BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987
“Cry Little Sister” is a song written by Gerard McMahon (under the pseudonym Gerard McMann) and Michael Mainieri, and performed by McMahon for the soundtrack to the 1987 film The Lost Boys, which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. The original song failed to chart, although it charted in Australia and the United Kingdom in 2003 when the track was remixed.
The song was predominantly composed by McMahon, who said that its refrain was “brewing in my head with the choir as a chorus backing me. That all seemed to come within half an hour. [Producer] Mike Mainieri had this hypnotic beat, we refined it together and my melody and chords melted right into it. Then I wrote the lyrics within an hour or two [and] recorded the demo”. Despite appearing on the soundtrack to The Lost Boys, the song’s lyrics do not specifically reference vampires, as it was composed before McMahon had seen any footage from the film. After hearing the track, director Joel Schumacher commented: “You nailed my theme song to The Lost Boys! I can’t believe you wrote this without seeing a frame of film!”. McMahon additionally explained: “I always say that if I’d have seen the film first, I would probably not have written ‘Cry Little Sister’. I didn’t want the song to be specific to the vampire. I wanted it to be about the longing for family from a rejected youth’s perspective, which I went through myself and that many of us have felt.”
SIDE A:
Cry Little Sister (Theme From The Lost Boys) 4:44
Written-By – Gerard McMann, Michael Mainieri*
Performed By – Gerard McMann
SIDE B:
I Still Believe 4:50
Written-By – James Goodwin*, Michael Been
Performed By – Tim Cappello
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Atlantic – A9130, Atlantic – 789 130-7
Format: Vinyl, 7″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 1987
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
CREDITS:
Executive-Producer – Gary Lemel, Richard Steinberg
Producer – Joel Schumacher
NOTES:
From the Atlantic LP “The Lost Boys Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”
Made in U.K.
Find the 7″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Mullard 12AX7 Preamp Vacuum Tube Pins
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
Was watching previews for the new DC series Titans and they used Marylin Manson’s version he did for Marvel’s New Mutants movie soundtrack. Then this is in my mailbox. So awesome. P.S. I was an extra in The Lost Boys, thanks for the memories.
Just Thank You to you Paul for this great 7″.
Kind regards from France.
I actually watched them film part of this movie… so this movie and soundtrack will always have a special place in my heart. As for the music here, Shirtless Tim Cappello really stole the show from local “Santa Carla” band The Call, who originally performed, I Still Believe. I hope you have more Hallowen grooves. Thanks Paul.
Thanks Paul. The soundtrack of “The lost boys” is really awesome. Mummy Call’s Beauty has her way is my favourite. I discovered it a year ago when you posted their 12″. Now it belongs to my very favourite songs ever. I owe it to you Paul. I saw on discogs that a CD of their unique album was released last year in the Philippines. It probably comes from Russia. Do you have it? If yes do you recommend the purchase? I’m very interested.
Hi, Daniel, I do have the CD pretty sure it’s from vinyl but it’s probably the best we will ever get. It’s a bit pricey though. 🙂
I remember this song well from the soundtrack. Great movie but I haven’t seen it since it was released on VHS…I wonder how the movie is these days (as compared to Road House when I thought that was a great movie when released to VHS and then I saw it again in 2015 and was embarrassed at how cheesy and over the top it was. 🙂 ).
Thanks, Paul!
-Fred
I think The Lost Boys holds up pretty well it is canpy but that’s what makes 80s horror films so great. I am a horror movie collector so I am a bit bias 🙂
You keep freaking me out Paul, and ALWAYS IN A GOOD WAY!!! I just added this to a Halloween CD compilation I’ve been working on for some time. Now this is spooky!!! You and your music has added phenomenally to the music mixes I make because you are so eclectic and amazing. Halloween is my favorite holiday and what makes it so special is all the music that can be associated with it. Thanks for adding this to your “Paul-Ography” on Burning The Ground!! I love the cover of this single of which I’ve never seen. Thanks for making my… Read more »
So you say you love Halloween, eh? Then check out my favorite Thriller mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s276cLKh0w
It’s available on a few different cds if you dig around on discogs.
-Fred
We can always count on you Fred for your excellent and on-point insight into dance music classics. Like Paul, you’re quite amazing and I thrill whenever you add your input on his postings. This is a fantastic mix, it has drive and all and the samples are way-cool. Thanks for pointing this out to us. Hey, did you ever check out Paul’s posting of Yvonne Gage’s “Doin’ It In A Haunted House”? It’s like a female “Thriller” in a way. Somebody like you could probably make a great mash-up between Michael Jackson’s version and her take. I had wanted my… Read more »
Hi Jeff! Thanks for the kudos. I’m not sure if you or others here “follow” the threads using the email alerts. I have heard that song before and never thought of making a mashup of it. I think it would kind of ruin the feel of each song. Her song is more happy while Michael’s is more dark. I used to make mashups all. the. time. But I would do it live back in the mid 80s. A few I recorded to cassette but I’m sure are lost. I did Whoomp There It Is with Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time… Read more »
Awesome Fred. I can imagine what a great DJ you really are as you obviously have a great ear and feel for music. Amazing stuff doing the mash-ups live on the wheels-of-steel. My mixes were train wrecks and I’ve always been jealous of those who have the dexterity and coordination to do things live and in the present. You Fred….ROCK!! I get it about the Yvonne Gage and Michael record, but I do love that light and dark contrast. Thanks for your reply though. I have heard of MGMT but I’m not sure of their track “Time To Pretend.” I’ll… Read more »
Time To Pretend was a mild hit in 2008…I’m not sure why it wasn’t more popular. Let’s do this…listen to it a few times (I’m sure you will like it). In the meantime, I will upload my remix again in a few hours and post the link here. The main items I did in the remix were: -faster tempo -different intro -extra beats added as the main beat -re-arranged the vocal’s to make them appear to be singing differently. For example, in the opening of my mix I rearranged the vocals to make them say “let’s f*** with the stars”… Read more »
It’s always fun when October arrives Jeff because I know it’s one of your favorite times of the year. The Lost Boys is one of my favorite horror films and the soundtrack is just ultra cool. 🙂
I loved this single Paul. Thanks.
You’re welcome Omar 🙂