"I Don't Wanna Cry" is a song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey for her first album Mariah Carey (1990). Written by Carey and producer Narada Michael Walden, it was released by Columbia Records as the album's fourth single in March1991. A Latin soul–influenced pop ballad, the torch song describes the end of romance. It features drums, guitars, digital synthesizers, and a classic song structure with highly delineated section roles. Modulations occur between these segments that emphasize the singer's emotions. Varying from whispering to belting, Carey's vocal range spans more than two octaves.
Critics viewed "I Don't Wanna Cry" as a standout track from Mariah Carey and complimented the dynamic between Carey's vocals and Walden's production. The song received high airplay across American adult contemporary, urban contemporary, and contemporary hit radio stations. It became Carey's fourth consecutive number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, making her the second act to have their first four entries reach number one. The Recording Industry Association of America certified it Gold. Internationally, "I Don't Wanna Cry" reached the top ten on sales and airplay charts in Canada and the top twenty in New Zealand.
Larry Jordan directed the accompanying music video, which shows Carey and a male model brooding over their tainted relationship. His director's cut version includes scenes that Columbia thought projected a sexualized image of Carey. She performed "I Don't Wanna Cry" during the 1993 Music Box Tour, the 1996 Daydream World Tour, and the 2015 concert residency #1 to Infinity. Carey's former husband and head of Columbia at the time of the song's production, Tommy Mottola, considers her lack of creative control during the process a factor in the demise of their relationship.
Background
Then-backup singer Mariah Carey accompanied Brenda K. Starr to a record industry party in late 1988. Tommy Mottola, president of CBS Records Group, obtained Carey's demo tape at the gala and was immediately impressed by her voice. Mottola persuaded Arista promoter Don Ienner—who had been part of the marketing strategy that made Houston a household name—to join Columbia. as Walden's work appealed to both pop and R&B audiences.
Recording
Mottola phoned Walden personally to request that he write a successful song with Carey in New York. She was apprehensive and feared that her music would become "too schmaltzy" like his work with Houston. After meeting each other, the pair held a writing session at the city's Hit Factory studio where Walden heard Carey's voice for the first time. While working on some uptempo songs, he believed she needed one that was slower and melodramatic. Influenced by recordings such as Chuck Jackson's "I Don't Want to Cry", Walden began singing a concept to Carey.
"I Don't Wanna Cry" was recorded at Tarpan Studios and resonate emotion. According to Billboard, "Walden's grand production suits her acrobatic vocal style". and Stereogums Tom Breihan scored it a 5 out of 10. The song's jump to number one was the biggest since Meco's "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" did the same in 1977, a feat British publication Music Week deemed "unprecedented". "I Don't Wanna Cry" became Carey's fourth consecutive number one on the Hot 100. This made her the second act after the Jackson 5 in 1970 to have their first four singles reach number one and the second female artist after Paula Abdul to have four number-one songs from a debut album. "I Don't Wanna Cry" spent two weeks at number one and nineteen total on the chart. and Walden's final number one as a producer. The Recording Industry Association of America certified it Gold in 2022, which denotes 500,000 units based on digital downloads and on-demand streams.
Outside of the United States, the song performed well in Canada. It reached the top 10 on the sales-based singles chart published by The Record ( 7) and the airplay-based chart produced by RPM ( 2). Elsewhere, "I Don't Wanna Cry" peaked at number 13 on the New Zealand singles chart and number 49 on the Australian singles chart. The clip captures her singing amid red-orange lighting on an empty stage. Larry Jordan directed the official video for "I Don't Wanna Cry", which Columbia released in April1991.