Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying’ was the song playing on the animated comedy Family Guy this week as Brian, Stewie and Chris are showing Meg different videos so they can get her to cry in the cookies — Family Guy, Season 22, Episode 8, “Baking Sad“.
After seeing videos of a dog at its fallen soldier owner’s coffin, and Trump winning the 2016 election, Meg finally begins crying at a video of a guy getting ready for his job at Foot Locker.
Yep, Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying‘ claims another victim.
When was ‘Crying’ released?
Although the song sounds just as modern today as it did when it was first released, Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying‘ actually came out in July, 1961.
The track was originally written by Orbison and songwriter Joe Melson as the title track of the singer’s third studio album, which came out the following year.
It was released as a single the year before as a nice precursor for the album, and hit #1 on the US Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart, as well as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Orbison then released an even better version of the song (I think) with country singer k.d. Lang especially for the movie Hiding Out, and that one went on to chart in Canada, New Zealand and the U.S., as well as to earn the duo a Grammy Award.
Nowadays, the song is probably Orbison’s most well-known release, and somewhat musically illustrative of Orbison’s life and its many tragedies — losing his wife in a motorbike accident, and his two eldest sons in a home fire just two years later.
Listen to Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying‘ as heard on Family Guy in the music video of a live performance the singer gave of the song in 1965, and on his album of the same name via Spotify.
You can also hear his superb duet version with k.d. Lang down there as well.