Cry Little Sister

Album: The Lost Boys soundtrack (1987)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the theme song to 1987's iconic film The Lost Boys. G. Tom Mac, going professionally by the name Gerard McMann at the time the movie was released, wrote the song after being given a script by Gary LeMel, President of Music at the Warner Bros. film studio. The musician usually looked at a cut of films before writing music for them, but The Lost Boys script immediately connected with him on a personal level. At the time he was living in New York City, a place he described as a "Gotham-like vampire place in very dark times," and connected that influence with the story he read in the screenplay.

    "Cry Little Sister" started coming together in the artist's head within half an hour. Mike Maineri provided a "hypnotic beat" to tie the tune together. McMann wrote the lyrics in a couple hours and recorded the demo. Two days later he received a call from director Joel Schumacher saying he'd "nailed" it.
  • G. Tom Mac wanted to make sure the song resonated with the film, but also didn't want it to be "about" vampires. So, he wrote the song about a rejected youth's longing for family, something he felt nearly everyone can relate to on some level.
  • Eminem sampled the song on his 2010 track "You're Never Over."
  • DJ Lee and G. Tom Mac produced a video for the song and included it on the DVD for Lost Boys: The Tribe.

Comments: 2

  • Kai from MassachusettsI'm 67 and still playing this song...in a strange way it feeds my soul..my sister and I haven't spoke in 10 yrs..I half expect we will again..on the other side
  • Kynthia from IllinoisIn the song cry little sister there is a line "I need you now" does anyone know how many measures that note is bridged through ? I can sing it but have never seen the sheet music. Thank you.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?