“Crying” by Don McLean

Roy Orbison, who conceptualized “Crying”, did so after running into an ex-girlfriend whom he still had strong feelings for. But unfortunately for him by the time this reunion occurred, circumstances were that he was no longer in a position to engage in a romance with her. And that is fundamentally the same sentiment which is being expressed by the singer of this song. 

It is pretty obvious that the person he is singing to is a former romantic interest.  Moreover, he was under the impression that he was “over” this individual, as in no longer possessing feelings for her. But then they crossed paths. And in once again interacting with her face-to-face, he has sadly come to learn that rather the contrary is true. Or stated otherwise he is now “crying”, i.e. lamenting over the fact that he can no longer be with this lady. For he now realizes that he ‘loves her even more than he did before’. And as such, without her he feels lonely and depressed.

“Crying” Facts

Despite “Crying” being one of Don McLean’s biggest hits, he did not compose it. It was composed by the collaborative effort of Roy Orbison alongside Joe Melson.

McLean’s version appeared on his country, rock album titled “Chain Lightning”.

The song itself came out as one of the two official singles from “Chain Lightning” in 1980. It was so successful that it scored McLean a number 1 in a number of prominent singles charts, most notably the UK Singles Chart. On this chart, it occupied the aforementioned spot for a period of three weeks.

In America, the song not only charted in multiple Billboard singles charts, but also reached the top 5 of the Hot 100.