Songfacts®:

• Written in January 2025 after the death of his paternal grandmother, Charlie Puth addressed this ballad to his father. Puth grew up watching people he admired carry their feelings in silence, and "Cry" is his encouragement to his dad - and by extension, anyone who internalizes their grief - to let go and feel their emotions without shame.
  
  "This song is a reminder that expressing emotion is not weakness," said Puth. "It's human, and sometimes it's exactly what helps you grow."
• "Cry" hinges on a saxophone performance by Kenny G, though Puth had actually built the solo himself before the two ever met. By mimicking the saxophonist's signature style, Puth essentially drafted a placeholder for the man he hoped would one day play on the track.
  
  "I sent it off to a few people that said they knew a friend who knew a friend who might know him, and the manifestation was officially out to the universe," he said. "But I didn't hear from anybody for a couple of days, so I thought maybe I'll just finish writing the song and he'll get around to hearing it. It needed lyrics anyway, so I wrote this. More time went by, I still hadn't heard from him, but I just kept building the song. We added a choir. Still hadn't heard from Kenny G. It's okay. I'll fly to Nashville. Let's record some guitar and bass. Then, I got a mysterious text message, 'Hi, Charlie. This is KG.' Who's KG? Oh, I was typing so fast. I was like, 'I think you'll like it, but it's okay if you don't.' In his calm voice, he said, 'Just let me hear it.'"
  
  Within an hour of hearing the demo, Kenny G had recorded the real solo.
• "Cry" is track 3 on Whatever's Clever!, Charlie Puth's fourth album. It sits between the more uptempo "Beat Yourself Up" (track 2) and "Washed Up" (track 4), acting as an emotional centrepiece early in the album's sequence. The record, entirely produced by Puth and BloodPop, blends heavy personal themes with smooth '80s-influenced pop and R&B.
  
  BloodPop (real name Michael Tucker) has been Lady Gaga's main producer since her Joanne album. His other credits include Justin Bieber's "Sorry" and Jungkook's "3D."