Baby, Stop Crying

"Baby, Stop Crying" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released in the summer of 1978 as a single and in a longer album version on Street Legal. The song charted at #13 in the UK and was a top-ten song in much of Europe, although it failed to chart in the United States.[1]

"Baby, Stop Crying"
Single by Bob Dylan
from the album Street Legal
B-side"New Pony"
Released31 July 1978 (US single)
RecordedApril 1978
GenreRock
Length5:17
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bob Dylan
Producer(s)Don DeVito
Bob Dylan singles chronology
"Is Your Love in Vain?"
(1978)		 "Baby, Stop Crying"
(1978)		 "Changing of the Guards"
(1978)

Lyrical interpretation and reception

The song's narrator is a desperate man attempting to play the role of consoler to a despairing woman, asking her for a pistol in the opening verse, and claiming he "can't tell right from wrong".[2] Commenting on the content of this song, Dylan once said, "The man in that song has his hand out and is not afraid of getting it bit".[3]

Dylan scholar Tony Attwood sees the song as having lyrical roots in Robert Johnson's "Stop Breaking Down".[4]

Like many of the tracks from Street Legal, "Baby, Stop Crying" features a saxophone and a trio of female backup singers. According to Billboard the female voices provide an "exciting counterpoint" to Dylan's "raspy" vocal performance.[5] Cash Box said that it "has a tight, repetitive hook, backing singers, strong sax solo and organ work."[6] Record World said that "Old fans will lean toward [Dylan's] customary throaty vocals while new audiences might latch on to the high female background singing that gives it just a touch of r&b."[7]

Live performances

Dylan performed the song live in concert 39 times. All performances were in 1978.[8]

Covers

References
  1. "baby stop crying | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  2. "Baby, Stop Crying | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  3. Magazine, Rolling Stone (1989-09-15). Rolling Stone Interv. Macmillan. p. 362. ISBN 9780312034863.
  4. "Bob Dylan's "Baby Stop Crying": the meaning of the lyrics and the song | Untold DylanUntold Dylan". 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  5. "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 12, 1978. p. 82. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  6. "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 12, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  7. "Record World Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. August 19, 1978. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  8. "Bob Dylan Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
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