Cry for Help

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1991 single by Rick Astley

title: "Cry for Help" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1991-songs", "1991-singles", "1990s-ballads", "rca-records-singles", "rick-astley-songs", "songs-written-by-rick-astley", "songs-written-by-rob-fisher-(british-musician)"] description: "1991 single by Rick Astley" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cry_for_Help" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1991 single by Rick Astley ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

FieldValue
nameCry for Help
coverCryForHelpCover.jpg
typesingle
artistRick Astley
albumFree
B-sideBehind the Smile
released
genre
labelRCA
prev_titleAin't Too Proud to Beg
prev_year1989
next_titleMove Right Out
next_year1991
misc
::

::callout[type=note] a single by singer Rick Astley ::

| name = Cry for Help | cover = CryForHelpCover.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Rick Astley | album = Free | B-side = Behind the Smile | released = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = | length =

"Cry for Help" is a song by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley, released as the first single from his third studio album, Free (1991). It was written by Astley and Rob Fisher, formerly one half of the 1980s pop outfits Naked Eyes and Climie Fisher. The Andraé Crouch Choir provided backing vocals. The song is a ballad, unlike Astley's earlier dance-oriented hit singles.

Released as a single on 14 January 1991 by RCA Records, "Cry for Help" reached number seven on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Astley's last top-10 hit in either country. It also reached number four in Canada and was a number-one hit on both the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. Its accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in February 1991. "Cry for Help" was awarded one of BMI's Pop Awards in 1993, honoring the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the song.

The song has been sung by Rick Astley in duet with Søren Sko and covered by Thomas Anders (ex-Modern Talking). In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his album The Best of Me. On 27 April 2021, the original music video was upgraded to 1080p HD to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the song reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. On 18 July 2024, the original music video was upgraded again to 4K to celebrate the reissue of Free.{{cite web|title= Cry For Help - Head over to my YouTube to watch the upgraded video in 4K 🙌|publisher= Facebook |access-date= 3 November 2024 |url= https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1863590570792711}}

Critical reception

Dave Obee from Calgary Herald felt the "finest moments" on the song come from Andrae Crouch's choir arrangement, adding that it's what makes "Cry for Help" "worth hearing". David Quantick from NME wrote, "Rick still sings like God, and 'Cry for Help' is pretty good in a Wet Wet Wet sort of way, especially when the Proper Choir comes in". Eleanor Levy from Record Mirror described it as "a Michael McDonald style ballad that, rather than shocking the world, cuddles it instead."

Track listing

  • 12-inch single
  1. "Cry for Help" – 6:26
  2. "Behind the Smile" – 4:33
  3. "Cry for Help" (album version) – 4:50
  • CD single
  1. "Cry for Help" (7" version) – 4:20
  2. "Behind the Smile" – 4:37
  3. "Cry for Help" (12" version) – 6:27
  • 7-inch and cassette single
  1. "Cry for Help" (edit) – 4:03
  2. "Behind the Smile" – 4:33

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for "Cry for Help""] | Chart (1991) | Peak position | Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | Europe (European Hit Radio) | Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | Greece (IFPI) | Italy (Musica e dischi) | Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg) | Portugal (AFP) | Quebec (ADISQ) | Spain (AFYVE) | UK Airplay (Music Week) | US Cash Box Top 100 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="Annual chart rankings for "Cry for Help""]

Chart (1991)PositionAustralia (ARIA)Belgium (Ultratop)Canada Top Singles (RPM)Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)Europe (European Hit Radio)Germany (Media Control)Italy (Musica e dischi)Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)Netherlands (Single Top 100)Sweden (Topplistan)UK Singles (OCC)US Billboard Hot 100US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)
85
53
39
14
94
22
59
54
76
77
93
95
70
4
::

Release history

::data[format=table title="Street dates for "Cry for Help""]

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.United KingdomAustraliaJapan
14 January 1991RCA
21 January 1990
30 January 1991Mini-CD
::

References

References

  1. (23 February 1991). "Station Reports > TV > MTV/London".
  2. (20 November 1993). "BMI Congratulates The PRS Writers and Publishers of BMI's Most Performed Works of 1992: Million Performance Songs".
  3. Brungardt, Leah. (12 November 2019). "An Interview with 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Singer Rick Astley on His Iconic Hit Song, His Newest Album and Much More!".
  4. "On this day in 1991 'Cry For Help' reached number 7 in the US Billboard Charts. To celebrate the song, the official music video has been upgraded to HD!". [[YouTube]].
  5. Obee, Dave (17 March 1991). "Recent Releases". ''[[Calgary Herald]]''.
  6. Quantick, David. (19 January 1991). "Singles". [[New Musical Express.
  7. Levy, Eleanor. (12 January 1991). "Singles".
  8. (16 February 1991). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
  9. (2 March 1991). "European Hit Radio".
  10. Nyman, Jake. (2005). "Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja". Tammi.
  11. (9 March 1991). "Top 10 Sales in Europe".
  12. "Classifiche". [[Musica e Dischi]].
  13. "Radio Luxembourg Singles". umdmusic.com.
  14. (23 February 1991). "Top 10 Sales in Europe".
  15. Michel Gignac. "Compilation des succès par ordre alphabétique d'interprètes". [[Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec]].
  16. Salaverri, Fernando. (September 2005). "Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002". Fundación Autor-SGAE.
  17. (9 February 1991). "Playlist Chart".
  18. "Cash Box Chart Entries 1990-1996".
  19. Ryan, Gavin. (2011). "Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010". Moonlight Publishing.
  20. "Jaaroverzichten 1991". [[Ultratop]].
  21. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". [[Library and Archives Canada]].
  22. "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". Library and Archives Canada.
  23. (21 December 1991). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1991".
  24. (21 December 1991). "EHR Year-End Top 100".
  25. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991". [[GfK Entertainment]].
  26. Racca, Guido. "musica e dischi Top 100 Year-End 1960 - 2018".
  27. "Dutch Single Top 100 – 1991".
  28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991". [[Dutch Charts.
  29. "Årstopplistan 1991, Singlar". Grammotex.
  30. (11 January 1992). "1991 Top 100 Singles".
  31. "Billboard Top 100 – 1991".
  32. "Top Adult Contemporary Singles 1991".
  33. (12 January 1991). "New Releases: Singles".
  34. (20 January 1991). "New Release Summary: Singles".
  35. "リック・アストリー {{!}} クライ・フォー・ヘルプ". [[Oricon]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1991-songs1991-singles1990s-balladsrca-records-singlesrick-astley-songssongs-written-by-rick-astleysongs-written-by-rob-fisher-(british-musician)