Written by Carey and producer Narada Michael Walden, Columbia Records released it as the album's fourth single in March 1991.

Larry Jordan directed the accompanying music video, which shows Carey and a male model brooding over their tainted relationship.

Carey's former husband and head of Columbia at the time of the song's production, Tommy Mottola, considers her lack of creative control during the process a factor in the demise of their relationship.

[1] Tommy Mottola, president of CBS Records Group, obtained Carey's demo tape at the gala and was immediately impressed by her voice.

[3] Mottola persuaded Arista promoter Don Ienner—who had been part of the marketing strategy that made Houston a household name—to join Columbia.

[2][a] This aligned with their view of Carey as "a franchise" with marketability to multiple demographics[4] as Walden's work appealed to both pop and R&B audiences.

[2] After meeting each other, the pair held a writing session at the city's Hit Factory studio where Walden heard Carey's voice for the first time.

[7] They composed the melody and wrote the chorus to "I Don't Wanna Cry", after which Carey completed the remaining lyrics.

[17] The lyrics are simple and concern the demise of a romance: "Though I've given you my heart and soul / I must find a way of letting go / 'Cause baby, I don't wanna cry.

[19] Scholar Dorothy Marcic views them as an example of the progression of women's societal role as they showcase a sense of inner strength rather than victimhood like songs from previous decades.

[20] With an introduction, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus, bridge, and outro, "I Don't Wanna Cry" features a prototypical song structure.

[30][31] Walter Afanasieff worked with the keys and synth bass electronically; Ren Klyce used the Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer for rhythm programming.

[d] Aside from Carey's work, it received comparisons to other ballads about relationships such as George Michael's "Careless Whisper" and Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game".

[48][49] Commentators considered "I Don't Wanna Cry" conventional[e] and thought that Carey's vocal performance elevates the song's orthodoxy.

[16] Rob Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone thought that Carey's "downcast whispers animated the song's luxurious sorrow" and Vibe's Julianne Shepherd said "she strikes a perfect balance between vocal ability and emotional rawness.

"[58] Reviewing retrospectively, Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly graded "I Don't Wanna Cry" a B+[59] and Stereogum's Tom Breihan scored it a 5 out of 10.

[11] In the United States, "I Don't Wanna Cry" debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart dated April 6, 1991, as Carey's "Someday" departed the top 10.

[60] The song's jump to number one was the biggest since Meco's "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" did the same in 1977,[61] a feat British publication Music Week deemed "unprecedented".

[66][67][68] It received citations from performance rights organizations ASCAP and BMI for being one of the most-played songs on American radio and television stations in 1991.

[69][70] The Recording Industry Association of America certified it Gold in 2022, which denotes 500,000 units based on digital downloads and on-demand streams.

[78] Larry Jordan directed the official video for "I Don't Wanna Cry", which Columbia released in April 1991.

[80] The sepia-toned video features Carey and a male model in a dark Midwestern United States home surrounded by candles and empty picture frames.