To see an angel cry is to feel the pain of a love that’s slipped away, and the regret of not appreciating what you had until it’s gone.
For those of us who came of age in the late 1960s, a song could be more than just a melody—it could be a mirror reflecting our deepest sorrows and a companion through the bittersweet trials of love. Few artists understood this better than Conway Twitty. A master of emotional delivery, his voice had a way of cutting straight to the heart, a quality perfectly encapsulated in his 1969 hit, “To See My Angel Cry”.
Released in August of that year as the title track and lead single from his album of the same name, the song was an instant classic. It ascended the charts, reaching the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, a testament to its powerful message and its resonating appeal with audiences. It also peaked at No. 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song was a collaborative effort, co-written by Twitty himself, alongside L.E. White and Carlton Haney. This trio crafted a narrative that felt so personal, so universal, that it’s easy to believe it was a true story pulled from the pages of someone’s life.
The song’s narrative is a melancholic tale of regret and heartbreak. The protagonist watches from a distance as the woman he once loved, who he refers to as his “angel,” is now begging another man not to leave her. The twist of the knife is the devastating realization that he was once the one she was begging to stay. “Once she built her world around me,” he sings, a line that echoes with the weight of years. He confesses that like a fool, he tore that world down. The poignancy lies in his helpless observation of her pain, knowing that it’s a pain he himself once caused. The lyrics, “She don’t know how much it hurts me to see my angel cry,” carry the full burden of his sorrow. The song is a stark reminder of the age-old lesson: we often don’t know what we have until it’s gone. It’s a song for anyone who has ever looked back and wished they could turn back time.
The recording itself, laid down at Bradley’s Barn studio in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, on June 24, 1969, is a masterclass in country music production. The instrumentation, with Harold Bradley on electric 6-string bass, Grady Martin on electric guitar, and John Hughey on steel guitar, creates a rich, textured backdrop for Twitty’s emotional vocals. The simple, yet powerful arrangement ensures that the focus remains on the raw, unadulterated emotion of the story being told. Listening to it now, it’s impossible not to be transported back to that time, to remember the first time you heard that ache in Twitty’s voice, and perhaps, to reflect on your own moments of love lost and lessons learned. It’s more than just a song; it’s a memory, a feeling, and a timeless piece of country music history that continues to resonate with generations of listeners.
Oldies Music 
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Oldies Songs