Cry Baby Cry
Song by The Beatles • Lennon
The White Album (1968) — Each track its own room. Minimal. Sprawling.
Background
Cry Baby Cry is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon and led on vocal by John Lennon. Nursery-rhyme menace; 'Can you take me back' coda by Paul leads into Revolution 9. Within the catalogue, its minor thread connects it to Don't Bother Me, Things We Said Today, Baby's in Black.
What's distinctive
One of 101 UK songs led primarily by John. Recorded approximately 11 of 34 into the The White Album (1968) sessions. Carries the unique tag 'nursery-rhyme' — no other UK song shares it.Opening line — "Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh…" (brief identification excerpt; full lyrics © Sony Music Publishing — see Genius link in References.)
Recording
The session work falls within the band's The White Album (1968) period, recorded 15 Jul 1968 at EMI Studios + Trident Studios (Soho. George Martin (with Chris Thomas covering) produced; Ken Scott (early), Geoff Emerick walked off — replaced engineered. The track was committed to Studer A80 8-track (Trident), 4-track at EMI until late 1968 via the REDD/TG12345 prototype; Trident A-Range, with the era's standard signal chain — EMI RS124, EMT 140 & 250 (Trident), Fairchild 660, ADT, tape flanging, fuzz, wah (Vox/CryBaby). Likely instrumental setup followed the era's working kit: Epiphone Casino, Fender Strat (Rocky), Gibson J-200 acoustic, Martin D-28, Fender Telecaster Bass, amplified through Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Bassman, Vox UL730. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.143 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below).
| Studio | EMI Studios + Trident Studios (Soho — first Beatles 8-track sessions: 'Hey Jude' onward) |
|---|---|
| Tape machine | Studer A80 8-track (Trident), 4-track at EMI until late 1968 |
| Console | REDD/TG12345 prototype; Trident A-Range |
| Microphones | U47/U48, AKG C12, U67 introduced |
| Outboard / effects | EMI RS124, EMT 140 & 250 (Trident), Fairchild 660, ADT, tape flanging, fuzz, wah (Vox/CryBaby) |
| Guitars | Epiphone Casino, Fender Strat (Rocky), Gibson J-200 acoustic, Martin D-28, Fender Telecaster Bass |
| Amplifiers | Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Bassman, Vox UL730 |
| Producer | George Martin (with Chris Thomas covering) |
| Engineer / 2nd | Ken Scott (early), Geoff Emerick walked off — replaced • John Smith, Mike Sheady, Barry Sheffield (Trident) |
Pattern analysis
Legacy & release history
In the UK canonical discography it appears on the LP The Beatles (White Album). Documented alternate versions include Mono Masters (2009 box), White Album 50th Anniversary (2018). Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below.
Mono & stereo
- Both mono and stereo mixes were prepared; the UK mono White Album (PMC 7067/8) has many distinct edits, mixes and effects vs. the stereo (PCS 7067/8) — collectors prize the mono.
Documented alternate versions
- Mono Masters (2009 box) — Allan Rouse / Guy Massey remaster
- White Album 50th Anniversary (2018) — Giles Martin stereo remix
Released on
- The Beatles (White Album) — LP, 22 November 1968
Cross-references
Other songs sharing themes (nursery-rhyme, coda-link, minor)
Other songs led by the same vocalist
Other songs from this era
nursery-rhymecoda-linkminor