Another version by B. J. Arnau also appears in the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guns N' Roses discography</span>

The discography of Guns N' Roses, an American hard rock band, consists of six studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, four extended plays (EPs), 24 singles, nine video albums and 26 music videos. Guns N' Roses was formed in Los Angeles, California with an original recording lineup of lead vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler. After self-releasing the EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide in December 1986, the band signed with Geffen Records and released its debut studio album Appetite for Destruction the following July. It topped the US Billboard 200 and went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time, with reported sales over 30 million units worldwide, 18 million of which are in the US. Three singles – "Welcome to the Jungle", "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Paradise City" – reached the US Billboard Hot 100 top ten, with "Sweet Child o' Mine" topping the chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estranged (song)</span> 1993 single by Guns N Roses

"Estranged" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, included on their 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. Described as a ballad, the song was released as a single in January 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow of Your Love</span> 2018 single by Guns N Roses

"Shadow of Your Love" is a song by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, originally released as a B-side in 1987. It was later released in an alternate take as a single in 2018, which entered at 31 on the Mainstream Rock chart in its May 12, 2018 edition, and peaked at No. 5 the week of June 23 the same year. It would later be included in the 2020 re-issue of the band's Greatest Hits album.

References

  1. "The 50 Best Rock Albums of the '90s". Slant Magazine . May 11, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  2. "Every track on Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I & II, ranked from worst to best". September 17, 2021.
  3. "Raz Cue - Rocks". Raz Cue - Rocks. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Greene, Andy (September 13, 2021). "Axl Rose Reflects on Birth of GN'R, Izzy Stradlin Partnership at Atlantic City Gig". Yahoo! . Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  5. Putterford 1993, p. 80.
  6. "Guns N' Roses – 'Don't Cry' – a dynamic analysis".
  7. Bozza 2007, p. 318.
  8. Wall, Mick (2008). W.A.R.: The Unauthorized Biography of William Axl Rose . St. Martin's Press. p.  368. ISBN   978-0-312-37767-0.
  9. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Guns 'n' Roses - "Don't cry"". Music Video DataBase. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  10. "Guns N' Roses: Makin' F@*!ing Videos Part I - Don't Cry (Video 1993) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  11. "Articles > Axl gets in the ring". Here Today... Gone To Hell!. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  12. Putterford 1993, p. 75.
  13. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  14. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1672." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  16. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 8, no. 41. October 12, 1991. p. 29. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  17. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 39. September 28, 1991. p. 29. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  18. "European Radio Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 16, no. 12. October 12, 1991. p. 17. OCLC   29800226 . Retrieved April 30, 2023 via World Radio History.
  19. Pennanen, Timo. Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd, 2003. ISBN   951-1-21053-X
  20. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  21. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Guns N' Roses". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  23. "ドント・クライ | ガンズ・アンド・ローゼズ" [Don't Cry | Guns and Roses] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 40, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  25. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  26. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  27. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". VG-lista. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  28. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 4. January 25, 1992. p. 28. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  29. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  30. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  31. "Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  33. "Guns N' Roses Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  34. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  35. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM . Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  36. "Eurochart Hot 100 1991" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved January 17, 2020 via American Radio History.
  37. "EHR Year-End Top 100" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 20. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  38. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1991". Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  39. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts . Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  40. "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  41. "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 9, no. 51/52. December 19, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  42. "Danish single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  43. "Italian single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  44. "New Zealand single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  45. "Guns N' Roses - Don't Cry". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  46. "British single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  47. "American single certifications – Guns N' Roses – Don't Cry". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 25, 2019.

Works cited