The song received commercial success upon its release, peaking inside the top ten in many countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.

"[2] Chris Payne from Billboard was favorable, saying, "After repeat listens 'I Cry' might sound a good deal like the rest of Wild Ones, but played in a club at the right time, it's got enough building beats and poppy climaxes to deliver.

"[4] However, Melissa Maerz from Entertainment Weekly said, "Most bizarre is 'I Cry', which speeds up Brenda Russell's 1988 smooth-jazz cheesefest 'Piano in the Dark' until it has all the emotional heft of an LMFAO track.

He stated, 'I Cry' is just sheer laziness [...] Flo waxes the usual lyrical nonsense about champagne buckets and his tattoo of Jimi Hendrix."

In Australia, "I Cry" first appeared and peaked on the Australian Singles Chart at number 3 on September 16, 2012, remaining at that position for two weeks in total.

The video includes footage of Flo Rida visiting his home neighborhood in Carol City, Florida to tell his story of his struggle to fame and fortune while crying seeing the town's wealth.