Don't Cry For Me Argentina
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"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is a song recorded by
Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album '' Evita''. Early life Julie Covington was born ...
for the 1976
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
'' Evita'', later included in the 1978 musical of the same name. The song was written and composed by
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
and
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...
while they were researching the life of Argentine leader
Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until ...
. It appears at the opening of the first and second acts, as well as near the end of the show, initially as the spirit of the dead Eva exhorting the people of Argentina not to mourn her, during Eva's speech from the balcony of the
Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (), , is the president of the Argentine Republic's official workplace, located in Buenos Aires. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the pre ...
, and during her final broadcast. The ''Evita'' album had taken 3–4 months to record, since Rice was not satisfied with the intensity of the initial recordings. The song had a number of different titles before "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was chosen as the final one. The song shares its melody with " Oh What a Circus" from the same show and lyrically consists of platitudes where Eva tries to win the favour of the people of Argentina. It was released in the United Kingdom on 12 November 1976 as the first single from the album, accompanied by national and trade advertising, full-colour posters, display sleeves as well as radio interviews. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and earned a gold certification from the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI), with over a million copies sold. It also reached the top of the charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was critically appreciated, with Rice and Lloyd Webber winning the 1977
Ivor Novello award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically. When ''Evita'' moved to a London theatre, Covington—who had become disenchanted with the whole project—refused to reprise the part of Eva, and the role went to
Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...
. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" has been
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...
by multiple artists, including
David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. From 1973 to 1994, he attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most suc ...
,
The Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...
,
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
, and
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
as well as actors
Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati ( ; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables'' (1995–1996), ''Ragtime'' (1997–1999), ''Fid ...
and
Chris Colfer Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...
from the TV series '' Glee‍''. In 1996, American singer
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
played the title role in the
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of the musical and recorded her rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Released as the second single from the
film soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...
on 16 December 1996, her version received positive reviews from music critics who praised her vocal performance. A separate version called the "Miami Mix", which included re-recorded vocals in English and Spanish and an Argentinian
bandoneon The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played ...
, was promoted to radio. Madonna's version reached number one on the
European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
chart and the national charts of the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, and Spain. It also became a top-ten hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and many other charts worldwide, while attaining gold or platinum in six countries.


Background and development

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was written by
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
and
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...
while they were developing '' Evita'' in 1976. Both were extremely intrigued by the stories surrounding the life of
Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until ...
while researching her during the mid-1970s. ''Evita'' was initially produced as an album, before being adapted for the stage, following a formula that Lloyd Webber and Rice had employed during the production of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
'', their previous musical. The duo had written the songs for a female singer with good vocals. Rice and Lloyd Webber's research showed that Eva had not in reality delivered any major oration on the day of her husband
Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
's inauguration ceremony, but not long after becoming Argentina's new First Lady, she started making highly emotional speeches, the intensity of which they wanted to capture with "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". The song was composed to appear at the opening and near the end of the show, initially as the spirit of the dead Eva exhorting the people of Argentina not to mourn her, and finally during Eva's speech from the balcony of
Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (), , is the president of the Argentine Republic's official workplace, located in Buenos Aires. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the pre ...
. Its melody is similar to the opening song of the musical, " Oh What a Circus", which puts emphasis on Eva's funeral. As "Oh What a Circus" ended with the character Che's sarcastic questioning of the mourning behind Eva's death, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" started with only few lines being sung, while the rest of the song was reserved for the finale. After the song was composed, Lloyd Webber and Rice were struggling to find a suitable musical actress for the songs and the title role, since the only one they knew,
Yvonne Elliman Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. She scored a number of hits in the 1970s and achieved ...
, had moved to the United States. One day they were watching the British musical television show '' Rock Follies'', where they noticed actress and singer
Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album '' Evita''. Early life Julie Covington was born ...
, who played an aspiring rock musician. Covington had played in London musicals like ''
Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
'', and her acting abilities in ''Rock Follies'' convinced Rice and Lloyd Webber to sign her for ''Evita''. Covington was extremely intrigued by their proposal, considering Eva Perón to be a non-commercial idea for a musical. Nevertheless, she thought that the songs were great compositions and signed on for recording them. Lloyd Webber and Rice immediately started recording, and the first
demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...
were those of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You" and "Buenos Aires", with just piano as an accompaniment. They moved on to sign a deal with
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
, to release an album based on the songs, however with extremely poor royalty rates since the record company executives did not expect the album to be a success. In the meantime, singers for all the other roles of the musical were also signed, and the cast moved to
Olympic Studios Olympic Studios was a British independent recording studio based on Church Road, Barnes, Church Road, Barnes, London, Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st ...
in 1975 to start recording.


Recording and composition

Personnel working on the ''Evita'' album included recording engineer David Hamilton-Smith, Simon Philips on drums, Mo Foster on bass, Joe Moretti and
Ray Russell Ray Russell (September 4, 1924 – March 15, 1999) was an American editor and writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays. Russell is best known for his horror fiction, although he also wrote mystery and science fiction stories. His most ...
on guitars and Anne Odell on keyboards. David Snell played the
harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
while Anthony Bowles conducted the
London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
, while another choir called the London Boy Singles was directed by Alan Doggett. Members of The Grease Band, including
bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...
Alan Spenner Alan Henry Spenner (7 May 1948 – 11 August 1991) was an English bass player who performed with Wynder K. Frog, the Grease Band, Spooky Tooth, ABC, David Coverdale, David Soul, Joe Cocker, Kenny Loggins, Lynda Carter, Peter Frampton, Ted Nuge ...
and
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
ist Neil Hubbard, also played on the album. It took a total of 3–4 months to finish the recording. The intensity which Rice looked for in the track was not immediately achieved during recording, because it is a
sentimental ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
and because of its lyrics. As the delivery date of the recording approached, they got more tense since most of the album was put together. Only this song was left as they could not decide on the final title, and Rice tried out names which did not make sense within the political and dramatic atmosphere of the story. They had initially tried out various lyrics as the main hook and title of the song including "It's Only Your Lover Returning" and "All Through My Crazy and Wild Days" amid fears that mentioning Argentina would reduce the commercial appeal. Rice recalled, "What a crass decision! It was probably the only time (honest) that I had made the mistake of caring more about a lyric's potential outside the show than its importance within it, and as a result both song and show suffered." Covington had already recorded the phrase "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" for using it in the beginning of the show. Shortly before the album was finally mixed, Lloyd Webber suggested to Rice that the line also worked as the title of Eva's speech. As soon as Covington recorded with the new name, the song fit "perfectly" in the mood of the sequence and was included in the album. The title of the song comes from an epitaph on a plaque at Eva Perón's grave in the La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The plaque was presented by the city's taxi drivers' union and roughly translates as: "Don't cry for me Argentina, I remain quite near to you."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' wrote "For years I have wondered, during 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina,' why we were not to cry. Now I understand: We need not cry because (a) Evita got everything out of life she dreamed of, and (b) Argentina should cry for itself. Even poor Juan Peron should shed a tear or two; he is relegated...to the status of a 'walker,' a presentable man who adorns the arm of a rich and powerful woman as a human fashion accessory." The song's lyrics are a "string of meaningless platitudes" according to Rice, who felt that it worked as an emotionally intense but empty speech by a "megalomaniac woman" trying to win the favor of the Argentines. It features the lyrics "And as for fortune, and as for fame / I never invited them in / Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired / They are illusions". Lloyd Webber's orchestral accompaniment added a different level to the track, with its composition consisting of
pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as 'pinched', and sometimes roughly as 'plucked') is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument: * On bowe ...
strings, and its flowing
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
introducing Covington's opening vocals. The song jumps from being light to heavy and extravagant, with one section of it being hummed by choral voices. As the final lyrics goes, "But all you have to do is look at me to know / That every word is true" is sung, the London Philharmonic Orchestra comes into play with a huge
climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...
and ends. According to the sheet music published by
Music Sales Group Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cl ...
, the song starts with a sequence of G/D–A7/D–D–Bm/D, changes to E–E/D–A/C–E7–A–D, with the chorus featuring a
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
of A–Bm–Dmaj7–Gmaj7–G–Fm7. The song is composed in the key of
D♭ major D-flat major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. The D-flat major scale is: Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in w ...
with Covington's vocals spanning from the nodes of G3 to C5. According to John Snelson the song is not only based on J.S.Bach's Prelude in C Major but also on
Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's
Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...
adaptation.


Release and reception

Following the completion of the recording of the album, the ''Evita'' team switched on to full promotion of the release, with photographer Tony Snowdon shooting the promotional pictures. The single version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was released in the United Kingdom on 12 November 1976, accompanied by national and trade advertising, full-colour posters, display sleeves as well as radio interviews. Another song from the musical, "Rainbow High", was listed as its B-side. MCA marketing manager Stuart Watson explained to ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' that their chief goal was to "get an explanation of the story of Eva Perón over to the public". The song received critical appreciation, with ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' calling it a "masterpiece". However, Rice and Lloyd Webber felt that they needed more promotion to reach the general audience who would buy the record. They had initially decided for a number of television show appearances and performances, but Covington was uninterested in the project altogether and refused to promote it further. Her reasons included wanting to perform the song with the same studio orchestra and accompaniments, and she was also against a single release from the album. The song was never performed live on the British music show ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'', since Covington refused and whenever it was featured on the show, a montage of images of the real Eva was shown in the backdrops. However, during the week it was number one, she appeared in the audience. Rice and Lloyd Webber then targeted
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. The BBC had a fairly tight selection of songs they aired on their channels, and Radio 1 refused to add "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" to their playlists. Rice and Lloyd Webber panicked and were almost on the verge of releasing another track from ''Evita'' called " Another Suitcase in Another Hall", recorded by
Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...
, as the second single. But Radio 1 finally relented and started playing the song due to positive response from audiences. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" debuted at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending 25 December 1976. It started climbing up the chart but for 3 weeks it was kept from reaching the top spot by
David Soul David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943 – January 4, 2024) was an American-British actor and singer. With a career spanning five decades, he rose to prominence for portraying Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the Americ ...
's " Don't Give Up on Us". On the week ending 12 February 1977, the song reached the top of the charts. It was first certified silver in January 1977, and then certified gold a month later by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI), selling almost one million physical copies in the United Kingdom. Together with digital sales since it has sold about 1.01 million copies according to the
Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
. The single also reached the top of the charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand and Netherlands; in the latter country it sold around 100,000 copies. Seeing the success of the single, Rice and Lloyd Webber proceeded with promoting the song in the United States. However, the personnel at MCA Records' US office were not able to come to terms regarding how to promote the
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
oriented track; it was ultimately never sent to Top 40/CHR radio, and did not appear on any US charts.


Aftermath and impact

When the cast of the London musical version of ''Evita'' was being decided, Rice and Lloyd Webber naturally approached Covington to play the title role. However, she chose not to reprise the role. Producer
Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th-century theatr ...
wanted to cast a relatively unknown actress to play Eva, and thus
Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...
was signed for the part. In 1977, Rice and Lloyd Webber received the
Ivor Novello award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically. During the 1982 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina, the song was sometimes played sarcastically by British regimental bands as they deployed to the Falklands. They changed the lyrics, singing it as "You don't frighten me Argentina / The truth is we will defeat you / We'll sink your carrier, with our Sea Harrier / And with our Sea Kings subs'll be sinking". At the same time the Covington recording was banned from play on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. In the Philippines, the presentation of the musical was repressed during the dictatorship (1972–86) of President
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
, due to the perceived similarities between the First Lady
Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitación Trinidad Romuáldez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power after her husband Ferdinand ...
and Eva Perón. In the United States, the song is also closely linked with
Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...
, who performed the role of Eva in the original Broadway production of the show.


Track listing and formats

*;7" single # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" – 5:24 # "Rainbow High" – 2:31 *;7" Double hit single # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" – 5:23 # "
I Don't Know How to Love Him "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is a song from the 1970 album and 1971 rock opera ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics), a torch ballad sung by the character of Mary Magdalene. In the opera sh ...
" (Performed by
Yvonne Elliman Yvonne Marianne Elliman (born December 29, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who performed for four years in the first cast of the stage musical ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. She scored a number of hits in the 1970s and achieved ...
) – 3:55 *;7" Old Gold single # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" – 5:24 # " Another Suitcase in Another Hall" (Performed by
Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...
) – 3:00


Credits and personnel

*
Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album '' Evita''. Early life Julie Covington was born ...
 –
vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
*
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
 –
songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
,
record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
*
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...
 – songwriter, record producer *David Land – record producer *David Hamilton-Smith – recording engineer * Simon Philips – drums * Mo Foster – bass *Joe Moretti – guitars *
Ray Russell Ray Russell (September 4, 1924 – March 15, 1999) was an American editor and writer of short stories, novels, and screenplays. Russell is best known for his horror fiction, although he also wrote mystery and science fiction stories. His most ...
 – guitars *Anne Odell – keyboards *David Snell –
harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
*
London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
Credits adapted from the 7" single liner notes.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Madonna version


Background

In 1996, Madonna starred in the film '' Evita'', playing the title role. For a long time, Madonna had desired to play Eva and even wrote a letter to director
Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...
, explaining how she would be perfect for the part. After securing the role, she underwent vocal training with coach Joan Lader since ''Evita'' required the actors to sing their own parts. Lader noted that the singer "had to use her voice in a way she's never used it before. ''Evita'' is real musical theater — it's operatic, in a sense. Madonna developed an upper
register Register or registration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), ...
that she didn't know she had." From the moment she was signed in the film, Madonna had expressed interest in recording a dance version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". According to her publicist Liz Rosenberg, "since adonnadidn't write the music and lyrics, she wanted her signature on that song... I think on her mind, the best way to do it was go in the studio and work up a remix". For this, in August 1996, while still mixing the film's soundtrack, Madonna hired remixers Pablo Flores and Javier Garza. According to Flores, the singer wanted something that "would be dance but faithful to the movie and to Argentina with a latin feel". Madonna herself said she wanted the remix to have a "Latin flavor and elements of
Tango music Tango ( or ; ) is a style of music in Time signature, or time that originated among Great European immigration wave to Argentina, European immigrants of the Great Wave to Argentina and Uruguay. It has mainly Culture of Spain, Spanish, Cultu ...
". The mix was completed in two weeks at Miami and Los Angeles. Madonna had to re-record the vocals of the track in English and Spanish, while an Argentinian
bandoneon The bandoneon () or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played ...
was added to the song's intro. Named the "Miami Mix", it was sent to radio stations and DJs on late December 1996. The song was officially released as the soundtrack's second single on 16 December 1996 in the United Kingdom, while in the United States, the track was released on 11 February 1997. Barney Kilpatrick, VP of promotion for Warner Bros. Records, said that "the only reason this mix is being done was to accommodate Top 40 radio ..since we have a two-disc soundtrack, we're interested in selling albums, not singles". Warner Bros wanted to create buzz for the film with the song, not the single remix. There were also talks of releasing an ''Evita'' EP, containing
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
es of "Buenos Aires", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and " Another Suitcase in Another Hall", but it never materialized.


Recording and composition

Recording sessions for the film's songs and soundtrack began in September 1995, and took place at the CTS Studios in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
with Madonna accompanied by co-actors
Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...
and
Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nom ...
. However, trouble arose as Madonna was not completely comfortable with laying down a "guide vocal" simultaneously with an 84 piece orchestra inside the studio. She was used to singing over a pre-recorded track and not have musicians listen to her. Also, unlike her previous soundtrack releases, she had little to no control over the project; "I'm used to writing my own songs and I go into a studio, choose the musicians and say what sounds good or doesn't ..To work on 46 songs with everyone involved and not have a big say was a big adjustment", she recalled. An emergency meeting was held between Parker, Lloyd Webber and Madonna where it was decided that the singer would record her part in a more contemporary studio while the orchestration would take place somewhere else. She also had alternate days off from the recording. According to the singer, she was very nervous during the first day of recording. She allegedly found herself "petrified" when it came to doing the song; "I had to sing 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber ..I was a complete mess and was sobbing afterward. I thought I had done a terrible job", she recalled. The final version recorded had many similarities to the original version by Covington, although it had a much faster pace and was created as an
orchestral pop Orchestral pop is pop music that has been arranged and performed by a symphonic orchestra. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms symphonic pop and chamber pop. History During the 1960s, pop music on radio and in both American and ...
to cater to the contemporary music scene. According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, Madonna's version of the song is set in
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
, with a slow groove
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 90
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. Madonna's vocals on the song span from G3 to C5.


Critical reception


Original version

Upon release, the song generally received positive feedback. J. D. Considine, from ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...
'', said it was one of the "big songs" from the soundtrack. Peter Keough, from the ''
Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the now defunct ''Boston Phoenix'', '' ...
'', praised Madonna's "stunning delivery" of the track. He wrote: " adonnasings a softly lush soprano that captures Evita's quiet vulnerability. Her full-lipped, precise notes stride across the song's grandiose orchestrations. Webber's songs allow her all the room she needs to be many things; she succeeds at them all".
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
from the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'', opined that "her interpretation of the show-stopper 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' doesn't try to outreach the many previous versions, but instead brings it back to earth with a low-key dignity".
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
called it a "dismal track" and criticized its mixing. Writing for ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', Chuck Arnold opined that "while credible, adonna's renditionwas not going to make anybody forget
Patti Lupone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...
". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Jude Rogers wrote: "Sorry Andrew Lloyd Webber, but it's no ' Live to Tell'"; nonetheless, she praised the singer's vocal capacities. A very positive review came from the ''
Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...
''s Greg Morago, who called the song "a calculated, theatrical triumph of shameless pandering and steely determination that parallels the pop diva's own rise to the top. Madonna makes this song her own; she was born to play the chignon-coiffed, diamond-studded Santa Evita". ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
''s Matthew Jacobs considered it as one of Madonna's most important songs, a "stand-in for the transition from Sexy Madonna to Adult Madonna". Writing for the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', David Gritten opined that "show-stoppers like 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina', which need to be belted out, sound comfortable for her". A reviewer from ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' rated it five out of five, calling it "a strong and fairly faithful rendition". In her review of ''Evita'',
Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...
from ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' commented that the track was "tinglingly sung". A negative review came from ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Alex Needham, who wrote; "by 1996 Madonna was fast turning into the pop equivalent of ''
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
''s Norma Desmond, croaking, 'I'm still big! It's just the Top 40 that got small!", and that "Don't Cry For Me Argentina' stank then, stinks now". Author
Lucy O'Brien Lucy O'Brien (born 13 September 1961)Author Biography, O'Brien, Lucy – She Bop: The definitive history of women in rock, pop, and soul, London: Penguin, 1995 is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music. Early musi ...
wrote in the book, '' Madonna: Like an Icon'', that although Madonna's vocals lacked emotional complexity in the tune, she nevertheless created a "compelling" version, "right up to its grand orchestral finale". George Hatza from '' The Reading Eagle'', said that " adonnasings 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' in a beautiful, soaring, goosebump-inducing
contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...
".
Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born June 27, 1943) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film i ...
from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', wrote: "Madonna, to her credit, puts on quite a show. She sings. She tangos ..She even belts out 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' to prove she's just folks". Sal Cinquemani from ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' commented: "Easily one of Madonna's greatest vocal performances to date, the singer's dramatic interpretation of Evita's unofficial theme song was both loyal and bizarrely autobiographical". ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
''s
Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is a ''New York Times'' best-selling author and music historian. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The Guardian and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio w ...
wrote that the "nuanced but proud" rendition of the song "marked the start of Madonna's Serious Phase, one where she balanced youthful coquettishness with a more mature, introspective outlook". J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of '' Madonna: An Intimate Biography'', wrote that "As Evita Perón ..she is supple and strong, and doesn't sound at all out of place". The song was nominated for an inclusion in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.


Remix version

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Jose F. Promis praised the "Miami Mix" version of the song; " Don't Cry For Me Argentina'was transformed into a passionate, flowing dance number", highlighting Madonna's "truly impassioned performance which infuriated musical purists but delighted her fans and public alike". In 2017, ''Billboard'' ranked the "Miami Mix" as the 95th greatest pop song of 1997; Andrew Unterberger wrote that the remix "is just as responsible for the song's chart success as Madonna's
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
vocal ambitions, taking the song from the balcony to the dance floor and giving it back to the people". In 2018, the same magazine called the remix "a weirdly enjoyable menage à trois between Broadway, Latin and club music, with a pounding beat and lively tango that flourishes with Madonna's earnest delivery".


Chart performance

In the United States, the popularity of the "Miami Mix" version of the song enabled it to become the song with the most radio adds, and jumped to number 18 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. Demand for the song continued to increase forcing Warner Bros. to release the CD single, and the song becoming eligible to chart. It debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 17 the week of 22 February 1997, selling 46,000 units in its first-week. The single ultimately peaked at number 8 the week of 1 March 1997, becoming the first top 10 to originate in a stage musical since 1985 and Webber's first top 10 single in the US. The track also ranked within the top 20 of ''Billboard''s
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
and
Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...
charts while the "Miami Mix" reached the top of the ''Billboard''
Hot Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set list ...
chart. It ranked at number 87 on the year end chart for 1997. In Canada, the song debuted on the ''RPM'' Top Singles chart at number 34, the week of 10 March 1997. It ultimately reached a peak of number 11, the week of 7 April 1997. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" reached number 1 on the
European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
, the week of 8 February 1997. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number 3 on the week of 28 December 1996, and was present on the top 100 for a total of 13 weeks. The song was certified gold by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) on 19 November 2021 for sales and streams exceeding 400,000. In Italy, it reached the second position on the ''
Musica e dischi () was the oldest and longest-running music industry publication in Italy. In 1961, ''Billboard'' defined the publication as the "Italian record bible". History It was founded in October 1945 in Milan, Italy, on the initiative of the journalis ...
'' chart. In Australia, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" peaked at number 9 on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, staying on this position for one week and a total of 13 weeks on the chart. On the year-end ARIA charts, the song ranked at number 56. In France, it topped the SNEP Singles Chart for one month. In Ireland, the song peaked at number 8, the week of 19 December 1996. The single also proved to be a commercial success in other countries such as Belgium, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, where it managed to have top 5 placement.


Promotion and live performances

No official video was shot for the song. Instead, the scene from the movie, where Eva performs the song at the balcony of the
Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (), , is the president of the Argentine Republic's official workplace, located in Buenos Aires. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the pre ...
, was used. In 1993, two years before being cast in ''Evita'', Madonna performed an
impromptu An impromptu (, , loosely meaning "offhand") is a free-form musical composition with the character of an ''ex tempore'' improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano. According to ''Allgeme ...
version of the song during her first visit to Argentina with the Girlie Show. Eight years later, on 2001's
Drowned World Tour The Drowned World Tour (billed as Drowned World Tour 2001) was the fifth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums, '' Ray of Light'' (1998) and ''Music'' (2000). It began on June 9, 20 ...
, an instrumental version of the song was used as an interlude, featuring several dancers doing a Tango number. The performance on 26 August 2001, at
The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...
, outside of Madonna's hometown of Detroit was recorded and released in the live
video album A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
, '' Drowned World Tour 2001''. On the
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in December 2008, after performing " You Must Love Me", Madonna also performed "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" as scenes from ''Evita'' played on the backdrop screens. The performances of both songs in the city were recorded in the live DVD titled, '' Sticky & Sweet Tour'' (2010). The singer once again performed the song in Argentina during
the MDNA Tour The MDNA Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in-support of her twelfth studio album, '' MDNA'' (2012). Comprising 88 shows, the tour began on May 31, 2012, at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv District, Israel ...
in December 2012. For the performance, she had the word "Eva" painted across her back. Madonna also did a "passionate rendition" of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" during the Miami stop of her Rebel Heart Tour on 23 January 2016, accompanied by
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
. On 6 December, Madonna performed "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" during the
Carpool Karaoke Carpool Karaoke was a recurring segment on '' The Late Late Show with James Corden'', in which host James Corden invites famous musical guests to sing along to their songs with him while traveling in a car driven by Corden on a planned route usu ...
segment of ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known simply as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023. It is the fourth and final iteration of '' The Late Late Show'', and aired in the United Sta ...
''. Seven years later, on
the Celebration Tour The Celebration Tour was the twelfth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It began on October 14, 2023, at the O2 Arena, the O2 Arena in London and ended on May 4, 2024, with a free concert on Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Copacaban ...
, the song was mashed-up with " La Isla Bonita" (1987). The number ended with Madonna ―who donned a cowboy hat, leather jacket, and
pride flag A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBTQ community. ''Pride'' in this case refers to the notion of LGBTQ pride. The terms ''LGBTQ flag'' and ''queer flag'' are often used interchangeably. Pride flags can represen ...
as cape― chanting the phrase "no fear!", while a picture of Irish singer
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
was shown on the backdrop screens. From the ''Palm Springs Tribune'', Marc Bearden felt the rendition was "beautifully done".


Track listings

* EU & UK CD single # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"  – 5:31 # "Santa Evita"  – 2:30 # "Latin Chant"  – 2:11 * EU & UK "The Dance Mixes" CD single; Australian CD single; German 12-inch single # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Edit) – 4:31 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Spanglish Mix Edit) – 4:29 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix) – 6:51 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (album version) – 5:31 * US 12-inch and CD Maxi-single (1997) # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Alternative Ending) – 7:59 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Spanglish Mix) – 6:57 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Edit) – 4:29 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Dub Mix) – 6:23 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Instrumental Version) – 6:55 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Spanglish Mix Edit) – 4:28 *Digital single (2022) # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Radio Edit) – 4:50 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Edit) – 4:31 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Spanglish Mix Edit) – 4:30 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix) – 6:57 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Spanglish Mix) – 6:59 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Alternative Ending) – 8:02 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Dub Mix) – 6:26 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Miami Mix Instrumental Version) – 6:57 # "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (Album Version) – 5:36


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications and sales


Other versions

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" has been recorded by a number of actors portraying Eva Peron in subsequent productions of ''Evita'' including
Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...
(1978 Original London Cast Recording),
Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...
(1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording) and Elena Roger (2006 London Cast and 2014 Broadway Cast Recordings).
Marti Webb Marti Webb (born 1943) is an English actress and singer. She appeared on stage in '' Evita'' before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman show '' Tell Me on a Sunday'' in 1980. This included her biggest hit single, " Take That Look Off Yo ...
, who succeeded Elaine Paige in the original London production of ''Evita'', covered the song on her album '' Won't Change Places'', produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1981, and also included it in 1995 on the album, ''Music and Songs from Evita''. AllMusic's Joe Francis complimented the recording.
The Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...
recorded the song for their 1977 album, '' Passage'', coupled with "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada" which precedes it in the musical's score. The same year,
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
released the song as a single from her tenth studio album, '' Making a Good Thing Better''. In 1978,
the Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...
recorded an instrumental version that reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Also in 1978
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
recorded the song for her album, '' The Magic Is You''. Simon Gage from the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
'' praised the rendition, saying that Bassey "more than covers the ground" with it. She recorded it again in 1993 for her album '' Sings the Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber''. Singer
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
' interpretation of the song on his 1979 album, ''Rescue Me'', received negative reviews, with biographer Lucy Ellis describing it as "the most ludicrous massacre on the LP". American disco group Festival (produced by Boris Midney) released a version in 1979, the single from an entire LP of disco covers of songs from ''Evita''; it reached 72 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Paloma San Basilio Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez (born 22 November 1950), known as Paloma San Basilio (), is a Spanish singer. She is a recipient of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her valuable contributions to Latin music. She has sold ov ...
performed the song when she played the title role on the Spanish adaptation of the musical in 1980. Nacha Guevara, who also starred in the musical in 1986, has performed the song live several times. Singer
Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...
recorded "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" on her album '' Am I Not Your Girl?'' (1992). Her version received a mixed response, with Joy Press from ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' who described the rendition as "a melodramatic, sweeping ' Je ne regrette rien'—style apologia. O'Connor had a calling. Obsessed with purity and truth, she pitched herself somewhere between Christ and the Virgin Mary, as an asexual visionary whose suffering was Inextricably Intertwined with the pain of Ireland and of the world." Released as a CD maxi single, the song reached number 31 in Belgium Flanders and number 44 in Netherlands. An
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
cover version of the song by The Mike Flowers Pops reached number 30 in the UK singles charts in 1996. A punk rock version was recorded by alternative band
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (often shortened to MFGG or the Gimmes) are a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in San Francisco in 1995. The band's lineup consists of Spike Slawson, C. J. Ramone, Joey Cape, Pinch and John Reis. ...
in 1999 for their second studio album, ''
Are a Drag ''Are a Drag'' is the second album by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, released in 1999 on the Fat Wreck Chords independent record label. The album is made up mainly of show tunes. The album's title alludes to the fact that most of the songs on ...
''. Angus Cargill, author of ''Hang the DJ: An alternative book of music lists'' was shocked by the complete revamp of the song as punk rock, saying that "there's a dark appeal in here, like the thought of taking a
cattle prod A cattle prod, also called a stock prod or a hot stick, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them. An electric cattle prod is a stick with electrodes on the end which is used to make catt ...
to your grandma's". An unidentified piano rendition was also used as an ident for V19, a French
numbers station A numbers station is a shortwave radio station characterized by broadcasts of formatted numbers, which are believed to be addressed to intelligence officers operating in foreign countries. Most identified stations use speech synthesis to voca ...
based in Spain; an audio recording from the station, titled "Whiskey Tango Viente Y Uno" after its callsign, is included on '' The Conet Project''. It is covered by Lloyd Webber's younger brother and
cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
Julian on the 2001 album, '' Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber''. Another version was recorded in 2010 by TV series ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
''s actors
Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati ( ; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables'' (1995–1996), ''Ragtime'' (1997–1999), ''Fid ...
and
Chris Colfer Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...
, as the characters
Rachel Berry Rachel Barbra Berry is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists, alongside Mr. Schue in the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot ep ...
and Kurt Hummel respectively. It was sung as a duet with each singer taking a different
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...
and performing before a different audience in a split-scene. Their solo versions were also in ''Glee: The Music, The Complete Season Two'' and reached number 67 in the United Kingdom and number 97 in the US. Multinational quartet
Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multinational classical crossover vocal group. Formed in the United Kingdom in 2003, it is a male quartet that was created and then promoted by British media magnate Simon Cowell for Syco Music, a record label that he had ...
recorded it on their 2011 album, ''
Wicked Game "Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak from his third album '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). It was released as a single to little attention in July 1989 but became a sleeper hit when Lee Chestnut, an Atlanta radio station ...
'', and performed it live on tours. The group's voice was considered suitable for musical numbers like "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", by Ben Walsh from ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''.
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
performed the song live at the ''Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years'' tribute show. Louis Virtel from The Backlot complimented her vocals, saying that the performance "has to be seen to be believed, as Scherzinger's crystal-clear vocal soars like a glittery javelin".


See also

Julie Covington version * List of Top 25 singles for 1977 in Australia * List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1977 *
List of number-one singles of 1977 (Ireland) This is a list of singles which have reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart in 1977. *24 Number Ones *Most weeks at No.1 (artist): ABBA (5) *Most weeks at No.1 (song): "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - ABBA (5) *Most No.1s: all artists 1 Nu ...
*
List of number-one singles in 1977 (New Zealand) This is a list of number-one hit singles in 1977 in New Zealand, starting with the first chart dated 28 January 1977. Chart ;Key : – Single of New Zealand origin Notes * Number of number-one singles: 12 * Longest run at number-one: ...
* List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1970s Madonna version * List of Top 25 singles for 1997 in Australia * List of European number-one hits of 1997 *
List of number-one singles of 1997 (France) This is a list of the French SNEP Top 100 Singles number-ones of 1997. Summary Singles Chart See also *1997 in music *List of number-one hits (France) *List of artists who reached number one on the French Singles Chart References

{ ...
* List of number-one singles of 1997 (Spain) * List of number-one dance singles of 1997 (U.S.)


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control 1976 songs 1976 singles 1996 singles The Carpenters songs Censorship of music Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles MCA Records singles Madonna songs The Mike Flowers Pops songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Belgium Number-one singles in the Czech Republic Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Spain Olivia Newton-John songs Pop ballads Sinéad O'Connor songs Me First and the Gimme Gimmes songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Songs about Argentina Songs from Evita Songs with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Songs with lyrics by Tim Rice Song recordings produced by Nigel Wright (record producer) Song recordings produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber Song recordings produced by Alan Parker Song recordings produced by David Caddick UK singles chart number-one singles Warner Records singles 1970s ballads