All Cried Out

Album: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force (1985)
Charted: 8
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Songfacts®:

  • An early hit for Lisa Lisa, this song is about a woman who has been so wounded by her man's betrayal that she has no more teas to cry, but she has a clear enough head to place all the blame on him. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Santa Barbara, CA
  • Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam were produced by the Brooklyn group Full Force, who are also a songwriting/production team. They have also worked with Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Black-Eyed Peas.
  • Full Force's Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou also contribute vocals, singing from the perspective of Lisa Lisa's apologetic ex.
  • Anthony and Lou appeared on Soul Train to perform this with Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, which resulted in a mishap when Anthony's glove got caught on Lisa's earring and almost wrecked the performance. Lou recounted the story on Full Force's YouTube channel.
  • Lisa Lisa (real name: Lisa Velez) was 19 years old when this hit the charts in October 1986, but she started working with Full Force when she was just 13. Still, she had no trouble tapping into the emotions required for this heartbreaker. She said in a 2012 interview: "I hear so many stories from people. The one I hear the most is from the females, 'You helped me through my breakup with your song, 'All Cried Out.' You kept me alive and moving.' Well, whatever I can do to help is cool with me, because when we were doing the song, I was going through the same thing. I was 13 years old, so what the hell did I know? But we all universally go through the same first breakup experience."
  • Velez is still grateful for this early tune because it allowed her to really sing. "It was a chance to let people hear my talent. Still to this day, I love to sing, I love to perform and I love that song," she told NJArts.net in 2020. "I will never go up on a stage and not give my audience the full effect. There will be no lip synching with me - everything is fully live - so it was very important for me to get 'All Cried Out' out there. I wanted people to see and hear what I can do."
  • The music video opens with Lisa gazing out of her bedroom window on a rainy day, singing about her sorrow and remembering romantic times with her boyfriend. The clip was directed by Simeon Soffer, who helmed the group's "Can You Feel The Beat" video, as well as Debbie Gibson's "Only In My Dreams" promo.
  • This was covered by the R&B girl group Allure in 1997 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. The Long Island quartet was signed to Mariah Carey's short-lived label, Crave Records, and Carey - along with her frequent collaborators Walter Afanasieff and Cory Rooney - also produced the track. Allure's version featured backing from Carey, as well as guest vocals from the male R&B group 112, who also appeared that same year on the Grammy Award-winning Sean Combs/Faith Evans duet "I'll Be Missing You." The cover charted at #4 on the Hot 100, notching four spots higher than Lisa Lisa's #8 entry.
  • In the Allure video, directed by Christopher Erskin, the girls try to escape their heartache by taking a road trip to a remote cabin - only to be met by their exes.

Comments: 3

  • JustinThe lyrics of this song read like they were written by Dwight Schrute from the office.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1986 {April 12th} Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam performed "All Cried Out" on the nationally syndicated television program, 'Soul Train'...
    Twenty one weeks later on August 31st, 1986 "All Cried Out" peaked at #3 {for 3 weeks} on Billboard's Hot Black Singles* chart...
    As noted above, "All Cried Out" reached #8 on Billboard's Top 100 chart...
    Between 1985 and 1991 the New York City band had thirteen records on the Hot Black Singles chart, eight made the Top 10 with three reaching #1, "Head To Toe" for two weeks in May of 1987, "Lost In Emotion" for one week in September of 1987 and "Let The Beat Hit 'Em" for one week in September of 1991...
    Besides "All Cried Out", the band had one other record peak at #3, "Little Jackie Wants To Be A Star" in 1989...
    Lisa Lisa, born Lisa Velez, celebrated her 53rd birthday three months ago on January 15th, 2020...
    R.I.P. Don Cornelius {1936 - 2012}...
    *And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the Hot Black Singles' Top 10 on April 12th, 1986:
    At #1. "Ain't Nothing Going On But The Rent" by Gwen Guthrie
    #2. "Love Zone" by Billy Ocean
    #3. the above "All Cried Out"
    #4. "(Pop Pop Pop Pop) Goes My Mind" by Levert
    #5. "The Rain" by Oran 'Juice' Jones
    #6. "Dancing On The Ceiling" by Lionel Richie
    #7. "Give Me The Reason" by Luther Vandross
    #8. "Oh, People" by Patti Labelle
    #9. "When I Think of You" by Janet Jackson
    #10. "One Love" by Whodini
  • Tom Bork from East Chicago Indiana Just curious what is the name of boyfriend in all cried out
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