Not Gon' Cry
| "Not Gon' Cry" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 U.S. CD single | ||||||||||
| Single by Mary J. Blige | ||||||||||
| from the album Waiting to Exhale OST and Share My World | ||||||||||
| Released | January 23, 1996 | |||||||||
| Format |
CD single Cassette single Maxi single | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Length | 4:57 | |||||||||
| Label | Arista Records | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Babyface | |||||||||
| Mary J. Blige singles chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
"Not Gon' Cry" is a 1996 single by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, from the soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale; the song is also featured on Blige's 1997 album, Share My World. The song was written and produced by Babyface and became a major hit for Blige in the US, where it peaked at number one and two on the Billboard's R&B Singles and Hot 100 charts respectively. The single sold 900,000 copies domestically and was certified platinum by the RIAA.[1][2] Blige received her third Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (her first nomination in that category) at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997 for the song. Coincidentally, other songs on that were later released as singles from the soundtrack ("Exhale" by Whitney Houston and "Sittin' Up In My Room" by Brandy) also received nominations in the same category. Blige performed the song at the 39th Grammy Awards telecast.
Background
The lyrics of the song are inspired by a storyline in the movie Waiting to Exhale revolving around one of the films main characters, Bernadine (portrayed by actress Angela Bassett), who gets abandoned by her philandering husband. The music video, which incorporates clips from Waiting to Exhale, was directed by Wayne Maser and Elizabeth Bailey.
The song was later sampled in 2004 by rapper The Game for his own song "Don't Need Your Love" from his album The Documentary. In 2009, R&B singer Monica covered the song at "The BET Honors 2009" as dedication to Blige, who was one of the honorees at the program.
Chart performance
Peak positions
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 39 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 32 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 1996". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 109 (3): 61. January 18, 1997. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ↑ "American certifications – Blige, Mary J. – Not Gon%27 Cry". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1996". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
