Career:
Jon Batiste was born in Kenner, Louisiana, into a long line of musicians, including Lionel Batiste and Harold Battiste. At the age of 8, he played percussion and drums with his family's band, the Batiste Brothers Band. At his mother's suggestion, he switched to piano at the age of 11. Jon developed his piano skills by taking classical music lessons and transcribing songs from video games such as Street Fighter Alpha, Final Fantasy VII and Sonic the Hedgehog.
At 17, Batiste released Times in New Orleans. He attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts with Trombone Shorty and graduated in 2004 before going on to receive a bachelor's and master's degree from the Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, he released his second album Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art, and by the end of 2006, had been a featured performer in South Africa, London, Lisbon, Spain, Paris and the United States.
In 2007, Batiste made his debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam at the age of 20, both producing and performing his own show. He conducted music clinics, classes and workshops throughout Netherlands in inner city schools and underprivileged neighborhoods. He was invited back to Carnegie Hall to produce and perform in his own show including six young musicians from the Netherlands. The performance concluded with a finale he composed for choir, jazz combo and orchestral instruments. In the year following, Batiste released a number of music projects including Social Music (2013) which spent over a month at the top of the Billboard and iTunes jazz charts, "The Late Show EP" (2016) with Stay Human and a holiday album "Christmas with Jon Batiste" (2016). In 2017, he released the singles "Ohio" with Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr. as well as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for The Atlantic. Batise's debut solo album Hollywood Africans was released under Verve Records in September 2018. "Don't Stop" served as the lead single. Leading up to the album release, Batiste completed a Summer Festival tour across the U.S. with The Dap-Kings.
Batiste's notable career performances include a tribute to Chuck Berry and Fats Domino during the 60th annual Grammy Awards (performing alongside Gary Clark Jr.), the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Carmen De Lavallade, the Concert for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama as well as the National Anthem at the 2017 NBA All Star Game and Opening Night of the 2017 US Open. He has curated the Global Citizen Advocacy Concert with Tom Morello and the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival in Queens, N.Y. Batiste is currently signed with Mick Management.
Stay Human.
In 2005, Batiste began performing regularly around the New York music scene with his Juilliard peers, bassist Phil Kuehn and drummer Joe Saylor. He later added Eddie Barbash on alto saxophone and Ibanda Ruhumbika on tuba. Batiste named the band Stay Human, which draws its moniker from the belief that human interaction during a live musical performance can uplift humanity in the midst of the "plug in/tune out" nature of modern society. The band leads impromptu street performances, which Batiste calls "love riots."
In 2011, Stay Human released the album MY N.Y., which was recorded in its entirety on New York City Subway trains, an idea that came to Batiste after questioning how to connect with people.
On April 22, 2017, the band played for the March for Science rally at the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
Television and film:
In 2014, Batiste and Stay Human appeared on The Colbert Report to perform the group's single, "Express Yourself", written and produced with Austin Bis. On June 4, 2015, it was announced that the group would serve as house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The show premiered on CBS on September 8, 2015. On the show, Batiste and Stay Human have performed alongside Billy Joel, Will Smith, Wynton Marsalis, John Legend, Grace Vanderwaal, and Nas.
Batiste was cast in the HBO television series Treme, appearing in seasons 2, 3 and 4. He was also cast as T.K. Hazelton in director Spike Lee's film Red Hook Summer and composed and performed the Hammond B-3 organ music that was a part of the film score. Other film scores composed by Batiste include the television documentary Duke 91 & 92: Back to Back and the short film Melody of Choice. He also appears in the film Thrive by Paul Szynol.
Miscellaneous.
Batiste was included in the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 music list and was named Grand Marshal of Endymion Parade in New Orleans in 2018. He has been awarded the American Jazz Museum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Harry Chapin ASCAP Humanitarian Award and the Movado Future Legend Award. In May 2017, Batiste received an honorary degree from Salve Regina University for his musical achievements and contributions to Newport's 2014 International Jazz Day.
Batiste has been featured in campaigns for Chase Bank, Apple Watch, Lincoln Continental, and numerous fashion brands including Ralph Lauren, Barneys, Nordstrom, Frye Boots and Bonobos.
In April 2022, his album 'We Are' won Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, making Batiste the first Black artist to win the award since Herbie Hancock in 2008.
Discography
Times in New Orleans (2005)
Live in New York: At the Rubin Museum of Art (2006)
In the Night (2008)
The Amazing Jon Batiste! (2009)
MY N.Y. EP (2011) with Stay Human
Social Music (2013) with Stay Human
The Process (2014) with Chad Smith and Bill Laswell
The Late Show EP (2016) with Stay Human
Christmas with Jon Batiste (2016)
Music of Johny Lewis (2017) with Wynton Marsalis
Hollywood Africans (2018)
CRY
Jon Batiste Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who you gonna love?
Who do you love when push comes to shove?
How does it feel?
How's it gonna feel?
How does it feel when it's getting too real?
Why sometimes does it seem like all I wanna do
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
What can you say?
What you gonna say
To make it okay?
And who's gonna pay?
Who will you fight?
How you gonna fight?
Who will you fight to make it alright?
Why sometimes does it feel like all I wanna do
All I wanna do is cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Floods keep on rising
Tears keep on falling down
Oh, why?
Cry
Cry, cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
For the loss of the innocence
For the struggle of the immigrants
For the struggle of the immigrants
For the wrongful imprisonment (cry, cry, waoh)
Cry, cry
Cry, cry
Cry, cry, cry
The lyrics of "Cry" by Jon Batiste express a feeling of helplessness and frustration in the face of injustice and adversity. The song starts with the question, "Who do you love?" and goes on to ask how it feels when things are getting too real and tough. The chorus is a repetition of the phrase "all I wanna do is cry," which emphasizes the overwhelming emotions that come with difficult situations.
The second verse adds more questions, asking what can be said to make things okay and who will pay for the damage caused. The following lines shift to a more proactive stance, asking who will fight and how they will fight to make things right. The song emphasizes the importance of taking action in the face of hardship, and the need to stay strong and persistent.
The bridge of the song contains the line "Floods keep on rising, tears keep on falling down, oh, why?" This line conveys the feeling of being overwhelmed by the problems of the world, and the sense that there is little one can do to stop the flood of tears that come with it. The final verse mentions different struggles that people face, such as the loss of innocence, the struggle of immigrants, and wrongful imprisonment. The song ends with a repetition of "cry, cry, cry," suggesting that sometimes the only way to deal with tragedy and pain is by letting out one's emotions and crying.
Overall, "Cry" is a poignant and powerful song that encourages listeners to acknowledge their emotions and fight against injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
Who do you love?
Who is the person or people that you care about?
Who you gonna love?
Who will you choose to love in the future?
Who do you love when push comes to shove?
Who do you love when faced with a difficult situation?
How does it feel?
What is the sensation you are experiencing?
How's it gonna feel?
What will it feel like in the future?
How does it feel when it's getting too real?
What is the intense sensation experienced as things become more serious?
Why sometimes does it seem like all I wanna do
What is the reason for feeling like
All I wanna do is cry, cry, cry
All you can do is express emotions through crying
What can you say?
What is there that can be said?
What you gonna say
What will be said in the future?
To make it okay?
To make the situation better?
And who's gonna pay?
Who is responsible for what happened and will be punished?
Who will you fight?
Who are you willing to fight for or against?
How you gonna fight?
What will be the method used to fight?
Who will you fight to make it alright?
Who will you fight to make things right?
Floods keep on rising
The water remains continuously high
Tears keep on falling down
Crying persists
Oh, why?
Asking the reason why this is happening
For the loss of the innocence
The sadness felt for the loss of an innocent person or thing
For the struggle of the immigrants
The sadness felt for the hardships faced by immigrants
For the wrongful imprisonment (cry, cry, waoh)
The sadness felt for someone who has been unfairly put in jail
Cry, cry
To cry repeatedly
Cry, cry, cry, cry
To keep crying for an extended period
Cry, cry, cry
To continue crying
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jonathan Batiste, Steven McEwan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Will Frank
It feels like this song came out in the 70's/80's and everyone has known it since. Instant classic for me.
Kelly Norton
Maybe because it has been around since the 70's
Will Frank
@Kelly Norton dun dun duuuun! Jon Batiste and Steve McEwan are the songwriters.
Kelly Norton
@Will Frank no fooling. I was referring to the style there Sherlock
Annamaria Ducci
I totally agree !
badger 70
@Kelly Norton this beauty has one hell of a hook!!!
Stainless DMC
Is there nothing this man can't do? Jon is a musical genius!
kekebaby
Jon is walking sunshine. Love this!! Timeless tune from an old soul. killing it. Go Jon!!
Oliferous
Such a perfectly delivered, heavy song. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Jon. How he chooses to use his voice makes me believe there’s still good in this world. What a truly beautiful individual, i can’t wait to hear the rest!!!🤘🖤🤘
Michael F
When I heard Jon's NPR tiny desk, my two favorite songs were "Cry" and "I need you." Glad to see both became singles!