Not Even This Top 10 Hit Could Stop Asia’s Downslide

Hit singles can paper over a lot of problems. Then again, sometimes they can’t. The British band Asia found this out via their 1983 Top 10 hit single “Don’t Cry”. To radio listeners, the song projected the image of a band at the top of their game.

Behind the scenes, however, Asia was falling apart. The success of “Don’t Cry” aside, their sudden rise to success was about to be matched by a precipitous downfall.

A Hasty Follow-Up

Asia’s creation didn’t seem like a recipe for 80s success. Three prog rock veterans (John Wetton of King Crimson, Steve Howe of Yes, and Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer) joined with someone from the modern synth-rock scene (Geoff Downes of The Buggles). They kept the elaborate sound of prog but shaved down the extended instrumental noodling, focusing on the hooks.

That was the formula that made Asia’s 1982 debut such a sensation. Hit singles “Heat Of The Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell” helped the British quartet deliver the highest-selling album in America in 1982.

The 70s veterans in the band believed that an extended touring schedule to solidify their success was the way to go. But in the instant-gratification 80s, such a luxury was not going to be afforded them. They were hustled back into the studio to record a new album even as the singles from the first record were still making waves at radio.

A Good “Cry”

Alpha, the sophomore album that Asia rushed out in 1983, proved that Murphy’s Law could apply to pop music. Conflicts about songwriting quickly arose. Since they’d written the hits on the first record, Wetton and Downes assumed most of those duties on the second, much to the chagrin of Howe.

That didn’t mean Wetton and Downes were overflowing with hit material. In fact, when the band (and their record company) assessed the situation towards the end of the album-making process, they felt they lacked a strong single. Wetton and Downes quickly dashed off “Don’t Cry”, which served its purpose as a Top 10 hit.

On top of all that, nobody in the band liked the album’s final mix. Howe felt like his guitar was backgrounded in favor of copious synths. By the time Asia returned with Astra in 1985, Howe was out of the band (after Wetton himself had briefly left). And the momentum of the debut album was long gone.

Behind the Lyrics of “Don’t Cry”

“Don’t Cry”, as the title suggests, is a simple song of encouragement to a sorrowful soul. “Hard times you had before you,” Wetton sings at the beginning. “I knew when I first saw you/You girl you’ve always been mistreated, cheated.”

Later, the narrator promises to be her guiding light through the storm: “I’ll hear you when you’re calling/I’ll catch you when you’re falling.” In the chorus, he pleads with her to spare her tears. “Do what you want, but little darling, please don’t cry.”

The original quartet that founded Asia didn’t reunite for an album together until 2008. In other words, it took a quarter-century for them to get over the rough patch they endured making Alpha, the solid pop success of “Don’t Cry” notwithstanding.

(Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)