Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Cry Me a River"
Single by Justin Timberlake
from the album Justified
Released November 11, 2002
Format CD single, 12" single
Genre Teen pop
Length 4:48
Label Jive
Writer(s) Justin Timberlake, Tim Mosley, Scott Storch
Producer Timbaland, Scott Storch
Justin Timberlake singles chronology
"Like I Love You"
(2002)		 "Cry Me a River"
(2002)		 "Work It"
(2003)
Timbaland singles chronology
"Ching Ching"
(2002)		 "Cry Me a River"
(2002)		 "Lovely"
(2006)
Audio sample
file info · help

"Cry Me a River" is a song by American recording artist Justin Timberlake, taken from this debut studio album, Justified (2002). It was released on December 17, 2002, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After Timberlake ended his relationship with pop singer Britney Spears, he started the production of the album, and ended up co-writing the song with Timbaland and Scott Storch. Following its release, the media heavily speculated that the lyrics of the song were addressed to Spears. "Cry Me a River" attained moderate success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and top ten positions in Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Australia, being certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in the latter.

The song has been covered by several artists such as Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Timberlake also remixed the song live with Drake's "Over" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" in 2010. The accompanying music video was directed by Francis Lawrence. It portrays Timberlake breaking in his ex-girlfriend's house and recording a video tape with another lover. The release of the video generated more speculation about whether the song was about Spears or not, with US Weekly publishing a cover story titled "Britney Vs. Justin: The War Is On". Spears herself replied to the video, noting it as a great publicity stunt from Timberlake.

Contents

[edit] Background and composition

"It was therapeutic, completely. I got some stuff off my chest, I got some ideas down that I wanted to try. So creatively, personally, spiritually, physically, mentally, sexually, it was a very satisfying experience."[1]

— Timberlake talking about the recording process.

Timberlake's relationship of three years with pop singer Britney Spears ended in 2002 after months of speculation.[2] Following their split, Timberlake started the production of his debut studio album, Justified (2000).[1] Among the songs produced for the album, Timberlake co-wrote "Cry Me a River" with producers Timbaland and Scott Storch.[1] "I'm not going to specifically say if any song is about anybody," Timberlake revealed in an interview with MTV. "I will say writing a couple of songs on the record helped me deal with a couple of things. To me songs are songs. They can stem from things that completely happened to you personally or they can stem from ideas that you think could happen to you."[1]

When asked about the song, Storch revealed it was "easy for us to capture a vibe in the studio because there was meaning behind it. [...] Justin sounds great on that song. He has a passion for classic soul music, and he's learned lots of tricks from back in the day that he's applying to modern music. He's sort of a return to blue-eyed soul. I'd compare him to Daryl Hall in terms of so much soul coming from a white guy".[3] The song was released as the second single from the album on November 11, 2002.[1] "Cry Me a River" is a teen pop ballad that lasts for four minutes and forty-eight seconds.[4] The song is composed in the key of B major and is set in time signature of common time with a moderately slow tempo of 76 beats per minute. Timberlake vocal range spans from C#4 to B5.[4] Jon Widerhorn of MTV said the song "isn't just a youthful pop song or a traditional love ballad. It's a confessional lament that resonates with sincerity and soul."[3]

[edit] Reception

Following the release of the song, came allegations that it was about pop singer Britney Spears.

[edit] Critical response

Following its release as a single, media speculated that Spears' had written a song as a reponse to "Cry Me a River";[5] however, the pop singer denied the rumours, saying, "You know, it's funny. I read that I wrote this song and I wrote these lyrics, and that's not my style. I would never do that."[6] Despite denying, a track titled "Everytime", which appeared on Spears' fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003), was written in large part as a response to "Cry Me a River" as well as various radio interviews, revealed the co-writer Annet Artani.[7] When asked if "Everytime" was about Timberlake during an interview with Diane Sawyer in PrimeTime, she responded "I'll let the song speak for itself."[8]

"Cry Me a River" received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine considered it as a stand-out track in Justified, commenting, "the string-laden 'Cry Me a River' [is] a stinging farewell (to Britney, perhaps?) featuring beatbox and vocal arrangement courtesy of Timberlake himself."[9] David Brown of Entertainment Weekly said that the song "is a haunted, pained farewell, a genuine stunner that should leave Timberlake's fellow 'N Syncers concerned that he truly may not need them anymore."[10] The Guardian journalist Caroline Sullivan stated that the track "stands out for its slow-building sense of drama, which highlights Timberlake at his husky best",[11] while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic selected it as a Track Pick on the album review.[12]

[edit] Chart performance

On the chart issue of February 15, 2003, "Cry Me a River" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, staying in the top ten for five weeks.[13] On March 29, 2008, the song re-entered the chart at number 91.[13] It has since sold over 265,000 copies in the country, according to The Official Charts Company.[14] The song debuted on the lower regions of the Billboard Hot 100, before reaching number three on its seventh week on the chart.[15] It also reached number three on Pop Songs and Radio Songs.[15] "Cry Me a River" also attained top ten positions in Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Australia,[16] being certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in the latter.[17]

[edit] Music video

[edit] Background

The music video for "Cry Me a River" was directed by Francis Lawrence in Malibu, California, during the week of October 29, 2002.[1] The concept for it was created by Lawerence, who revealed, "[Me and Justin] had a conversation on the phone and all he said was he wanted to have some dancing in it, but to do my thing. He told me what the song was about, but in a [general way] as well. He just said it was a kiss-off song, and so I came up with this idea and he went for it".[18] Lawrence also revealed that executives of Jive Records "were nervous about the themes of Justin being a voyeur and the tone, especially with the girl coming in and getting it on and it not being sweet. That's the thing I liked most about this project, was that he was coming into it with a super clean-cut image with 'NSYNC, and he's such a nice guy and so handsome, and what I was into doing was making him be a bit scary. Lurking around the house in the rain, throwing a rock through her window, being a peeping Tom, getting revenge and doing stuff that's not really what a nice guy does".[18]

[edit] Synopsis

Timberlake chasing the blond woman, who allegadly portrays Britney Spears,[19] inside her house.

The music video begins with a blond woman walking out of her house hand-in-hand with an unidentified man. The couple leaves in the woman's car as Timberlake rolls down the window of a silver Porsche from which he has been watching the woman with a friend.[18] Timberlake breaks into the house by throwing a rock through a window and proceeds to walk through the woman's house, not causing any other visible damage, except for kicking a picture frame across the living room with a photo of Spears inside.[19] Then, he searches some drawers and find a video camera, while the driver of the car, revealed to be Timbaland, signals for a brunette woman in the back to go in. She enters the house and goes with Timberlake to the blond woman's bedroom, when she starts to undress and kiss him while being filmed. However, they stay in the bedroom just for a moment, as the brunette exits the house and Timberlake stays. As the blond woman returns, he follows her around the house then hides in a closet as she takes a shower. As he gets closer to her, eventually touching the glass that is surrounding the shower, the blond woman senses someone else in the room and turns around but Timberlake is gone. She leaves the bathroom and goes into her bedroom, where the video made by him and his new lover is playing on the television as the music video ends.

[edit] Reception

Following the release of the music video, US Weekly ran a cover story titled "Britney Vs. Justin: The War Is On". Timberlake, however, denied the allegations that Spears was the main inspiration to the music video, saying, "The video is not about her. The video is about me."[20] Spears, however, in an interview with Rolling Stone in October 2003, revealed she received a call from Timberlake saying he supposedly wanted to get back together with her and craftily added on that she was in a music video with him saying, "Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal." Spears, who had not seen the video, admits to naively allowing him to do so and became infuriated after watching the video upon its promotion. When she later asked about why he made such a defaming video of her, Timberlake replied according to Spears, "Well, I got a controversial video." She retorted, "You did. [Claps her hands, as if for a dog that just performed a trick.] Yay for you." She acknowledged it was a great publicity stunt commenting, "So he got what he wanted. I think it looks like such a desperate attempt, personally. But that was a great way to sell the record. He's smart [laughs]. Smart guy."[21] After the release of Spears' music video for "Toxic" (2003), Jennifer Vineyard of MTV revealed her music video "[made] "Cry Me a River" look like child's play".[22] Peter Robinson of NME said, "in the [music] video [for "Cry Me a River"], you get to see what Justin looks like after he’s had sex. Clue: he looks pretty good".[23]

[edit] Live performances and covers

"Cry Me a River" was performed by Timberlake in a promotional concert held at House of Blues in West Hollywood, California on June 17, 2003.[24] The track was also performed on the Justified World Tour (2003),[25] and on the FutureSex/LoveShow (2007).[26] In 2010, Timberlaked remixed the song live with Drake's "Over" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" during the annual Justin Timberlake and Friends charity gig in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 23.[27] The song hasalso been covered by several artists such as Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.[28][29]

[edit] Track listings

  1. "Cry Me a River" – 4:48
  2. "Cry Me a River" [Instrumental] – 4:47
  3. "Cry Me a River" [Dirty Vegas Vocal Mix] – 8:11
  4. "Cry Me a River" [Junior's Vasquez Earth Club Mix] – 6:43
  5. "Like I Love You" [Basement Jaxx Vocal Mix] – 6:04
  6. "Like I Love You" [Deep Dish Zigzag Remix] – 9:40
  1. "Cry Me a River" [Dirty Vegas Vocal Mix] – 8:11
  2. "Cry Me a River" [Dirty Vegas Dub] – 7:39
  3. "Cry Me a River" [Johnny Fiasco's Electric Karma Mix] – 7:51
  4. "Cry Me a River" [Bill Hamel Justinough Vocal Mix] – 7:43

[edit] Charts and certifications

Chart (2002–03) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[33] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[34] 29
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[35] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)[36] 5
Denmark (Tracklisten)[37] 11
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[38] 19
France (SNEP)[39] 6
Germany (Media Control AG)[40] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[41] 6
Italy (FIMI)[42] 14
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[43] 6
New Zealand (RIANZ)[44] 11
Norway (VG-lista)[45] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[46] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] 20
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[13] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[48] 3
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[49] 4
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[50] 11
US Pop Songs (Billboard)[51] 3

[edit] Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[17] Gold 35,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Moss, Corey (October 29, 2002). "Justin Tightlipped About Whether 'River' Flows From Britney". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458390/timberlake-readies-new-single.jhtml?headlines=true. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  2. ^ Moss, Corey (May 28, 2002). "Britney Avoids Vice, Justin Talk At Sin City Tour Opener". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1454548/20020528/spears_britney.jhtml?headlines=true. Retrieved January 26, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b Widerhorn, Joe (February 4, 2004). "Why Is Justin Timberlake The Only Youngster Who Can Stand Up To Sting?". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484705/why-can-justin-stand-up-sting.jhtml. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  4. ^ a b "Justin Timberlake Cry Me a River – Digital Sheet Music". Music Notes. Universal Music Publishing Group. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdVPE.asp?ppn=MN0043859. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  5. ^ Moss, Corey (October 29, 2002). "Justin Tightlipped About Whether 'River' Flows From Britney". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458390/timberlake-readies-new-single.jhtml. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  6. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (May 30, 2003). "Britney Previews LP, Denies Rumors Of 'Cry Me A River' Response". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1472181/britney-spears-previews-new-lp.jhtml. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  7. ^ Stern, Bradley (February 2010). "Annet Artani: From "Everytime" to "Alive"". MuuMuse.com. Bradley Stern. http://www.muumuse.com/2010/02/annet-artani-from-everytime-to-alive.html#more-5249. Retrieved April 23, 2010. 
  8. ^ Sanchez, Rowena Joy A. (October 4, 2009). "‘This one’s for you’: Ex-music couples sing of their love woes". Manila Bulletin (Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp.). http://www.mb.com.ph/node/226195/thi. Retrieved May 3, 2010. 
  9. ^ Cinquemani, Justin (November 8, 2002). "Justin Timberlake - Justified". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/justin-timberlake-justified/222. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  10. ^ Browne, David (November 8, 2002). "Justified Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,384410,00.html. Retrieved July 17, 2011. 
  11. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (November 1, 2012). "Justin Timberlake: Justified". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2002/nov/01/popandrock.artsfeatures6. Retrieved December 23, 2011. 
  12. ^ Erlwine, Stephen Thomas (November 5, 2002). "Justified Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/justified-r610485/review. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  13. ^ a b c "Chart Stats - Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=30365. Retrieved April 11, 2011. 
  14. ^ "Justin Timberlake Official Top 20". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.co.uk/music/charts/official-uk-countdowns/justin-timberlake-official-top-20. Retrieved January 29, 2012. 
  15. ^ a b "Cry Me a River US Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/justin-timberlake/cry-me-a-river/4260166. Retrieved January 29, 2012. 
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Justin+Timberlake&titel=Cry+Me+A+River&cat=s. Retrieved April 11, 2011. 
  17. ^ a b "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2003.htm. Retrieved April 11, 2011. 
  18. ^ a b c Moss, Corey (August 18, 2003). "'Cry Me A River' About Britney And Justin, But Not: VMA Lens Recap". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1476973/river-about-britney-justin-but-not.jhtml. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  19. ^ a b "“Remember That?” Track Of The Day: Justin Timberlake". KSFM 102.5. CBS Radio. August 22, 2011. http://ksfm.radio.com/2011/08/22/remember-that-track-of-the-day-justin-timberlake-2/. Retrieved September 9, 2011. 
  20. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (December 12, 2002). "Justin And Britney At War, Magazine Cover Story Declares". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459124/20021212/spears_britney.jhtml. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  21. ^ "Britney Spears: "Sometimes It's Hard To Be A Woman"". Rolling Stone (Jann Wenner). October 2, 2003. ISSN 0035-791X. 
  22. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (December 30, 2003). "Britney's 'Toxic' Clip Makes 'Cry Me A River' Look Like Child's Play". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1483976/britney-oneups-justin-toxic-clip.jhtml. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  23. ^ Robinson, Peter (February 4, 2003). "Justin Timberlake : Cry Me A River". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/artistKeyname/6955. Retrieved September 5, 2011. 
  24. ^ Moss, Corey (June 13, 2003). "It's Justin Timberlake Gone Wild At Late-Night Club Show". MTV. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1472801/timberlake-gets-funky-at-club-show.jhtml. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  25. ^ "Justin Timberlaked returns to the United Kingdom". NME. IPC Media. December 3, 2003. http://www.nme.com/news/justin-timberlake/15661. Retrieved December 23, 2008. 
  26. ^ "Futuresex/Loveshow Live from Madison Square Garden". MTV. MTV Networks. December 18, 2007. http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/timberlake_justin/albums.jhtml?albumId=2196510. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  27. ^ Mapes, Jillian (October 26, 2010). "Justin Timberlake Mixes 'Cry Me a River' with Drake's 'Over'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/justin-timberlake-mixes-cry-me-a-river-with-1004124164.story. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  28. ^ Greenwald, David (November 1, 2011). "Taylor Swift Covers Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River': Watch". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/taylor-swift-covers-justin-timberlake-s-1005461152.story. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  29. ^ Herrera, Monica (August 27, 2009). "Video Q&A: Justin Bieber Dreams On". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/video-q-a-justin-bieber-dreams-on-1004007330.story. Retrieved January 30, 2012. 
  30. ^ (2003) Release notes for "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake (US CD Single liner notes). Jive Records (01241-40073-2R).
  31. ^ (2002) Release notes for Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake (US Vinyl liner notes). Jive Records (01241-40073-1).
  32. ^ (2003) Release notes for Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake (Italian Vinyl liner notes). Jive Records (MR 2004).
  33. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  34. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  36. ^ "Ultratop.be – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River" (in French). Ultratop 40. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  37. ^ "Danishcharts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". Tracklisten. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  38. ^ "Finnishcharts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  39. ^ "Lescharts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  40. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  41. ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  42. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". Top Digital Download. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  43. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  44. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  45. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". VG-lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  46. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  47. ^ "Justin Timberlake – Cry Me A River – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  48. ^ "Justin Timberlake Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Justin Timberlake. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  49. ^ "Justin Timberlake Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play for Justin Timberlake. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  50. ^ "Justin Timberlake Album & Song Chart History" Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Justin Timberlake. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
  51. ^ "Justin Timberlake Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Justin Timberlake. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
Justin Timberlake
Studio albums
Other albums
Singles
Featured singles
Concert tours
DVDs
Justin Timberlake Live from London · FutureSex/LoveShow:Live From Madison Square Garden
Related articles
Timbaland
Studio albums
Singles
"Here We Come" · "Lobster & Scrimp" · "Give It to Me" · "The Way I Are" · "Throw It on Me" · "Apologize" · "Scream" · "Morning After Dark"  · "Say Something" · "Carry Out" · "If We Ever Meet Again" · "Talk That" · "Marchin On" · "Pass at Me"
Featured singles
"Hot like Fire" · "Are You That Somebody?" · " Word Up!" · "Ryde or Die, Bitch" · "Try Again" · "Get on the Bus" · "We Need a Resolution" · "Ugly" · "Money Owners" · "Deliverance" · "Ching Ching" · "Cry Me a River" · "Headsprung" · "Are You Feelin' Me?" · "Promiscuous" · "SexyBack" · "Wait a Minute" · "Ice Box" · "Anonymous" · "Ayo Technology" · "Diddy Rock" · "Chop Me Up" · "Elevator" · "4 Minutes" · "Dangerous" · "Return the Favor" · "I Don't Need It" · "Long Gone" · "Scream" · "Krazy" · "Getaway" · "Fascinated"
Tours
Related articles
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cry_Me_a_River_(Justin_Timberlake_song)&oldid=473967200"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages