"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is a song recorded by Julie Covington for the 1976 concept album Evita, later included in the 1978 musical of the same name. The song was written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice while they were researching the life of Argentine first lady Eva Perón. It appears at the opening of the first and second acts, as well as near the end of the show, initially as the spirit of the dead Eva exhorting the people of Argentina not to mourn her, during Eva's speech from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, and during her final broadcast.
The Evita album took three to four months to record, for Rice was not satisfied with the intensity of the initial recordings. The song had a number of different titles before "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was chosen as the final one. The song shares its melody with "Oh What a Circus" from the same show and lyrically consists of platitudes where Eva tries to win the favour of the people of Argentina. It was released in the United Kingdom on 12 November 1976 as the first single from the album, accompanied by national and trade advertising, full-colour posters, display sleeves as well as radio interviews.
The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and earned a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), with over a million copies sold. It also reached the top of the charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand and the Netherlands. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was critically appreciated, with Rice and Lloyd Webber winning the 1977 Ivor Novello award in the category of Best Song Musically and Lyrically. When Evita moved to a London theatre, Covington – who had become disenchanted with the whole project – refused to reprise the part of Eva, and the role went to Elaine Paige. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" has been covered by multiple artists, including David Essex, The Carpenters, Olivia Newton-John, and Sinéad O'Connor as well as actors Lea Michele and Chris Colfer from the TV series Glee.
In 1996, American singer Madonna played the title role in the film adaptation of the musical and recorded her rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Released as the second single from the film soundtrack on 16 December 1996, her version received positive reviews from music critics who praised her vocal performance. A separate version called the "Miami Mix", which included re-recorded vocals in English and Spanish and an Argentinian bandoneon, was promoted to radio. Madonna's version reached number one on the European Hot 100 Singles chart and the national charts of the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, and Spain. It also became a top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and many other charts worldwide, while attaining gold or platinum in six countries.
Background and development
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice while they were developing Evita in 1976. Both were extremely intrigued by the stories surrounding the life of Eva Perón while researching her during the mid-1970s. Evita was initially produced as an album, before being adapted for the stage, following a formula that Lloyd Webber and Rice had employed during the production of Jesus Christ Superstar, their previous musical. The duo had written the songs for a female singer with good vocals.
Rice and Lloyd Webber's research showed that Eva had not in reality delivered any major oration on the day of her husband Juan Perón's inauguration ceremony, but not long after becoming Argentina's new First Lady, she started making highly emotional speeches, the intensity of which they wanted to capture with "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". The song was composed to appear at the opening and near the end of the show, initially as the spirit of the dead Eva exhorting the people of Argentina not to mourn her, and finally during Eva's speech from the balcony of Casa Rosada. Its melody is similar to the opening song of the musical, "Oh What a Circus", which puts emphasis on Eva's funeral. As "Oh What a Circus" ended with the character Che's sarcastic questioning of the mourning behind Eva's death, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" started with only few lines being sung, while the rest of the song was reserved for the finale.
After the song was composed, Lloyd Webber and Rice were struggling to find a suitable musical actress for the songs and the title role; the only one they knew, Yvonne Elliman, had moved to the United States. One day they were watching the British musical television show Rock Follies, in which they noticed actress and singer Julie Covington, who was playing an aspiring rock musician. Covington had played in London musicals like Godspell, and her acting abilities in Rock Follies convinced Rice and Lloyd Webber to sign her for Evita.
Covington was extremely intrigued by their proposal, considering Eva Perón to be a non-commercial idea for a musical. Nevertheless, she thought that the songs were great compositions and signed on for recording them. Lloyd Webber and Rice immediately started recording, and the first demos were those of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You" and "Buenos Aires", with just piano as an accompaniment. They moved on to sign a deal with MCA Records, to release an album based on the songs – though with extremely poor royalty rates, for the record company executives did not expect the album to be a success. In the meantime, singers for all the other roles of the musical were also signed, and the cast moved to Olympic Studios in 1975 to start recording.
Recording and composition Personnel working on the Evita album included recording engineer David Hamilton-Smith, Simon Philips on drums, Mo Foster on bass, Joe Moretti and Ray Russell on guitars and Anne Odell on keyboards. David Snell played the harp and Anthony Bowles conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, while another choir called the London Boy Singles was directed by Alan Doggett. Members of The Grease Band, including bassist Alan Spenner and rhythm guitarist Neil Hubbard, also played on the album. It took a total of 3–4 months to finish the recording.
The intensity which Rice looked for in the track was not immediately achieved during recording, because it is a sentimental ballad and because of its lyrics. As the delivery date of the recording approached, they got more tense since most of the album was put together. Only this song was left as they could not decide on the final title, and Rice tried out names which did not make sense within the political and dramatic atmosphere of the story. They had initially tried out various lyrics as the main hook and title of the song including "It's Only Your Lover Returning" and "All Through My Crazy and Wild Days" amid fears that mentioning Argentina would reduce the commercial appeal. Rice recalled: "What a crass decision! It was probably the only time (honest) that I had made the mistake of caring more about a lyric's potential outside the show than its importance within it, and as a result both song and show suffered." Covington had already recorded the phrase "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" for using it in the beginning of the show. Shortly before the album was finally mixed, Lloyd Webber suggested to Rice that the line also worked as the title of Eva's speech. As soon as Covington recorded with the new name, the song fitted "perfectly" into the mood of the sequence and was included in the album.
The title of the song comes from an epitaph on a plaque at Eva Perón's grave in the La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The plaque was presented by the city's taxi drivers' union and roughly translates as: "Don't cry for me Argentina, I remain quite near to you." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "For years I have wondered, during 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina,' why we were not to cry. Now I understand: We need not cry because (a) Evita got everything out of life she dreamed of, and (b) Argentina should cry for itself. Even poor Juan Peron should shed a tear or two; he is relegated...to the status of a 'walker,' a presentable man who adorns the arm of a rich and powerful woman as a human fashion accessory." The song's lyrics are a "string of meaningless platitudes" according to Rice, who felt that it worked as an emotionally intense but empty speech by a "megalomaniac woman" trying to win the favor of the Argentines. It features the lyrics "And as for fortune, and as for fame / I never invited them in / Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired / They are illusions".
Lloyd Webber's orchestral accompaniment added a different level to the track, with its composition consisting of pizzicato strings, and its flowing tempo introducing Covington's opening vocals. The song jumps from being light to heavy and extravagant, with one section of it being hummed by choral voices. As the final lyrics – "But all you have to do is look at me to know / That every word is true" – are sung, the London Philharmonic Orchestra comes into play with a huge climax and the song ends. According to the sheet music published by Music Sales Group, the song starts with a sequence of G/D–A7/D–D–Bm/D, changes to E–E/D–A/C–E7–A–D, with the chorus featuring a chord progression of A–Bm–Dmaj7–Gmaj7–G–Fm7. The song is composed in the key of D♭ major with Covington's vocals spanning from the nodes of G3 to C5. According to John Snelson the song is not only based on J.S. Bach's Prelude in C Major but also on Gounod's Ave Maria adaptation.
Release and reception
Following the completion of the recording of the album, the Evita team switched on to full promotion of the release, with photographer Tony Snowdon shooting the promotional pictures. The single version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was released in the United Kingdom on 12 November 1976, accompanied by national and trade advertising, full-colour posters, display sleeves as well as radio interviews. Another song from the musical, "Rainbow High", was listed as its B-side. MCA marketing manager Stuart Watson explained to Billboard that their chief goal was to "get an explanation of the story of Eva Perón over to the public".
The song received critical appreciation, with The Sunday Times calling it a "masterpiece". However, Rice and Lloyd Webber felt that they needed more promotion to reach the general audience who would buy the record. They had initially decided for a number of television show appearances and performances, but Covington was uninterested in the project altogether and refused to promote it further. Her reasons included wanting to perform the song with the same studio orchestra and accompaniments, and she was also against a single release from the album.
The song was never performed live on the British music show Top of the Pops, since Covington refused and whenever it was featured on the show, a montage of images of the real Eva was shown in the backdrops. However, during the week it was number one, she appeared in the audience. Rice and Lloyd Webber then targeted BBC Radio 1. The BBC had a fairly tight selection of songs they aired on their channels, and Radio 1 refused to add "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" to their playlists. Rice and Lloyd Webber panicked and were almost on the verge of releasing another track from Evita called "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", recorded by Barbara Dickson, as the second single. But Radio 1 finally relented and started playing the song due to positive response from audiences.