"Please Don't Make Me Cry" is a song written and originally recorded by Winston Groovy in 1970. It was first released on Torpedo Records and went on to become the label's most notable release. The song was re-recorded by Groovy in 1974 for

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. Th ...

and produced by Sidney Crooks. It was released on the Trojan subsidiary label Explosion in March 1974 which helped the song gain more recognition.

UB40 version

The most well-known recorded version of the song is by

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

group

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...

, and was the follow-up single to their chart-topping cover of

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

's "

Red Red Wine "Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967 that appears on his second studio album, '' Just for You''. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a person who finds that drinki ...

". Both singles were taken from the group's 1983 album ''

Labour of Love ''Labour of Love'' is the fourth studio album by British reggae band UB40, and their first album of cover versions. Released in the UK on 12 September 1983, the album is best known for containing the song "Red Red Wine", a worldwide number-one ...

''. The single peaked at number 10 on the singles chart in the UK, becoming their second consecutive Top 10 hit (sixth overall). It also appeared on the group's greatest hits album '' The Very Best of UB40'' in 2000.

Music video

A music video was also filmed for "Please Don't Make Me Cry". It was directed by Bernard Rose and UB40's Brian Travers, and features

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

and Robin Campbell fighting in a

boxing ring A boxing ring, often referred to simply as a ring or the squared circle, is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring consists of a square raised platform with a post at each corner. Four ropes are attached to the posts and pulled p ...

. It was part of a concept for the ''Labour of Love'' album where the two Campbells play two brothers rivalling for the affection of the same girl. The video "Red Red Wine" had been the first part of the concept, and the band had been doubtful ''

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 ...

'' would show that video due to scenes of drinking and

pickpocketing Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...

, but, most likely due to the fact the song topped the charts, the video was shown. They had been hopeful the video for "Please Don't Make Me Cry" would be able to be shown, but ''Top of the Pops'' refused to show the video and on ITV only an edited version was shown. A video album also entitled ''Labour of Love'' featuring clips for a number of songs from the studio album was released in 1984.

Charts

References

{{Authority control UB40 songs 1970 songs 1970 singles 1974 singles 1983 singles A&M Records singles