The Sound of Crying

Last updated
"The Sound of Crying"
The Sound of Crying.png
Single by Prefab Sprout
from the album A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout
ReleasedJune 1992 [1]
Recorded1992
Genre Pop
Length4:44
Label Kitchenware
Songwriter(s) Paddy McAloon
Producer(s) Steve Lipson
Prefab Sprout singles chronology
"Jordan - The EP"
(1991)		"The Sound of Crying"
(1992)		"If You Don't Love Me"
(1992)

"The Sound of Crying" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records in June 1992. It was one of two new songs included on their compilation album A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout . It was one of the band's biggest hits, reaching No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

Composition

Paddy McAloon originally wrote the song in April 1990 [2] for a proposed biographical album about Michael Jackson, whom he was fascinated by. In this version, the song's verses listed unhappy events in Jackson's life, [2] while the chorus was "only the boogie music will never, ever let you down". [3] [4] [5] McAloon was prompted to rewrite the song by George H. W. Bush's references to a new world order during the Gulf War. [2] The final lyrics concern the plights of people around the world, and ask why they cannot be helped. [6] McAloon felt that "no matter how well-regulated you make the world, no matter how well-regulated our affairs are, disasters are kind of there" and described "The Sound of Crying" as "a 'Why does God allow this?' song". [2]

Release

"The Sound of Crying" received significant airplay on BBC Radio 1, [7] and became Prefab Sprout's first top 30 hit on the UK Singles Chart since "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" reached number 7 four years earlier. It peaked at number 23, and remains the band's second highest-charting single to date. [8] A music video featuring the band was produced and was included on the VHS release "A Life of Surprises: The Video Collection".

Reception

Upon release, Jim Lawn of the Lennox Herald called "The Sound of Crying" "Paddy McAloon's best chance of a hit single in ages". [9] The Times' Alan Jackson commented that the song's "lush production and glorious melody" were used "to sneak one of the oldest debates in Christendom before millions of Radio 1 listeners" [10] while David Cavanagh of Select praised how the song "manages to include ice-cool phraseology like 'the music of the spheres' while still being catchy enough to be this week’s third most played single on Radio 1". [7]

Track listings

7"

Side 1

  1. "The Sound Of Crying (Edit)"

Side 2

  1. "The Sound Of Crying (Full Version)"

CD

  1. "The Sound Of Crying (Edit)
  2. "The Sound Of Crying (Full Version)"
  3. "Looking For Atlantis"
  4. "The Golden Calf"

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References

  1. ↑ "The Sound of Crying". 45cat. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Reighley, Kurt B. (22 December 2016). "Full Interview – December 4th 1992". Sproutology. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Coleman, Nick (8 May 1997). "Sprout on his own" . Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. ↑ Maconie, Stuart (20 June 1992). "Fop on the tyne". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  5. ↑ Cohen, Jason (28 July 2016). "Unpublished Interview Transcript". Sproutology. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  6. ↑ Toshifumi, Morita (September 1992). "Paddy McAloon Interview". Crossbeat Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  7. 1 2 Cavanagh, David (August 1992). "The Mild One". Select Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Prefab Sprout". Official Charts. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. ↑ Lawn, Jim (10 July 1992). "Singles". Lennox Herald: 32. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. ↑ Alan, Alan (8 July 1992). "Quiet Man With Faith In His Songs". The Times. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
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