Music Review: Mandy Moore "Cry"

Mandy Moore

Cry

Album: Mandy Moore

Year: 2002

         Mandy Moore sees a different side to the brooding bad boy in the gentle “Cry.”

        A compassionate guitar opens the single, setting a meaningful tone. A couple years ago, she went to the lake to draw and relax. There, she saw a guy from school who was known to be jerk. At first, she sighed and prepared for the scowl she was going to get from him. As she walked closer to her spot, she noticed his face was streaked with tears, his shoulders shaking from the sobs. In that moment, she knew everything she had heard about him was wrong. (“I'll always remember/It was late afternoon/It lasted forever/And ended too soon/You were all by yourself/Staring up at a dark gray sky/I was changed.”)

            In the chorus, she says she for the first time she viewed him as a fragile person insetad of an image. She felt an emotional connection and knew he was the one for her. (“In places no one would find/All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)/It was then that I realized/That forever was in your eyes/The moment I saw you cry.”)

            In between the chorus and the second verse, she reflects a bit more on the moment, repeating “the moment that I saw you cry.”)

           She remembers the day like it was yesterday. It was September and she had gotten into a fight with a friend with hers. Her friend had started trouble within her group of her friends and kicked another girl The other girl had become interest of her friend’s crush. She had gone to the lake to get away from it. When she saw the guy from school, she was shocked. He didn’t seem to be the type to let anything bother him or wanted to be left alone. She would see him and want to reach out to him. However, she was uncertain if he would even  want to talk to her. (“It was late in September/And I've seen you before (and you were)
You were always the cold one/But I was never that sure/You were all by yourself/Staring at a dark gray sky/I was changed.”)

            The chorus is sung again.

             In the bridge, she immediately became protective of him. She had to resist running over to him and letting him cry in her arms. Whoever or whatever hurt him deeply affected her. Who were they? What caused him to feel so much pain? She was full of questions. She wondered if he had gone to the lake before or if he was interested in drawing like her. Comforting him was all that mattered. (“I wanted to hold you/
I wanted to make it go away/I wanted to know you/I wanted to make your everything all right.”)

        Part of the chorus is sung again with only a minimal arrangement,. (“I'll always remember/It was late afternoon/In places no one would find.”)

    The full arrangement returns as the chorus is sung again.

   Moore recalls his tears once last time to end the single. (“The moment I saw you cry/I think I saw you cry/The moment I saw you cry/I wanted to know you/I wanted to know you/I wanted to know you.”)

  Moore’s intimate, adoring vocals hang onto the memory, cherishing the details only she and the guy would know. After truly seeing him, it inspired her to be brave and let go of her fears. It was life changing and he played in an important part in helping her become the thoughtful, mature person she is now.

       The soothing “Cry” steps into a private moment, absorbing the intensity of it.

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