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| "All I Could Do Was Cry" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byEtta James | ||||
| from the albumAt Last! | ||||
| B-side | "Boy of My Dreams" | |||
| Released | 1960 | |||
| Recorded | 1960 | |||
| Genre | Doo-wop,R&B,Blues | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriters | Billy Davis,Berry Gordy,Gwen Gordy | |||
| Etta James singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"All I Could Do Was Cry" is adoo-wop/rhythm and blues single recorded in 1960, and released in March that year by the singerEtta James.[1] It was written for James byChess songwriterBilly Davis,Berry Gordy and his sisterGwen Gordy.[1] The song eventually peaked at number 2 on the USBillboardR&Bchart and number 33 on thepop chart.[2] James would later re-record the song in the early 1990s.[3]
The song was said[by whom?] to be inspired by James' former boyfriendHarvey Fuqua 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.[citation needed]
| Chart (1960) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard 100 | 33 |
| USBillboardHot R&B Sides | 2 |
