Cry Me a River

This article is about the original "Cry Me a River" song. For other uses, see Cry Me a River (disambiguation).

"Cry Me A River"
Written by	Arthur Hamilton
Published	1953
Recorded by	Julie London Ella Fitzgerald see article for full list

"Cry Me a River" is a popular American torch song, written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953.

A jazzy blues ballad, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film, Pete Kelly's Blues (released 1955) but the song was dropped. Fitzgerald first released a recording of the song on Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! in 1961.

The song's first release and most famous recording was by actress/singer Julie London in 1955. A sultry performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It helped to make it a million-selling blockbuster (#9 US/#22 UK).

In 1970, British blues rocker Joe Cocker made the chart with an upbeat hard-rock rendition on the album, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. In 1995, British actress Denise Welch's double A-side "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" / "Cry Me a River" spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, reaching #23. In 2009, Canadian singer Michael Bublé entered the charts with a big-band jazz version, which is also the opening track of his fourth album "Crazy Love". This adaption of the song was used in the BBC's advertising for, and theme music for coverage of, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Versions in other languages

• French - "Pleurer Des Rivières", translated by Boris Bergman, recorded by Viktor Lazlo in 1985 and Eddy Mitchell in 2009
• French - "Noir Est Ta Couleur", adaptation by Christophe, recorded by Christophe in 1983
• Spanish - "Tu No Me Llores" recorded by Mari Wilson
• Finnish - "Joet tulvimaan itke" was recorded by the Harmony Sisters in 1956 and by Carola in 1986 with lyrics by Saukki.

Other recordings

• Dinah Washington recorded the song on her album "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!" (1959).
• American rock band Aerosmith covered Cry Me a River on their 1982 studio album, Rock in a Hard Place.
• The song is featured on the soundtracks of the films Passion of Mind (2000), Repo Men (2010), and V for Vendetta (2006).
• Another cover version of the song by Mari Wilson was featured as theme music for the British television series, McCallum (1995–96). She had previously recorded it in 1983 and scored a UK #27 hit with it.
• Cher performed this song live on her "The Cher Show" in 1975.
• Giorgio Moroder used the 6 notes corresponding to "Now you say you love me" to create part of the soundtrack of "Midnight Express" in 1978.
• Susan Boyle recorded this on her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, in 2009. The Scottish singer originally recorded the song in 1999 on a charity single. After Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent, generated global interest in her, her performance of this song was uploaded onto YouTube and quickly became an internet sensation.^[1]
• Sampled in the song "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" on the Tough Guys Don't Dance album by High Contrast.
• Sampled in the song "Cry Me a River" by Israeli dubstep producer Borgore, on which his sister performs vocals, featured on his EP "Borgore Ruined Dubstep Part 1" Released in 2010.

Selective list of recorded versions

Bruce Abbott Cliff Adams George Adams Aerosmith Rick Astley Brian Auger Patti Austin Sil Austin Joan Baez Long John Baldry Michael Ball Shirley Bassey Jeff Beck George Benson Cheryl Bentyne Marie Bergman Gene Bertoncini Heather Bishop Björk Borgore Susan Boyle Bonnie Bramlett Elkie Brooks Sylvia Brooks – Dangerous Liaisons (2009) Ray Bryant Michael Bublé Betty Buckley Jim Campilongo Kate Ceberano & Wendy Matthews Ray Charles Chick Pea Christophe – "Noir est ta couleur" (French version) Gabriella Cilmi Joe Cocker Natalie Cole Combustible Edison Harry Connick Jr. Chris Connor Sam Cooke Jill Corey

Sonny Criss Ann Crumb Vic Damone Bobby Darin Skeeter Davis Lisa Ekdahl Jonny Fair George Faith Ella Fitzgerald Fourplay Quartet Crystal Gayle Benny Golson Dexter Gordon Lesley Gore Davy Graham Owen Gray John Greaves Merle Haggard Harmony Sisters (Finnish version) Gene Harris Jackie Henderson Missy Higgins High Contrast Marc Hunter Illumination Jacintha Jai – Heaven (1997) Doug James Etta James Harry James & His New Jazz Band Jarboe J. J. Johnson Norah Jones Duke Jordan Mark Keller & Friends Peggy King The Kingbees Marie Knight Ithamara Koorax Kasia Kowalska

Diana Krall Karin Krog Gene Krupa Joachim Kuhn Viktor Lazlo – "Pleurer des rivieres" (French version) Rita Lee Julie London Claudine Longet Maná (Spanish version) Tania Maria John Martyn Brad Mehldau Mina Eddy Mitchell – "Pleurer des rivieres" (French version) Marisa Monte & Raphael Rabello Hugo Montenegro Alison Moyet Anne Murray Olivia Newton John Judith Owen Elaine Paige Frank Pourcel Sue Raney Realtime (quartet) Linda Ronstadt Marion Ryan Bobby Rydell Diane Schuur Dinah Shore Nina Simone Frank Sinatra, Jr. Dakota Staton Debra Stephenson Barbra Streisand – The Barbra Streisand Album (1963) The Swans Richard Thompson Caetano Veloso Dinah Washington Denise Welch

As soundtrack on films

Cry me a river has appeared on:

• The Girl Can't Help It (1956)

• V for Vendetta (2005)

References

1. ^ Cry Me A River Songfacts

External links

• "Cry Me a River" at jazzstandards.com
• "Cry Me a River" at Allmusic.com^{[dead link]}
• Susan Boyle Sings "Cry Me A River" in The Susan Boyle Story