Cry (Kelly Clarkson song)
{{Short description|2010 single by Kelly Clarkson}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Cry
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Kelly Clarkson
| album = All I Ever Wanted
| released = {{start date|2010|3|12}}
| recorded = 2008
| studio =
- Bay 7 Studios (Valley Village, CA)
- Sparky Dark Studio (New York, NY)
- Sunset Sound Studios (Hollywood, CA)
| venue =
| genre = Pop rock
| length = 3:34
| label = RCA
| writer = {{flat list|
- Kelly Clarkson
- Jason Halbert
- Mark Townsend}}
| producer = Howard Benson
| chronology = Kelly Clarkson
| prev_title = All I Ever Wanted
| prev_year = 2010
| next_title = Don't You Wanna Stay
| next_year = 2010
| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|Sr9swUJKcFI|"Cry"}}|type=song}}
}}
"Cry" is a song by American singer and songwriter Kelly Clarkson, taken from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). It was written by Clarkson, Jason Halbert and Mark Townsend, with production being done by Howard Benson. It was released as the album's fourth single (fifth and final overall) only in Australia and Germany; it was released as a digital download on March 12, 2010 in Germany and added to Australian radio stations on March 15, 2010.
"Cry" is a pop rock ballad, with Clarkson adding that it is a "waltz" ballad with influences of country music. Inspired by a friendship that went sour, lyrically, "Cry" talks about betrayal. The song received highly positive reviews from music critics, who agreed the song matched Clarkson's ability to dominate a ballad, while also praising her vocals on the track and the track's composition. The song was covered by Lea Michele on a season three episode of Glee, and her version charted in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Composition and lyrics
The song was written by Kelly Clarkson, Jason Halbert and Mark Townsend. Production was done by Howard Benson, who was also responsible for providing keyboards and programming. Drums were played by Josh Freese, Paul Bushnell provided bass and guitar was played by Phil X. Mike Plotnikoff was responsible for recording, while digital editing was added by Paul Decarli, with additional engineering being done by Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing Company, "Cry" was written in the key of B{{flat}} major, with a moderate tempo of 70 beats per minute. Clarkson's vocals span from the low note of B{{flat}}3 to the high note of F5.{{cite web|title=Kelly Clarkson "Cry" Sheet Music|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0076187 |website=MusicNotes.com|publisher=Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.|access-date=December 26, 2015 |date=2009-08-10}}
"Cry" is a power ballad, written as a "waltz" song, according to Clarkson, who also explained that it is "very much influenced by country." Lyrically, "Cry" talks about betrayal with Clarkson describing it as "the most personal song on the album." She also explained that the main inspiration behind the song was about a friendship that went wrong and she decided to write in the form of a relationship, because "usually people relate to those songs." She further added: "With that song, I went through a really shitty thing with someone who betrayed me. When I started writing the song I was like, 'I'm gonna write this like it's a guy and a relationship.'" In the chorus, she wonders, "Is it over yet? Can I open my eyes?."{{cite news|last1=Montgomery|first1=James|title=Kelly Clarkson Wants You Back … Maybe|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1605774/kelly-clarkson-wants-you-back-maybe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119233825/http://www.mtv.com/news/1605774/kelly-clarkson-wants-you-back-maybe/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 19, 2014|access-date=December 14, 2015|publisher=MTV News|date=February 24, 2009}}
Release and reception
Clarkson originally wanted "Cry" to be released as the third single from the album, but her record label RCA decided to release "Already Gone" instead. Later, "Cry" was released as the album's fourth single in Germany and Australia. It was released as a digital download in Germany on March 12, 2010, and was sent to Australian radio on March 15, 2010, where it became the second most-added song to radio that week.{{cite news|title=Kelly Clarkson - Cry - Issue 779 - The Music Network|url=http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-releases/most-added-to-radio/2010/03/22/issue-779/kelly-clarkson--cry/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406143536/http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-releases/most-added-to-radio/2010/03/22/issue-779/kelly-clarkson--cry/|archive-date=2012-04-06|access-date=December 22, 2015|publisher=The Music Network}}
=Critical response=
The song was warmly received by music critics. Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times considered an "old-fashioned tear-jerker that Clarkson does so well."{{cite news|author=Ann Powers |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/kelly-clarksons.html |title=Kelly Clarkson's 'All I Ever Wanted': 3.5 stars | Pop & Hiss | Los Angeles Times |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=2009-02-27 |access-date=2010-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329095248/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/kelly-clarksons.html |archive-date=29 March 2010 | url-status= live}} J. Freedom du Lack of The Washington Post agreed, also calling it a "big, bereft tear-jerker, a Clarkson specialty."{{cite news|last1=du Lac|first1=J. Freedom|title=Review of Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted"|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/09/AR2009030902936.html|access-date=December 18, 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 10, 2009}} Kerri Mason of Billboard noted that the song is "memorable",{{cite magazine|author=Kerri Mason |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews-album/all-i-ever-wanted-1003948717.story |title=All I Ever Wanted |magazine=Billboard |date=2009-03-14 |access-date=2010-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310003932/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews-album/all-i-ever-wanted-1003948717.story |archive-date=2009-03-10 |url-status=dead}} while Evan Davies of Now called it a "requisite (and equally decent) ballad that make[s] use of her impressive range."{{cite news|last1=Davies|first1=Evan|title=Kelly Clarkson | NOW Magazine|url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=168625|access-date=December 26, 2015|work=Now|date=March 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424134403/http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=168625|archive-date=April 24, 2014}} While analysing her vocal performance on the album, Daniel Brockman wrote for The Boston Phoenix that her "tone-deaf emotional bludgeoning tends to work in her favor on monstrous power ballads like 'Cry' and 'Already Gone,' which linger in your memory long after the Max Martin love hangover fades." Eric R. Danton of The Hartford Courant noted that she "shines brightest" on the album's ballads.{{cite news|last1=R. Danton|first1=Eric|title=Review: "All I Ever Wanted" By Kelly Clarkson|url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/reviews/albums/hc-kelly-clarkson-top-cd-0310,0,7171008.story|access-date=December 26, 2015|work=The Hartford Courant|date=March 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315093208/http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/reviews/albums/hc-kelly-clarkson-top-cd-0310%2C0%2C7171008.story|archive-date=March 15, 2009|url-status=dead}} Jon Dolan of Blender noted that, on "Cry", "breaking up triggers an eye-flood of biblical proportion."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5467 |title=All I Ever Wanted |magazine=Blender |date=March 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315034908/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5467|archive-date=March 15, 2009}}
For Elle J Small of BBC Music, "'Cry' gleams from the rest of the pack with its beautiful guitar riffs and gushing melodies. Clarkson is the cherry on the cake of this future hit."{{cite news|last1=J Small|first1=Elle|title=BBC - Music - Review of Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/2wgb|access-date=December 25, 2015|publisher=BBC Music|date=2009}} Michael Cragg of musicOMH described it as "particularly dreary",{{cite news|author=Michael Cragg |url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/kelly-clarkson-2_0309.htm |title=Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted |publisher=musicOMH |date=March 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129141618/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/kelly-clarkson-2_0309.htm|archive-date=January 29, 2013 }} whilst Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it "a shouter of a breakup song."{{cite news|last1=Caramanica|first1=Jon|title=New CDs From Kelly Clarkson, Chris Cornell and Madeleine Peyroux - The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/arts/music/09choi.html?_r=2|access-date=December 25, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=March 8, 2009}} Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone agreed with Clarkson definition of the song, naming it "a big waltz-time ballad whose tune holds a hint of Nashville-pop twang. Clarkson grew up in Texas listening to country; 'Cry' serves notice that she could give Carrie Underwood a run for her money."{{cite magazine|last1=Rosen|first1=Jody|title=Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted Album Review | Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/all-i-ever-wanted-20090303|access-date=December 26, 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=March 3, 2009}} Huffington Post's Mike Ragogna noted that her vocals on the track "blow[s] away any comparisons to her youngish peers, such as those of the Disney variety."{{cite news|last1=Ragogna|first1=Mike|title=HuffPost Reviews: Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted / Gin Blossoms Playlist Your Way|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/huffpost-reviews-kelly-cl_b_172958.html|access-date=December 26, 2015|work=The Huffington Post|date=March 3, 2009}} In a less favorable review, Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine stated that "the use of electronic vocal enhancement throughout the album [...] strips the natural warmth of her voice on 'Cry', making her delivery sound distant and tinny".{{cite news|last1=Keefe|first1=Jonathan|title=Kelly Clarkson: All I Ever Wanted | Album Review | Slant Magazine|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/kelly-clarkson-all-i-ever-wanted|access-date=December 16, 2015|work=Slant Magazine|date=March 2, 2009}}
Credits and personnel
;Recording
- Recorded at Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, CA; Sparky Dark Studio, Calabasas, CA; Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA
- Assisted at Sunset Sound by Graham Hope
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Personnel
- Songwriting - Kelly Clarkson, Jason Halbert, Mark Lee Townsend
- Production - Howard Benson
- Vocals - Kelly Clarkson
- Keyboards and Programming - Howard Benson
{{col-2}}
- Drums - Josh Freese
- Bass - Paul Bushnell
- Guitar - Phil X
- Recording - Mike Plotnikoff
- Digital Editing - Paul Decarli
- Additional engineering - Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki
{{col-end}}
Release history
Glee version
{{Infobox song
| name = Cry
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Glee Cast
| album =
| released = {{start date|2012|5|01}}
| recorded = 2012
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop rock
| length = 3:31
| label = Columbia
| writer = Kelly Clarkson, Jason Halbert, Mark Townsend
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
The song was covered by actress Lea Michele in the Glee episode "Choke", which first aired on May 1, 2012. It was later available for digital download.{{cite news|title=Exclusive Online Premiere - Glee Covers Kelly's "Cry"|url=http://www.kellyclarkson.com/us/news/exclusive-online-premiere-glee-covers-kellys-cry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402204530/http://www.kellyclarkson.com/us/news/exclusive-online-premiere-glee-covers-kellys-cry|archive-date=2015-04-02|access-date=December 22, 2015|publisher=KellyClarkson.com|date=April 27, 2012}}
=Charts=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Chart (2012)
!Peak |
|---|
| Canadian Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"|96 |
| Irish Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|100 |
| UK Singles Chart{{cite web|title=Chart Log UK: New Entries Update|url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/120512cluk.txt|date=May 12, 2012|publisher=Zobbel.de|access-date=December 26, 2015}}
| style="text-align:center;"|116 |
References
{{reflist|2|refs=
{{cite news|last1=Brockman|first1=Daniel|title=Kelly Clarkson | All I Ever Wanted - CD Reviews|url=http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Music/78796-Kelly-Clarkson-All-I-Ever-Wanted/|access-date=December 26, 2015|work=Boston Phoenix|date=March 23, 2009}}
{{cite AV media notes |title=All I Ever Wanted |others=Kelly Clarkson |year=2009 |publisher=19 Recordings Limited under exclusive license to RCA Records |id=8697465972 |type=booklet}}
{{cite magazine|last1=Rolling Stone|title=Kelly Clarkson on Boyfriends and Backlash|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kelly-clarkson-on-boyfriends-and-backlash-20090423|access-date=December 22, 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=April 23, 2009}}
{{cite journal |url=http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-releases/singles/2010/03/15/issue-778-1/Kelly-Clarkson--Cry/ |title=Kelly Clarkson – Cry (SME) |journal=The Music Network |issue=778 |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406143501/http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-releases/singles/2010/03/15/issue-778-1/Kelly-Clarkson--Cry/ |archive-date=April 6, 2012}}
}}
{{Kelly Clarkson singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Songs written by Kelly Clarkson