The title song was released as a single and reached #2 in April 1968 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position which it held for two weeks.

Songwriter Dan Penn was once again the group's producer for Cry Like a Baby, and he was writer or co-writer for half of the album's songs, including the title track.

"[2] According to Alex Chilton biographer Holly George-Warren, the studio band for all tracks except "You Keep Me Hangin' On" was the house band at America Sound Studio, sometimes known as "The Memphis Boys", augmented by Spooner Oldham on keyboards and other musicians playing brass, woodwind, and stringed instruments.

[2] The Box Tops themselves accompanied Chilton on "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which uses the psychedelic rock arrangement of the song that was a hit for Vanilla Fudge.

Writing for Allmusic, music critic Steve Kurutz called the title song "a perfect slice of blue-eyed soul" and summarized; "All in all, with the exception of "Cry Like a Baby," an album that could've potentially contained some real gems just doesn't.