Cry (Michael Jackson song)

The song was released with two B-side tracks; "Shout" and "Streetwalker". "Cry" received mixed reviews from music critics. The single had a moderate chart performance internationally, with its highest peak being number sixteen in the Netherlands, and its least successful charting country being Austria. The track was promoted with a music video, which was filmed by Nicholas Brandt. The video does not feature Jackson but shows people holding hands and standing side by side in a variety of settings, including a beach and a forest.

Background

Composition

The themes of "Cry" are world issues such as isolation, war, and brotherhood. It also suggests if everyone pulls together as one, then they make a change to the world, with Jackson singing, "You can change the world/I can't do it by myself". The song's lyrics and themes are similar to the ones in Jackson's 1988 single "Man in the Mirror" George Varga of The San Diego Union Tribune felt that the track sounded similar to music recorded by George Michael. "Cry" is composed in the key of A major and the song's time signature is common time. "Cry" has a moderate metronome of eighty four beats per minute.

Critical reception

NME music critic Mark Beaumont believed that Jackson "starts banging creepily on about" the lyrics which pertain to saving the children. Frank Kogan of the Village Voice noted that while "Cry" and another song from Invincible ("Speechless") are "very pretty", they give the impression that Jackson's "standing sideways, so as to let the beauty slide off him". Los Angeles Times staff writer Robert Hilburn wrote that the track "fills the social commentary role" of Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (1988), while Hartford Courant rock music critic Roger Catlin believed that the single is a redux to Jackson's "Heal the World" (1991). Newsday staff writer Glenn Gamboa said that the song was "equally average" to other tracks on Invincible. James Hunter of Rolling Stone magazine wrote that R. Kelly "more or less succeeds with the kind of life affirming number" on the single.

Roger Friedman, a writer for Fox News Channel, said that he "will admit to being a sucker for two of the ballads" on the album, which were "Don't Walk Away" and "Cry". Jim Farber of New York's Daily News wrote that in "Cry", Jackson "goes into his healing-the-world shtick, though rarely has he been this condescending about his role as universal savior." Chicago Tribune rock music critics Greg Kot believed that R. Kelly "reprises the formula of his big gospel-stoked anthem" ("I Believe I Can Fly") on the track. A journalist for The Wichita Eagle wrote that Jackson "shines on the sincere ballads" such as "Cry", "Heartbreaker" and "Speechless". Pop music critic Thor Christensen of the Dallas Morning News described the single as being the musician's "latest batch of inspirational cotton candy". Francisco Cangiano of University Wire noted that the overall good songs from Invincible are "Heartbreaker", "Cry" and "Speechless". Pamela Davis and Gina Vininetto of St. Petersburg Times called the song "hubris- filled" and said that it was full of Jackson's "freaky messiah-savior complex".

Chart performance

"Cry" charted on the Swedish Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks. The track peaked at number forty two on the Swiss Singles Chart, and remained on the country's chart for six weeks. The single's least successful chart territory was Austria. Having debuted on the country's singles chart at its peak position, number sixty five on December 16, in the succeeding week the track charted at number seventy one and fell out of the top 100 positions the following week. Regarding the song's chart performance, Halstead and Cadman wrote that it was a "setback for sure, but not a major one" for Jackson. The music video was directed by Nicholas Brandt, who had previously worked on promos for Jackson's other singles, "Earth Song" (1995), "Childhood" (1995) and "Stranger in Moscow", all of which were from Jackson's 1995 album, . Regarding Jackson's absence from the video, Craig Halstead and Chris Cadman, authors of the book Michael Jackson the Solo Years, wrote that compared with Jackson's previous efforts on other music videos for his songs, the final result was "woefully tame".

;UK Vinyl, 12"

;UK Cassette Single

;European CD Single Promo

Credits and personnel

Charts

References

External links

Category:2001 singles Category:2000s ballads Category:Michael Jackson songs Category:Songs written by R. Kelly Category:Songs produced by Michael Jackson Category:Anti-war songs Category:Pop ballads Category:Rhythm and blues ballads

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