Sometimes a song finds its rightful owner decades after it was written. Roy Orbison wrote "Crying" back in 1961, and while his original is a masterpiece of rock-bolero heartbreak, there is a specific kind of magic that happened when he sat down with a young Canadian singer named k.d. lang in 1987.
They weren't an obvious pair. Orbison was the elder statesman of rock and roll tragedy, always hidden behind dark sunglasses. k.d. lang was the "cowboy punk" from Alberta who wore sawed-off cowboy boots and acceptance-speech wedding dresses. But when they opened their mouths to sing together, the world basically stopped spinning for three minutes and forty-eight seconds.
Honestly, it's one of those rare moments in music history where a remake doesn't just honor the original—it expands the soul of it.
The Night Everything Changed for k.d. lang Crying
Before the world knew her for "Constant Craving," k.d. lang was a niche artist making waves in the country scene with her band, the Reclines. She was bold, she was quirky, and she had a voice that sounded like it had been aged in an oak barrel for a hundred years.
Roy Orbison heard that voice.
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He didn't just hear a singer; he heard a peer. In 1987, they teamed up to re-record "Crying" for the soundtrack of a movie called Hiding Out, starring Jon Cryer. It wasn't just a studio job for lang. She has since described the experience as "electric." You can hear it in the track. While Orbison’s original 1961 version relied on a soaring, almost girlish falsetto for those big high notes, the duet version allowed lang to step in with a powerful, grounded chest voice that gave the song a whole new weight.
Why this version hit different
- The Contrast: Roy's fragile, velvet tremolo against k.d.'s robust, athletic mezzo-soprano.
- The Production: Produced by Don Was, David Was, and Pete Anderson, the track felt modern but stayed rooted in that classic 60s melodrama.
- The Respect: Orbison famously handed the song's biggest moments to lang, essentially passing the torch to a new generation of vocalists.
The industry noticed. In 1989, the duo won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. It was a bittersweet victory; Roy Orbison had passed away from a heart attack in December 1988, just months before the ceremony.
That Legendary 1990 Tribute Performance
If the studio version was a spark, the live tribute performance at the Universal Amphitheatre in 1990 was a wildfire. If you haven't seen the video of k.d. lang Crying at the Roy Orbison Tribute, go find it. Now.
She walked onto that stage alone. No Roy. Just a full orchestra and a lot of pressure.
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Production managers who worked the show that night still talk about it. Jeff Cox, the audio engineer, and the production crew reportedly looked at each other in total disbelief as she hit the final notes. She didn't just sing the song; she possessed it. The way she utilizes "cry breaks"—those little vocal flips that mimic a person actually sobbing—is a masterclass in technique.
She holds those final notes with a clarity that seems physically impossible. There’s no breathiness. No straining. Just pure, resonant sound that makes the audience jump to their feet before she’s even finished the last syllable. It’s the kind of performance that turns a singer into a legend.
Breaking Down the "Cry" Technique
What is it about her voice that actually makes people emotional? Vocal coaches have spent years analyzing this specific performance.
She uses something called portamento, which is a fancy way of saying she slides between notes with an intentional, vulnerable drag. It sounds like a sigh. It sounds like a secret.
Then there's the dynamic control. lang can go from a whisper—what musicians call sotto voce—to a full-tilt belt without any "snag" in her voice. Most singers have a "break" where their voice shifts gears. lang’s gear shifts are invisible.
Interestingly, she often blends a bit of nasality into her power notes. It sounds technical, but it’s actually a brilliant way to protect the vocal folds while making the sound pierce right through the orchestration. She isn't just shouting; she's projecting a specific frequency of grief.
The Chart Success and Cultural Legacy
While it’s remembered as a masterpiece today, the song had a slow burn on the charts.
- In Canada, it was a massive hit, peaking at number 2.
- In the US, it struggled a bit more on mainstream radio, reaching number 28 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
- It found a second life in the UK and Ireland in 1992, hitting the top 20 after being re-released.
But charts don't tell the whole story. The real legacy of k.d. lang Crying is how it redefined what a female country singer could be. She didn't fit the Nashville mold of the time. She wasn't singing about "standing by her man." She was singing about the universal, gut-wrenching experience of seeing an ex and realizing you aren't over them.
She took a "man's song" and made it genderless. She proved that technical perfection doesn't have to feel cold. It can feel like your heart is being ripped out of your chest in the best way possible.
How to Experience this Performance Today
If you want to understand why this matters, don't just put it on as background music while you do the dishes. This is "sit down and shut up" music.
Start with the official music video with Roy. Watch their chemistry. Roy looks like a proud father, or a mentor who knows he’s found the only person on earth who can keep his song alive.
Then, move to the 1990 tribute. Pay attention to the way she stands. She’s planted. She isn't doing a bunch of pop-star choreography because she doesn't need to. Her voice does all the movement.
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Finally, if you can find it, listen to her MTV Unplugged version. It’s slower. Almost painfully slow. It changes the song from a rock anthem into a funeral march. It’s polarizing for some fans, but it shows her willingness to keep poking at the song to see what else it can reveal.
Actionable Takeaways for the Music Fan
- Analyze the "Cry Break": Listen to the 2:15 mark of the 1990 live performance. Notice the tiny "glitch" in her voice on the word "crying." That is an intentional, controlled technique used to convey raw emotion.
- Compare the Eras: Listen to Roy’s 1961 original, then the 1987 duet, then k.d.’s 1990 solo. It’s a fascinating study in how a song’s "meaning" changes based on the arrangement and the singer's gender.
- Explore the "Cowpunk" Roots: To understand how she got to this level of vocal mastery, look up her earlier work like Angel with a Lariat. You'll hear the wildness that she eventually learned to harness for "Crying."
k.d. lang didn't just cover a song. She gave a classic a second soul. Whether you’re a fan of country, pop, or just great singing, this performance remains the gold standard for what happens when talent meets the perfect material.