On an episode of his radio show broadcast on November 23, 2009, Cooper stated that "I Never Cry" was his biggest selling single; it was one of only two
gold records Cooper earned in the US, the other being for his 1989 comeback hit "
Poison". "I Never Cry" was written about Cooper's experiences with alcoholism, which one year later sent the performer into
rehab. He called the song "an alcoholic confession". As with most of Cooper's softer ballads, it fared poorly in
recurrent rotation; it was too soft for the
classic rock format, while
classic hits stations have largely ignored it. "I Never Cry" was performed live by Cooper, though not consistently, during all tours up to his break in touring due to his addiction to
crack cocaine and eventual relapse into alcoholism following 1981's
Special Forces tour. When Cooper returned to touring after
Constrictor (1986), "I Never Cry" was never again performed until the 2002 'Descent into
Dragontown' tour, following which the song became was a regular part of setlists on the 2005–06 'Dirty Diamonds' and 2009–10 'Theatre of Death' tours. ==Chart performance==