"Cry Me a River" is a popular song. It was written by Arthur Hamilton and was published in 1953. it is about a loss of a relationship.
A torchy, jazzy blues tune, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the film Pete Kelly's Blues (1955). But the producer insisted Hamilton remove the word "plebeian" since "audiences wouldn't accept a black woman in the 1950s using that word." . Hamilton tried but eventually refused to make the change, and the song was dropped. Fitzgerald first released a recording of the song on Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! in 1961.
The song's first release and most famous recording was by actress/singer Julie London in 1955. This version featured in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It and was released as a single in April 1957 (UK #22). More recently, the song has featured on the soundtracks of the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006).
In 1970, British Blues Rocker Joe Cocker made the charts with a rendition in his classically gravelly voice on the album Mad Dogs and Englishmen. 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.
"Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.
