"All I Could Do Was Cry" is a doo-wop/

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

single recorded in 1960, and released in March that year by the singer Etta James. It was written for James by

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

songwriter Billy Davis,

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

and his sister

Gwen Gordy Gwen Fuqua (born Gwendolyn Gordy; November 26, 1927 – November 8, 1999) was an American businesswoman, songwriter and composer, most notably writing hit songs such as "Lonely Teardrops", " All I Could Do Was Cry" and "Distant Lover". She acqu ...

. The song eventually peaked at number 2 on the US '' Billboard'' R&B chart and number 33 on the pop chart. James would later re-record the song in the early 1990s.

Background

The song was said to be inspired by James' former boyfriend

Harvey Fuqua Harvey Fuqua (July 27, 1929 – July 6, 2010) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive. Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s. He is notable as one of th ...

dating Davis' former girlfriend, who was Gwen. Gordy and Fuqua later married the same year the song was recorded, which likely added to the tension in James' bluesy vocals.

Chart performance

;Etta James version

Cover versions

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voca ...

released a version of the song on their live album '' The Ike & Tina Turner Show - Vol. 2'' in 1965. They also included another live rendition on their 1969 live album ''In Person'', and previously un-issued studio version was released on the compilation album '' The Kent Years'' in 2000. * Beyoncé covered the song while filming her role depicting James in the 2008 film, ''

Cadillac Records ''Cadillac Records'' is a 2008 American biographical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-compan ...

''. *Motown vocalist

Yvonne Fair Flora Yvonne Fair Strain (''née'' Coleman; October 21, 1942 – March 6, 1994), known professionally as Yvonne Fair, was an American singer, best known for her 1975 recording of " It Should Have Been Me". Life and career Flora Yvonne Coleman ...

covered this standard in 1969, but was never released. The recording appears on the "Motown Unreleased 1969" CD series, released in 2019.

References

{{authority control 1960 songs 1960 singles Etta James songs Songs written by Berry Gordy Songs written by Billy Davis (songwriter) Songs written by Gwen Gordy Fuqua Ike & Tina Turner songs