Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion.
You Don't Cry Like I Do
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause you don't feel the way I feel about you.
You don't know how much this whole thing hurts me.
Cause you don't cry, cause you don't need me now,
Cause you don't want me now.
You don't want me, cause you don't love me.
That's what kills me.
You don't lie there wishing you could kiss me.
You don't know how much this whole thing hurts me.
Cause you don't cry, cause you don't need me now,
Cause you don't want me now.
You don't cry, cause you don't need me now, you don't want me.
You don't want me, you don't love me.
That's what kills me.
How long will my heart wait?
Each night I pray to be with you.
How will long will this heart ache?
Until the day you love me too.
Well you don't cry, cause you don't need me now,
Cause you don't want me now.
You don't want me, cause you don't love me.
That's what kills me.
You don't lie awake at night like I do.
Cause you don't feel the way I feel about you.
The song "You Don't Cry Like I Do" by Chris Isaak talks about a heartbreak and one person's inability to move on from the relationship. The lyrics suggest that the other person has already moved on and is not affected by the breakup. The singer of the song is tormented by the fact that his ex-lover is not longing for him like he is. He wishes for a reconciliation, but he knows that it depends entirely on the other person.
The lyrics reflect the sadness and loneliness that come with heartbreak. The singer is consumed by his emotions and is unable to move on. The repetition of the phrase "cause you don't" reinforces the sense of hopelessness and despair. Despite his pain, the singer harbors a glimmer of hope that his love will be returned, hoping that someday his ex-lover will need and want him as much as he needs and wants her.
The lines that say, "How long will my heart wait? Each night I pray to be with you. How will long will this heart ache? Until the day you love me too" are particularly poignant. It shows that the singer is desperate for the love of his ex-lover, and he's willing to wait as long as it takes.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't lie awake at night like I do.
You don't stay up at night like I do, tormented by thoughts of you.
Cause you don't feel the way I feel about you.
You don't have the same emotions towards me as I do towards you.
You don't know how much this whole thing hurts me.
You're oblivious to the pain I'm experiencing because of this.
Cause you don't cry, cause you don't need me now,
You're not shedding any tears because you don't require my affection at the moment.
Cause you don't want me now.
You have made it clear that you don't desire to be with me presently.
You don't want me, cause you don't love me.
The reason why you don't want me is because you don't love me.
That's what kills me.
This fact is what is causing me despair and emotional agony.
You don't lie there wishing you could kiss me.
You don't dream about locking lips with me every night like I do.
I bet you don't even miss me.
I am certain that you don't long for me or have any feelings of absence about our time apart.
You don't cry, cause you don't need me now, you don't want me.
The lack of tears is because you do not require or desire me at this moment.
You don't want me, you don't love me.
The reason for not wanting to be with me is because you don't have romantic feelings towards me.
That's what kills me.
This truth is what is causing me extreme emotional pain and suffering.
How long will my heart wait?
I am questioning how much longer I can wait for you to reciprocate my feelings.
Each night I pray to be with you.
Every night I plead with a higher power to allow us to be together.
How will long will this heart ache?
I am wondering when my heart will stop hurting from unrequited love.
Until the day you love me too.
The pain in my heart will continue until the day you love me as well.
Well you don't cry, cause you don't need me now,
The reason for not shedding any tears is because you don't require my love or presence in your life currently.
You don't want me now.
It is clear that you don't have any desire to be with me at the present time.
You don't want me, cause you don't love me.
The root cause of not wanting to be with me is the fact that you don't love me.
That's what kills me.
The pain of unrequited love is what is causing me immense emotional distress and frustration.
You don't lie awake at night like I do.
Sleepless nights are not a result of your thoughts and feelings towards me like they are for me.
Cause you don't feel the way I feel about you.
You don't have the same level of attraction and attachment towards me as I do for you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS ISAAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind