Update 5/6/2022: Purely by coincidence (I have no advance knowledge of these things), Bruce’s cover of “Crying” was released this morning along with the rest of his May 16, 1988 show as part of his official archive series. Get it here to listen to it in much better quality than the sound check version below.
“Crying” was denied its rightful honor atop the Billboard Hot 100 when it was originally released in 1961.
Peaking at #2 (although it did reach #1 for a week on the Cashbox chart), Roy Orbison’s tearjerker classic nevertheless ranked as the #4 song for all of 1961 and refused to disappear from pop culture, frequently turning up in television and film media (in sad scenes, of course).
In 1978, Don McLean covered Orbison’s song for his Chain Lightning album; in 1981, he released it as a single and took it to #5 in the U.S. (his second biggest hit, behind “American Pie”) and all the way to #1 in the U.K.
That same year, Bruce Springsteen spoke of his admiration for Orbison in a filmed interview…
…and only six years later found himself inducting his idol into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he cited “Crying” as one of the ballads that had profoundly affected him.
That was January 1987. Before the year was out, Orbison would record a new duet version of “Crying” with k.d. lang and take it to #28 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Bruce had a chance to perform “Crying” that year with Orbison and lang, during Roy’s legendary Black and White Night concert. He’s on rhythm guitar only, but if you keep your eyes peeled you can spot him.
Eight months later, though, Bruce found the perfect opportunity to cover “Crying” properly in concert.
Well, sort of.
The date was May 3, 1988, and the Tunnel of Love Express Tour had arrived in Mountain View, California. Fans started lining up as early as noon, and as the day latened Bruce showed his appreciation for fans’ persistence by inviting the early arrivals into the arena to hear the final song of his soundcheck: Roy Orbison’s 1961 ballad.
“Crying” made regular sound check appearances for the next few nights, and when the heartache-themed tour arrived at Madison Square Garden later that month for a multi-night stand, “Crying” featured in the encore set for three consecutive nights.
But all that was just one long warm-up for the next and last time that Bruce performed “Crying”–at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in January 1989.
Orbison had passed away only a few weeks prior, and the assembled all-star artists paid tribute by covering “Crying,” with Bruce on lead vocals.
Bruce hasn’t performed “Crying” in public since that 1989 salute, but Orbison’s song continues to rack up honors, entering the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 and ranking #69 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Crying
First performed: September 30, 1987 (Los Angeles, CA)
Last performed: January 18, 1989 (New York City, NY)
