“Who’s Crying Now” by Journey

by Amanda London· Published October 19, 2022· Updated October 19, 2022

Journey’s “Who’s Crying Now” is a bit unorthodox in that usually when we come across pieces centered on a tumultuous romance, as this one apparently is, the thesis sentiment either revolves around the vocalist trying to work the situation out or eventually giving up.

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But in this case, it seems as if the Journey gang are speaking to a relationship which is so troubled that eventually, it sort of heals itself. This notion is made most evident in the third verse. Here, the subjects are depicted as having cried “so many tears” that doing so serves as a catharsis, if you will, in that they do so “until the heartache is over”.

So taking all of this into consideration, it seems that what the title points to in context is the idea of two people in love constantly fighting being a winless occasion, in that neither party actually emerges victorious.

So it appears that what Journey is saying is if you’re in such a situation, i.e. a disagreeable romance with your significant other, you may gain the upper hand over your partner for a moment, but eventually you’ll be the one who’s “crying”.

But that said, it is quite obvious that Steve Perry and the boys are champions of love, i.e. those who look forward to couples solving their own problems rather than quitting on each other.

When did Journey release “Who’s Crying Now”?

“Who’s Crying Now” was released courtesy of Columbia Records in 1981. It was the first song Journey ever dropped which made it onto the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

This track came out as the lead single from their seventh-studio album, “Escape”. Up until that point, the band had enjoyed a number of hit singles but none that performed nearly as well from a critical perspective as this one.

In addition to peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Who’s Crying Now” replicated the feat on the Cashbox Top 100. The song also reached 3^rd place on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Furthermore, it topped Canada’s Adult Contemporary Singles list.

Credits

It is Steve Perry, Journey’s longstanding frontman, who originally conceptualized this song, in one of those sudden, impromptu kind of ways. He is therefore credited with writing “Who’s Crying Now”. But he is not the only credited writer. We also have some contribution from another writer in the form of Perry’s bandmate at the time, Jonathan Cain.

“According to Perry, the chorus of the song just popped into his head while he was driving. In order not to forget the song, he reached for his tape recorder and recorded it instantaneously.

Covers of “Who’s Crying Now”

American jazz and R&B singer Randy Crawford gave a soul twist to this track. It was featured on her tenth album, “Through the Eyes of Love”, released in 1992.

American band Lexington Lab Band released their cover on 15^th March, 2018.

Voyage performed “Who’s Crying Now” live at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in 2021 as part of their tribute concert.

“Monsters vs. Aliens”

The 2009 computer-animated movie, “Monsters vs. Aliens” made use of this song. In this movie, “Who’s Crying Now” can be heard playing on the radio during a couple’s date, just before aliens come down to Earth.