The Sound of Crying
| "The Sound of Crying" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Prefab Sprout | ||||
| from the album A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout | ||||
| Released | June 1992[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:44 | |||
| Label | Kitchenware | |||
| Songwriter | Paddy McAloon | |||
| Producer | Steve Lipson | |||
| Prefab Sprout singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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.
Composition
[edit]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
[edit]"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. A music video featuring the band was produced and was included on the VHS release "A Life of Surprises: The Video Collection".
Reception
[edit]Upon release, Jim Lawn of the Lennox Herald called "The Sound of Crying" "Paddy McAloon's best chance of a hit single in ages".[8] 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"[9] 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
[edit]7"
[edit]Side 1
- "The Sound Of Crying (Edit)"
Side 2
- "The Sound Of Crying (Full Version)"
CD
[edit]- "The Sound Of Crying (Edit)
- "The Sound Of Crying (Full Version)"
- "Looking For Atlantis"
- "The Golden Calf"
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[10] | 188 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 23 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[12] | 2 |
References
[edit]- ↑ "The Sound of Crying". 45cat. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Reighley, Kurt B. (22 December 2016). "Full Interview – December 4th 1992". Sproutology. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ Coleman, Nick (8 May 1997). "Sprout on his own". Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ Maconie, Stuart (20 June 1992). "Fop on the tyne". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ Cohen, Jason (28 July 2016). "Unpublished Interview Transcript". Sproutology. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ Toshifumi, Morita (September 1992). "Paddy McAloon Interview". Crossbeat Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- 1 2 Cavanagh, David (August 1992). "The Mild One". Select Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ Lawn, Jim (10 July 1992). "Singles". Lennox Herald: 32. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ Alan, Alan (8 July 1992). "Quiet Man With Faith In His Songs". The Times. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ "Bubbling Down Under: Week commencing 20 July 1992". Bubblingdownunder.com. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ↑ "Prefab Sprout". Official Charts. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- ↑ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 27 June 1992. p. 16. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
