02 February 2012

"Cry Me A River"


A "torch song" from the 1950s, first made famous by Julie London (1964 recording above). If you'd rather hear a 25-y.o. Barbra Streisand perform the song, go here.
Now you say you're lonely -
You cry the long night through.
Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river
I cried a river over you

Now you say you're sorry
For bein' so untrue.
Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river -
I cried a river over you

You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head
While you never shed a tear.
Remember, I remember all that you said -
Told me love was too plebeian,
Told me you were through with me and
Now you say you love me.
Well, just to prove you do
Come on and cry me a river, cry me a river -
I cried a river over you

I cried a river over you
I cried a river over you
I cried a river over you.
I'll bet this is the only song ever written to include the word "plebeian" in the lyrics.

Addenda: Susan Boyle's 1999 version here.  Canadian Diana Krall plays and sings the piece here.  And now for something completely different: Joe Cocker's version.  And by popular demand - Crystal Gayle.

(Updated and reposted from 2009 because I heard the song while watching V for Vendetta last night.)

17 comments:

  1. False advertising! The picture looks nothing like Susan Boyle. The vocal isn't even close to Julie London, and, Streisand comes a distant last.
    OTH, Boyle's version is quite nice.

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  2. BTW, who is the woman in the picture? It looks like it might be Ava Gardner, but, I can't be certain.

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  3. @bigjohn - I have no idea. I tried searching image bases for woman smoking piano (without quotes!) without finding it.

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  4. When the Julie London recording was popular, I wasn't yet in high school and didn't know what "plebeian" meant.

    Somebody in the YouTube comments said this is the original Julie London version--is it really? It doesn't sound quite like I remember it, but I'm not sure what the difference is. This is just a touch drier, I think, more hard-edged.

    It was written (by Arthur Hamilton) for Ella Fitzgerald, sez Wikipedia. Here's Ella:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XggjVo3j-o

    http://tinyurl.com/4hr22w

    Very different take than London's. Listen for the "WELL..." Cracks me up.

    She has another verse, too:

    If my pillow could talk, imagine what it would have said.
    Could it be a river of tears I cried instead?

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  5. Sorry. Diana Krall leaves them all in the dust! Trust me. I'm a Doctor.

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  6. @ Anonymous
    Sorry, Krall's excellent rendition gets only second place after London.
    I don't trust doctors on musical advice. However, if one considers the smoky London version then, perhaps, a doctors advice on cutting back on smoking would apply. Nah...

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  7. Crystal Gayle, I'm just saying.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-I_kJiZU-s

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  8. OK, Sue, Crystal can be in third place then.

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  9. Sorry. Barbra sings anything better than anyone else. She can't help it. God gave her a glorious voice. The other singers are good, however.

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  10. And now brought to a new generation by Michael Bublé, which isn't a terrible version of it either.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czO45fuWaGs

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  11. Buble's performance is, to my ear, way too heavily orchestrated (sounds like it should be a movie score, perhaps for a Bond film). But mainly I want to keep this a "ladies only" post so noone asks for Justin Timberlake...

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  12. Is it possible there is a river in Crimea called the Crimea River?

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  13. The woman singing is SUSAN BOYLE! She has an amazing voice!

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  14. They don't write them like they used to, eh??

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  15. Natalie Cole does an excellent job on this song as well.

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  16. To me the best performance is by Ella Fitzgerald (1961 - Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!).

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