| Composer | James P. Johnson |
| Lyricist | Saul Bernie, Stella Unger |
| Year Written | 1929 |
About This Song
“Don’t Cray Baby” was written by James P. Johnson, Saul Bernie, and Stella Unger. Bessie Smith recorded it first in 1929. Other recordings were made by Etta James, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Queen Latifah.
Lyrics
Don’t cry, don’t cry baby
Don’t cry baby
Dry your eyes, and let’s be sweethearts again
And oh, cuz you know
You know I didn’t mean
To ever treat you so mean
C’mon, c’mon sweetheart
And let’s try it over again
And oh, don’t cry
Don’t cry baby
Don’t cry, don’t cry
Dry your eyes, and let’s be sweethearts again
And oh, cuz you know I didn’t mean
To ever treat you so mean
C’mon, c’mon sweetheart
And let’s try it over again
Recordings
1950
Tony Bennett recorded “Don’t Cry Baby” on October 1, 1950. Norman Leyden wrote the arrangement and conducted.
CO 44393
Recording History
| 1950 | Columbia 78: 39060 |
| 1950 | Columbia 45: 4-39060 |
| 2004 | Sepia Records CD: SEPIA 1028 — The Young Tony Bennett |
| 2007 | Proper CD: PROPERBOX 121 — Young Tony |
| 2011 | Columbia The Complete Collection —Disc 3 — The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1 |