"The Dolphin's Cry" is a song by American alternative rock band Live, released on August 24, 1999, as the lead single from their fourth studio album, The Distance to Here. The song was co-produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, and features Adam Duritz of Counting Crows on backing vocals. It reached number one on the Canadian RPM Top 30 Rock Report and number two on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Internationally, "The Dolphin's Cry" peaked at number one in Iceland, number seven in Flanders, and number 10 in the Netherlands while reaching the top 50 on the Australian and New Zealand music charts.

In the United States "The Dolphin's Cry" reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[1][2][3] In Canada, the song topped the RPM Top 30 Rock Report.^[4] The single also reached number one in Iceland, number seven the Flanders region of Belgium, number 10 in the Netherlands, number 25 in Australia, number 48 in New Zealand, and number 62 in the United Kingdom.^[5][6][7] In the latter country, it topped the UK Rock Chart.^[8] In Australia, the single earned a Gold certification for shipments in excess of 35,000.^[9]

The music video, directed by Martin Weisz,^[10] features the band playing in an alley as successively larger waves of water flow towards them. The other people in the alley grow more panicked as the waves get larger. Towards the end of the song, the largest wave sweeps through the alley and knocks the band down, but they get back up and resume playing.

Credits are lifted from the US promo CD liner notes and The Distance to Here album booklet.^[16][17]

Studios

• Recorded at The Site (San Rafael, California), Village Recorder (West Los Angeles), A&M Studios (Hollywood, California), and The Plant (Sausalito, California)
• Mixed at South Beach Studios (Miami Beach, Florida) and Encore Studios (Burbank, California)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Live

• Ed Kowalczyk – lyrics, music, lead vocals, guitar
• Chad Taylor – lead guitar
• Patrick Dahlheimer – bass
• Chad Gracey – drums
• Live – production

Other personnel

This song was featured in The Sopranos episode University when Caitlin Rucker interrupts Meadow Soprano and Noah Tannenbaum kissing and was also used in the film Urban Legends: Final Cut.^[31][32]