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Don't Cry for Me Argentina

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"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is the best-known song from the 1978 musical, Evita, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Sung by the title character, Eva Peron, it was titled “It’s Only Your Lover Returning” before Rice settled on the eventual name. It appears early in the second act as Evita addresses the crowd from the balcony of the Casa Rosada and features a sweeping melody tied to broad emotional themes of regret and defiance, characteristic of Lloyd Webber’s most popular songs.

The song shares its tune with "Oh What a Circus" from the same show.

First versions

File:S160740.jpg
The Julie Covington single cover of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”

The musical Evita began life as an album, before ever taking form on the British stage. Julie Covington first sang “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” for the original 1973 studio release. The single with the Julie Covington recording reached No.1 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1977 for a week.Jean Marc Perrin from Calyon, took after J Covington, ownership of the song, being the second French man to sing the song. The song was lastly adapted by the French singer Olivia Lau in a rap-hip-hop-tektonik version with the collaboration of the Chemicals Brothers and Damon Albarn. Unfortunately they only sold 27 copies of the single (including family gifts) and the record company fired the band.


The B-side was "Rainbow High". When Madonna covered “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, this song did not appear as a B side for the same song, but for "You Must Love Me" instead.

When Covington chose not to take the stage role, Elaine Paige was cast as Eva in the London production. In the US, the song is closely linked, as a signature song, with Patti LuPone, who performed the role of "Eva" in the original Broadway production of the show.[1]

During the 1982 Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina, the song was sometimes played sarcastically by British regimental bands as they deployed to the Falklands. At the same time the Covington recording was banned from play on the BBC.[2]

Madonna version

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
Song

Madonna starred in the 1996 film, Evita, and recorded the song for its soundtrack. She also released a dance mix in both English and Spanglish in early 1997, as the second single from the album. This dance remix, the Miami Mix Edit, can be found on the CD single. Madonna featured her original soundtrack version of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” as an instrumental interlude on her 2001 Drowned World Tour. The music video used for the song was the complete sequence from Evita directed by Alan Parker.

The single turned out to be a big worldwide hit, taking the number one spot in several countries, most notably in France, where it became her second number one (after “La Isla Bonita”). It was a U.S. top ten hit, peaking at number eight, and a number three hit in the UK (placing in the top forty at the year end and selling 338,494 copies)[citation needed]. Sales and airplay were aided by the dance remix. In Europe it was her ninth single to top the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.

UK Promo CD Track Listing

  1. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix Edit - 4:31
  2. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix - 6:51

Standard Single Track Listing

  1. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Madonna - 5:31
  2. "Santa Evita" - Orchestra/John Mauceri - 2:30
  3. "Latin Chant" - Orchestra/John Mauceri - 2:11

Remix Single Track Listing

  1. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix Edit - 4:31
  2. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Spanglish Mix Edit - 4:29
  3. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix - 6:51
  4. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Album Version - 5:31

Maxi Single Track Listing

  1. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix Alternative Endling
  2. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Spanglish Mix
  3. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix Edit
  4. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Dub Mix
  5. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Mix Instrumental
  6. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - Miami Spanglish Mix Edit

The Miami Mix versions of the song are not remixes in the conventional sense as Madonna's vocals were rerecorded for these versions.

Chart (1997) Peak
Position
Australia ARIA Singles Chart 9
Austrian Singles Chart 3
Belgian Flemmish Ultratop 50 5
Belgian Wallonie Ultratop 40 2
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Dutch Top 40 4
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1
French SNEP Singles Chart 1
German Singles Chart 3
Irish Singles Chart 11
Italian FIMI Singles Chart 1
Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart 9
Spanish Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart 4
Swedish Singles Chart 9
UK Singles Chart 3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 8
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 5
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 21
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 14
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 1

Other recordings

“Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” has also been recorded by many other artists. Olivia Newton-John recorded it in 1977 to be released on her album Making a Good Thing Better and also released as B-side of single re-release “I Honestly Love You”.[3]

The Carpenters recorded it for their 1977 album Passage, with an intro called “On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada”, or “On the Balcony of the Pink House”. The song is 8:13 long.

Big Punisher quoted the song's title in his song "Glamour Life". In Fat Joe's verse of the song, he states: "Yo its the Don Cartegena the leada', terror squad cleaner, leavin' your family crying for you like Argentina, mira"

John Petrucci, guitarrist of progressive metal band Dream Theater, played the main melody of this song during the intro of Through Her Eyes live in a concert in Buenos Aires.

The song has also been recorded by:

Paloma San Basilio and Nacha Guevara recorded well-known versions of the song in Spanish (“No llores por mí Argentina”). Katja Ebstein did a popular German version called “Wein’ nicht um mich Argentinien”. Indeed, the song has also been recorded in a number of languages:

  • English: Don't Cry for me Argentina
  • Spanish: No llores por mí Argentina
  • Italian: Non piangere per me Argentina
  • German: Wein' nicht um mich Argentinien
  • French: Ne pleure pas pour moi Argentine
  • Kurdish: Ne gri ji bo min Arjantin
  • Tagalog: Huwag mo ako iyakan Argentina
  • Icelandic: Gráttu mig ei Argentína
  • Hungarian: Miért kell, hogy sírj Argentína
  • Dutch: Huil niet om mij Argentinië
  • Danish: Græd ikke for mig Argentina
  • Portuguese: Não chore por mim Argentina
  • Malay: Jangan Menangis Untukku Argentina
  • Swedish: Sörj inte mig Argentina
  • Finnish: Ei itkeä saa Argentiina (the song is also called Kyyneleet pois, Argentiina in a new stage translation)
  • Hebrew: Al na tivki Argentina
  • Turkish: "Benim için ağlama Arjantin"
  • Czech: Utiš se má Argentino
  • Polish: Nie opłakuj mnie Argentyno.
  • Slovak: Neplač pre mňa Argentína
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
(Julie Covington version)
February 12 1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by French SNEP Singles Chart number-one single
(Madonna version)
January 25 1997 - February 15 1997 		Succeeded by
"Let a Boy Cry" by Gala
Preceded by Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single
(Madonna version)
February 14 1997 - March 15 1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 number-one single
(Madonna version)
February 15 1997 - March 15 1997 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ "Mandy, Patti - real cozy | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/27/2007", Philly.com, October 2007, webpage: Philly7.
  2. ^ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/banned.html Rocklistmusic.co.uk
  3. ^ "Olivia's singles releases 1975-77". Only Olivia international fan club.
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