Somebody's Crying
1995 single by Chris Isaak
title: "Somebody's Crying" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1995-singles", "1995-songs", "chris-isaak-songs", "reprise-records-singles", "song-recordings-produced-by-erik-jacobsen", "songs-written-by-chris-isaak"] description: "1995 single by Chris Isaak" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somebody's_Crying" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1995 single by Chris Isaak ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Somebody's Crying |
| cover | Somebodys_Crying.jpg |
| type | single |
| artist | Chris Isaak |
| album | Forever Blue |
| released | |
| genre | |
| length | 2:46 |
| label | Reprise |
| writer | Chris Isaak |
| producer | Erik Jacobsen |
| prev_title | Solitary Man |
| prev_year | 1993 |
| next_title | Go Walking Down There |
| next_year | 1995 |
| :: |
| name = Somebody's Crying | cover = Somebodys_Crying.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Chris Isaak | album = Forever Blue | B-side =
- "Changed Your Mind"
- "The Little White Cloud That Cried" | released = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = 2:46 | label = Reprise | writer = Chris Isaak | producer = Erik Jacobsen | prev_title = Solitary Man | prev_year = 1993 | next_title = Go Walking Down There | next_year = 1995 "Somebody's Crying" is a song by American musician Chris Isaak from his fifth album, Forever Blue (1995). The song was released as the album's first single on May 15, 1995, by Reprise Records, reaching number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a top-five hit in Australia and Canada. 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. 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."
Lyrically, the song describes one's yearning for a former lover, and the fear of communicating again with that person. In a 1995 interview, Isaak compared the lyrics to a way children often speak:
Release and reception
"Somebody's Crying" peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1995, making it Isaak's second-highest-charting single after "Wicked Game", which reached number six in 1991. "Somebody's Crying" also peaked at number 27 on the Adult Contemporary chart, number 34 on the Modern Rock Tracks 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 the former country. It charted the highest in Canada, climbing to number four on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. The single was not as commercially successful in the United Kingdom, reaching number 81 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Somebody's Crying" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1996, losing to Tom Petty's "You Don't Know How It Feels".
Music video
The music video for "Somebody's Crying" was released in 1995 and was directed by Bill Pope. 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. 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." 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".
Track listings
- Standard 7-inch, CD, and cassette single
- "Somebody's Crying" – 2:46
- "Changed Your Mind" – 3:50
- UK and Australian CD single
- "Somebody's Crying" – 2:46
- "Changed Your Mind" – 3:50
- "The Little White Cloud That Cried" (written by Johnnie Ray) – 2:19
Charts
Weekly charts
::data[format=table] | Chart (1995) | Peak position | Europe (European Hit Radio) | |---|---|---| | 19 | | | ::
Year-end charts
::data[format=table]
| Chart (1995) | Position | Australia (ARIA) | Canada Top Singles (RPM) | Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | ||||
| 42 | ||||
| 57 | ||||
| :: |
Release history
::data[format=table]
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. | United States | United Kingdom | United States | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1995 | Reprise | |||||||
| May 15, 1995 | CD | |||||||
| May 23, 1995 | Contemporary hit radio | |||||||
| May 29, 1995 | ||||||||
| :: |
In popular culture
The song was played during parts of two episodes of the Fox television series Party of Five in 1995. It was also featured in a 1995 episode of MTV's Beavis and Butt-head. An acoustic performance of the song by Isaak is included in the 2000 DVD compilation, MTV Unplugged: Ballads.
References
References
- (July 16, 2008). "Chris Isaak to play the Tennessee Theatre". Reprise Records.
- Goldberg, Michael. (June 1995). "''Chris Isaak walks a lonely road''". Addicted to Noise.
- "1995 Grammy Winners". [[Grammy Awards]].
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090209184213/http://www.mtv.com/videos/chris-isaak/14908/somebodys-crying.jhtml MTV Videos]. MTV.com. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
- Bowles, Jennifer. (May 26, 1995). "''Singer's breakup with girlfriend inspires recording''". [[The Ledger]].
- (1995). "Somebody's Crying". [[Reprise Records]].
- (1995). "Somebody's Crying". Reprise Records.
- (1995). "Somebody's Crying". Reprise Records.
- (1995). "Somebody's Crying". Reprise Records.
- (1995). "Somebody's Crying". Reprise Records.
- (June 17, 1995). "EHR Top 40".
- "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1995". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.
- "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995".
- "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1995".
- (April 28, 1995). "New Music for May".
- (May 13, 1995). "New Releases: Singles".
- (May 19, 1995). "Selected New Releases".
- (May 28, 1995). "New Releases – Product Available from : 29/05/95: Singles".
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0670349/ ''"Party of Five"'' - ''"Ready or Not"'']. IMDb.com. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0670272/ ''"Party of Five"''- ''"Dearly Beloved"'']. IMDb.com. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844524/ ''"Beavis and Butt-head"'' - ''"Spanish Fly"'']. IMDb.com. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
- [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738921386 ''MTV Unplugged: Ballads'']. Amazon.com. Retrieved on June 22, 2009.
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