Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

She Cried

"She Cried" is a song written by Ted Daryll and Greg Richards. It was initially recorded by Daryll in July 1961 but became a big hit when covered by Jay and the Americans for the B-side of their second single, "Dawning". The single initially flopped, but six months after its release a disc jockey on the West Coast played the B-side for six hours straight, and listeners responded. In 1962, "She Cried" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Jay and the Americans' first major hit. Both sides of the single were subsequently included on their first album, She Cried, which was named in recognition of the song's popularity.

Last revised
Jun 23, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
509 w
Citations
19
Source
"She Cried"
Single by Jay and the Americans
from the album She Cried
A-side"Dawning"
Released1962
Genre
Length2:36
LabelUnited Artists
SongwritersTed Daryll, Greg Richards
Jay and the Americans singles chronology
"Tonight"
(1961)
"She Cried"
(1962)
"Only in America"
(1963)

"She Cried" is a song written by Ted Daryll and Greg Richards. It was initially recorded by Daryll in July 1961 but became a big hit when covered by Jay and the Americans for the B-side of their second single, "Dawning". The single initially flopped, but six months after its release a disc jockey on the West Coast played the B-side for six hours straight, and listeners responded.1 In 1962, "She Cried" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 1002 and was Jay and the Americans' first major hit.3 Both sides of the single were subsequently included on their first album, She Cried, which was named in recognition of the song's popularity.

The Lettermen recorded the song in 1964, on an album of the same name, that reached number six on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1970. It peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year.4

The Shangri-Las, ("He Cried"),5 took their rendition to number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1966.6

A French version, J'y Crois, was recorded by Canadian artist Junior on Disques AZ in 1968

Other cover versions

References

References