''Cry Like a Baby'' is a 1968

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the Box Tops. The title song was released as a single and reached #2 in April 1968 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, a position which it held for two weeks. It was kept out of the top spot by

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

's "

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

Background

The original vinyl album concludes with a slow version of the "

You Keep Me Hangin' On "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown girl group the Supremes, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. American rock band Vanilla Fudge ...

", which was a hit for

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

in the fall of 1966. The Box Tops version is similar to, but shorter than, the version recorded by

Vanilla Fudge Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, such as their hit cover of The Supremes' " You Keep Me Hangin' On". The band's original line–up—vocalist ...

on its 1967 debut album. Musician and record producer

Jim Dickinson James Luther Dickinson (November 15, 1941 – August 15, 2009) was an American record producer, pianist, and singer who fronted, among others, the band Mud Boy and the Neutrons, based in Memphis, Tennessee. Biography Dickinson was born in Li ...

said of this album that it was "Memphis pop production at its best, on par with the great ''

Dusty In Memphis ''Dusty in Memphis'' is the fifth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield. Initial sessions were recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis, while Springfield's final vocals and the album's orchestral parts were recorded at Atlantic ...

'', recorded by the same cast of characters in the same period. Those two records were as good as it gets." According to

Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950 – March 17, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s ...

biographer Holly George-Warren, the studio band for all tracks except "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was the house band at America Sound Studio, sometimes known as "The Memphis Boys", augmented by

Spooner Oldham Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy S ...

on keyboards and other musicians playing brass, woodwind, and stringed instruments. The Box Tops themselves accompanied Chilton on "You Keep Me Hanging On".

Reception

Writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, music critic Steve Kurutz called the title song "a perfect slice of blue-eyed soul" and summarized; "All in all, with the exception of "Cry Like a Baby," an album that could've potentially contained some real gems just doesn't."

Track listing

All tracks composed by

Dan Penn Dan Penn (born Wallace Daniel Pennington, November 16, 1941) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s, including " The Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" w ...

and

; except where indicated #"

Cry Like a Baby "Cry Like a Baby" is a 1968 song written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, and performed by The Box Tops. The song reached #2 in April 1968 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks. It was kept out of the top spot by B ...

" – 2:32 #"Deep in Kentucky" (Bill Davidson) – 2:09 #"I'm the One for You" (Harold Thomas, Lee W. Jones, Jr.) – 3:03 #"Weeping Analeah" (Dan Folger,

Mickey Newbury Milton Sims "Mickey" Newbury Jr. (May 19, 1940 – September 29, 2002) was an American songwriter, recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Early life and career Newbury was born in Houston, Texas, on May 19, ...

) – 3:02 #"Everytime" – 2:33 #"Fields of Clover" – 2:49 #"Trouble with Sam" (Dan Penn) – 2:14 #"Lost" (Glen Spreen, Mark James) – 2:27 #"Good Morning Dear" (Mickey Newbury) – 3:38 #"727" – 2:16 #"

" (

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s. Du ...

) – 3:45

CD bonus tracks

"Cry Like a Baby" (Digitally Remastered) – 2:32 #"The Door You Closed to Me" - 2:39 #"You Keep Tightening Up On Me" (

Wayne Carson Thompson Wayne Carson (born Wayne Carson Head; May 31, 1943 – July 20, 2015), sometimes credited as Wayne Carson Thompson, was an American country musician, songwriter, and record producer. He played percussion, piano, guitar, and bass. His most fam ...

) – 2:52 #"Come on Honey" (Alex Chilton) – 3:24 #"Take Me to Your Heart" (Billy Wade McKnight) - 2:36

Personnel

– lead vocals, guitar *

Bill Cunningham Bill Cunningham may refer to: People *Bill Cunningham (rugby union) (1874–1927), New Zealand rugby union player * Bill Cunningham (footballer), Irish international footballer active in the 1890s *Bill Cunningham (infielder) (1886–1946), profe ...

– bass *John Evans – keyboards *

Danny Smythe Danny Smythe (August 25, 1948 – July 6, 2016), was an American drummer and a founding member of The Box Tops, an American rock band. Smythe was born in Memphis, Tennessee. With the Box Tops he had major hits on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 c ...

– drums *Gary Talley – guitar, background vocals *Rick Allen - bass, keyboards *Thomas Boggs - drums *

Tommy Cogbill Thomas Clark Cogbill (April 8, 1932 – December 7, 1982) was an American bassist, guitarist and record producer known for his work in R&B, soul and country music. Life and career Cogbill was born in Johnson Grove, Tennessee. He was a high ...

- bass * Reggie Young - guitar *

The Memphis Horns The Memphis Horns were an American horn section, made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. The duo consisted of Wayne Jackson (November 24, 1941 – June 21, 2016) on trumpet and Andrew Love (November 21, 1941 - April 12, 2012) on ...

- horns *

Gene Chrisman The American Sound Studio was a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee which operated from 1964 to 1972. Founded by Chips Moman, the studio at 827 Thomas Street came to be known as American North, and the studio at 2272 Deadrick Street c ...

- drums *

- producer *

- keyboards *

Terry Manning Terry Manning is an American photographer, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, audio engineer, and visual artist. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he has worked with Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams, ...

- engineer, harpsichord with: * Mike Leech - string arrangements *Frank Lerner - cover photography

References

External links

Classic Rock Bands: Box Tops
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cry Like a Baby (album) 1968 albums Bell Records albums Sundazed Records albums The Box Tops albums Albums produced by Chips Moman