The question posed here surprised me and it makes me wonder how I Cried A Tear has been thought of by others over the years. Here's what I know. My dad wrote this song in 1959 when I was four years old. He was told he to share credit (and music royaty payments) with that other guy as a condition of getting the song pubished. What a crock, but that's how the business worked. Truth is that I Cried A Tear is 100% the music and lyrics of Al Julia and came from his big heart. The romantic theme speaks for itself, but the title and hook come from someplace you would not expect. Dad got that from me sitting on his lap one evening after he had come home from a tough day at work. As he told the story many times later, I asked him "what's wrong daddy" and tried to comfort him, and he cried a tear and hugged me. That became the essence of what was to become an R&B classic and Laverne Baker's biggest hit. She had a great talent, and I had a great dad.