Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton song)

This article is about the torch song written by Arthur Hamilton. For the 2002 song recorded by Justin Timberlake, see Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song). For other uses, see Cry Me a River (disambiguation).

"Cry Me a River"
Song

"Cry Me a River" is a popular American torch song, written by Arthur Hamilton, first published in 1953 and made famous in 1955 with the version by Julie London.

Origins and early recordings

Arthur Hamilton later said of the song: "I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words... Instead of 'Eat your heart out' or 'I'll get even with you,' it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart." He was initially concerned that listeners would hear a reference to the Crimea, rather than "..cry me a...", but said that "..sitting down and playing the melody and coming up with lyrics made it a nonissue."

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 was also offered to Peggy King, but Columbia Records A&R chief Mitch Miller objected to the word "plebeian" in the lyric and its first release was by actress/singer Julie London on Liberty Records in 1955, backed by Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass. A performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It helped to make it a bestseller (reaching nr. 9 on US and nr. 22 on UK charts). London's recording was later featured in the soundtracks for the movies Passion of Mind (2000), and V for Vendetta (2005). It became a gold record, and in 2016, it was inducted by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry.

Later recordings

Other recordings include a version by Shirley Bassey on her third album, The Fabulous Shirley Bassey, her debut for Columbia in 1959; a version by Barbra Streisand on her 1963 debut album as the opening track of Side 1; and a version by British rocker Joe Cocker, who made the chart in 1970 with an upbeat rock rendition on the album, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Crystal Gayle recorded the song in 1978, and it was the B-side of her number-one Country hit, "Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For". 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. Canadian jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall recorded the song on her 2001 album, The Look of Love. 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.

Date	Artist	Album	Notes
1955	Eileen Barton	Single	Coral Records
1955	Jill Corey	Single	Columbia Records
1955	Dexter Gordon	Dexter Blows Hot and Cool
1955	Julie London	Julie Is Her Name	Also rel. as 10" shellac and 7" single with George and Ira Gershwin's "'S Wonderful" on B-side; both on Liberty
1956	Maire Ojonen (Harmony Sisters)		Finnish version "Joet tulvimaan itke"
1957	J. J. Johnson	First Place
1958	Annie Fratellini		French version "Pleure"
1959	Shirley Bassey	The Fabulous Shirley Bassey
1959	Davy Graham	The Guitar Player (1963)	Instrumental version orig. for BBC's Monitor
1959	Dinah Washington	What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!
1961	Roberto Carlos	Louco Por Você	Brazilian Portuguese version "Chore Por Mim"; debut album on Columbia
1961	Ella Fitzgerald	Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!
1962	Dexter Gordon	Cry Me a River	recorded live at Jazzhus Montmartre with the Atli Bjorn Trio
1963	Steve Alaimo	Everyday I Have to Cry
1963	Sam Cooke	Mr. Soul
1963	Lesley Gore	I'll Cry If I Want To	Debut album
1963	Barbra Streisand	The Barbra Streisand Album
1964	Ray Charles	Sweet & Sour Tears
1964	Gene Krupa	The Great New Gene Krupa Quartet Featuring Charlie Ventura
1965	Sammy Davis, Jr.	When the Feeling Hits You!
1965	Marie Knight	single
1966	Lorraine Ellison	Heart & Soul	Debut album
1970	Joe Cocker	Mad Dogs & Englishmen
1975	Cher	The Cher Show
1977	Joan Baez	Blowin' Away
1978	Crystal Gayle	When I Dream
1978	Giorgio Moroder	O.S.T. of Midnight Express	Moroder used the 6 notes corresponding to the line "Now you say you love me"
1982	Aerosmith	Rock in a Hard Place
1983	Christophe		French version "Noir est ta couleur"
1983	Mari Wilson	Showpeople	Debut album; the song scored #27 in the UK. It was later featured as the theme music for the British television series, McCallum (1995–96).
1985	Viktor Lazlo	She	French version "Pleurer des rivières", translated by Boris Bergman
1986	Aaron Neville	Make Me Strong
1986	Carola		Finnish version by Saukki, "Joet tulvimaan itke"
1988	Patti Austin	The Real Me	Arranged and conducted by Marty Paich
1988	Diane Schuur	Talkin' 'Bout You
1988	Kate Ceberano and Wendy Matthews	You've Always Got the Blues
1988	Swans	World of Skin
1990	Björk	Cover Me	Live rec. with Tríó Gudmundur Ingolfssonar at Hotel Borg in Reykjavik on unofficial compilation
1991	Mari Wilson	Rhythm Romance
1992	Maná	¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños?	Spanish version "Te lloré un río"
1993	Natalie Cole	Take a Look
1993	Anne Murray	Croonin'
1994	Combustible Edison	I, Swinger
1995	Lisa Ekdahl	When Did You Leave Heaven
1995	Ithamara Koorax	Rio Vermelho
1996	Benny Golson	Benny Golson Tenor Summit
1996	Alexia (Vassiliou)	In a Jazz Mood	Debut album, featuring Chick Corea
1997	Sue Raney	Breathless
1997	Jai	Heaven
1999	Susan Boyle	I Dreamed a Dream (2009)	Orig. issued 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.
1999	Harry Connick Jr.	Come by Me
2000	John Martyn	Glasgow Walker
2001	Etta James	Blue Gardenia
2001	Diana Krall	The Look of Love
2001	Brad Mehldau	Progression: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 5
2003	Jeff Beck, Van Morrison	Red, White and Blues	Directed by Mike Figgis, one of seven films in the Martin Scorsese series, The Blues
2004	Alison Moyet	Voice
2004	Olivia Newton-John	Indigo: Women of Song	Produced by Phil Ramone
2004	Linda Ronstadt	Hummin' to Myself	Album hit #2 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.
2005	Rick Astley	Portrait
2006	Fourplay Quartet	Now to the Future
2006	Norah Jones	Heaven in Creepy	from album by Jim Campilongo Electric Trio
2006	Frank Sinatra, Jr.	That Face
2007	Cynthia Basinet	Single
2008	China Moses	This One's for Dinah	Dinah Washington tribut album, with pianist Raphaël Lemonnier
2009	Sylvia Brooks	Dangerous Liaisons
2009	Michael Bublé	Crazy Love
2009	Lynda Carter	At Last	Potomac Productions
2009	Eddy Mitchell		French version "Pleurer des rivières", translated by Boris Bergman
2010	Liam Payne	X Factor UK audition	(Member of English boy band One Direction)
2011	Jeff Beck with Imelda May	Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul)
2011	Lana Del Rey		An unreleased cover of the song leaked on August 6, 2015.
2012	Tina Arena	Symphony of Life
2013	Angie Miller		One Hit Wonder theme portion of American Idol season 12 on April 24
?	Nina Simone	?
?	Gene Bertoncini	?
?	Harry James	Harry James & His New Jazz Band, Vol 2
?	Cote de Pablo	?	singer on Roberto Pitre's Vivo en vida where she sings "Samba in Prelude" and "Cry Me a River"
?	Mari Wilson	Showpeople	Spanish version "Tu no me llores"

• The song is featured on the soundtrack of the film Repo Men (2010).
• The song is featured on the soundtrack of the film V For Vendetta (2006).
• It was sampled in the song "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" on the Tough Guys Don't Dance album by High Contrast.

External links

• Peggy King performs "Cry Me a River" at the Metropolitan Room in 2014
• "Cry Me a River" at jazzstandards.com
• "Cry Me a River" at Allmusic.com
• Template:MetroLyrics song