Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton song)

Last updated
"Cry Me a River"
Song
Published1953
Songwriter(s) Arthur Hamilton

"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.

Contents

In 2001, the Julie London version of "Cry Me a River" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [1]

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." [2]

A bluesy jazz ballad, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film Pete Kelly's Blues (released 1955). According to Hamilton, he and Julie London had been high school classmates, and she contacted him on behalf of her husband, Jack Webb, who was the film's director and was looking for new songs for its soundtrack. [3] After the song was dropped from the film, Fitzgerald first released her version 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. [4] [5]

The song's first release was by actress and singer Julie London on Liberty Records in 1955, backed by Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass. [6] London had been urged to record the song by Bobby Troup, whom she would later marry after her divorce from Webb. [3] A performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It , helped to make it a bestseller (reaching no. 9 on US and no. 22 on the UK Singles Chart). It became a gold record, and in 2016, it was inducted by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry. [7]

Notable recordings

One site, SecondHandSongs, lists 658 recorded versions of the song (as at September 2023). [8] Versions that charted include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With a Little Help from My Friends</span> 1967 song by the Beatles

"With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written primarily by Paul McCartney with contributions from John Lennon, and is sung by drummer Ringo Starr, his lead vocal for the album. As the second track on the album, it segues from the applause on the title track.

"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera. The song tells of a knife-wielding criminal of the London underworld from the musical named Macheath, the "Mack the Knife" of the title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Records</span> US and UK record label

Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon River</span> Song from the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffanys"

"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Gordon Hill Jenkins was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Harry Nilsson, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misty (song)</span> Instrumental composed by Erroll Garner

"Misty" is a jazz standard written and originally recorded in 1954 by pianist Erroll Garner. He composed it as an instrumental in the traditional 32-bar format, and recorded it on July 27, 1954 for the album Contrasts. Lyrics were added later by Johnny Burke. It appeared on Johnny Mathis' 1959 album Heavenly, and this recording reached number 12 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart later that year. It has since become Mathis’ signature song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Cry for Me Argentina</span> 1976 single by Julie Covington

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is a song recorded by Julie Covington for the 1976 concept album Evita, later included in the 1978 musical of the same name. The song was written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice while they were researching the life of Argentine leader Eva Perón. It appears at the opening of the first and second acts, as well as near the end of the show, initially as the spirit of the dead Eva exhorting the people of Argentina not to mourn her, during Eva's speech from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, and during her final broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie London</span> American actress and singer (1926–2000)

Julie London was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her contralto voice, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of "Cry Me a River", a song she introduced on her debut album Julie Is Her Name, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to her musical notice, London was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1974 for her portrayal of Nurse Dixie McCall in the television series Emergency!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only You (And You Alone)</span> Pop song composed by Buck Ram

"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Days of Wine and Roses (song)</span> 1963 single by Andy Williams

"Days of Wine and Roses" is a popular song, from the 1962 film of the same name.

"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" is a popular song which was published in 1944. The music was written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 18th Academy Awards in 1945 after being used in the film Here Come the Waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Are So Beautiful</span> 1974 single by Joe Cocker

"You Are So Beautiful" is a song credited to Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher that was first released in 1974 on Preston's ninth studio album, The Kids & Me. It was also the B-side of his single "Struttin'". Later that same year, English singer Joe Cocker released a slower version of the song on his album I Can Stand a Little Rain. Cocker's version was produced by Jim Price, and released as a single in November 1974. It became Cocker's highest-charting solo hit in the United States, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number four on Canada's Top Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Up Where We Belong</span> 1982 song by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

"Up Where We Belong" is a song written by Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings that was recorded by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Warnes was recommended to sing a song from the film because of her previous soundtrack successes, and she had the idea for the song to be a duet that she would perform with Cocker. Jennings selected various sections of the score by Nitzsche and Sainte-Marie in creating the structure of the song and added lyrics about the struggles of life and love and the obstacles that people attempt to dodge. It was released in July of that year to coincide with the release of the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Letter (Box Tops song)</span> 1967 song by Wayne Carson

"The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson that was first recorded by the American rock band the Box Tops in 1967. It was the group's first and most successful single, reaching number one on the record charts in the United States and Canada. It was also an international success and placed in the top ten in several other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unforgettable (Nat King Cole song)</span> 1951 popular song

"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable,” however, the music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable.” The song was published in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nearness of You</span> 1940 single by Glenn Miller

"The Nearness of You" is a popular song written in 1937 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Ned Washington. Intended for an unproduced Paramount film titled Romance In The Rough, the studio's publishing division Famous Music reregistered and published the song in 1940. It was first recorded by Chick Bullock and his Orchestra on Vocalion. Despite numerous accounts to the contrary, the song was never scheduled for and does not appear in the 1938 Paramount film Romance in the Dark.

"Ain't Misbehavin'" is a 1929 stride jazz/early swing song. Andy Razaf wrote the lyrics to a score by Thomas "Fats" Waller and Harry Brooks for the Broadway musical comedy play Connie's Hot Chocolates. As a work from 1929 with its copyright renewed, it will enter the American public domain on January 1, 2025.

"Walking the Floor Over You" is a country music song written by Ernest Tubb, recorded on April 26, 1941 in Fort Worth, Texas, and released in the United States that year.

Arthur Hamilton Stern, known professionally as Arthur Hamilton, is an American songwriter. He is best known for the song "Cry Me a River", first published in 1953 and recorded by Julie London and numerous other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie London discography</span>

The discography of American jazz singer Julie London consists of 29 studio albums, one live album, six compilation albums, two additional albums, and 29 singles. After a moderately successful film career, London signed a recording contract with the newly formed Liberty Records in 1955. Her debut single "Cry Me a River" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1955. In June 1957, it would also peak at number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart. "Cry Me a River" became London's most successful and highest-selling single of her musical career. The single would sell three million copies in total. Her debut studio album Julie Is Her Name was issued in December 1955 and reached the second position on the Billboard 200 albums chart. London's next three studio releases, Lonely Girl (1956), Calendar Girl (1956), and About the Blues (1957), reached the top-twenty of the Billboard 200 survey as well.

References

  1. ↑ "GRAMMY HALL OF FAME AWARD". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  2. ↑ Berlau, John. "Crying a River for Years". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  3. 1 2 "Billboard". 11 November 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2021– via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "PEGGY KING & ANDY KAHN - "Cry Me A River" at Metropolitan Room NYC 2-23-14". YouTube. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Lang, Joe (June 2014). "Caught in the Act" (PDF). Jersey Jazz. 42 (6): 46. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Cary O'Dell, "“Cry Me a River”—Julie London (1955)", Library of Congress. Retrieved March 7, 2020
  7. ↑ "National Recording Registry Recognizes "Mack the Knife," Motown and Mahler". Loc.gov.
  8. ↑ "Original versions of Cry Me a River written by Arthur Hamilton | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 253. ISBN   0-89820-115-2.
  10. ↑ "Joe Cocker". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 "Cry Me a River". Official Charts Company.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.