"Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" is a 1961 pop song by the American singer Sue Thompson. The song was written by John D. Loudermilk and appears on Thompson's 1962 Hickory Records album Meet Sue Thompson.
Released as a single in 1961, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" was Thompson's first song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number five in October.[1] The song also reached the top of the Billboard Easy Listening chart, which had been created earlier in 1961, becoming the second song by a female vocalist to top this list.[2] In Australia, the song topped out at number six on the Kent Music Report, while in the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]
Although Thompson was in her thirties when she recorded "Sad Movies", her singing style and young-sounding voice appealed to many of the Baby Boomers whose influence was starting to become apparent on the US music charts.[4] Loudermilk was inspired to write the song after a girlfriend of his went to see the 1960 film Spartacus: "After the movie went off, they turned the bright lights on, and it was just an ambience killer. The person I was with had tears in her eyes and said, 'Sad movies make me cry'."[2]
The Lennon Sisters also recorded a version of "Sad Movies" in 1961 which peaked at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Easy Listening chart.[2] Other artists who have covered the song include:
