Cry Me Out
"Cry Me Out" is a song by English recording artist Pixie Lott from her debut album, Turn It Up (2009). Written by Lott, Mads Hauge, Phil Thornalley and Colin Campise, and produced by Hauge and Thornalley, the song was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 22 November 2009 as the album's third single, being Lott's first ballad single. The singer explained that she made this particular single choice because she wanted to do something more classy, mature and emotional, as well as to bring about more success for her debut album.[1]
Background
The song is a slow-paced traditional soul ballad that has a combination of a soft piano melody and light drum beats as its backing to Lott's vocals. Similar to her previous two number-one singles, "Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)" and "Boys and Girls", Lott has again teamed up with Mads Hauge and Phil Thornalley for this song. A new contributor was Colin Campsie who has been credited as the song's fourth co-writer.
Lott explained the song to BBC News:
I always prefer to write songs about emotional situations and heartbreak [...] because I like getting into the character. When we were writing "Cry Me Out", I said, 'I feel like singing about something sad but, obviously, still being strong'. So the guy has to cry to get over me, instead of the other way around.
Lott also told Digital Spy that the song's opening lyric "I got your e-mails, you just don't get females" was her favourite line on the Turn It Up album.[3]
Critical reception
"Cry Me Out" received positive reviews from music critics. BBC Music's Paul Lester called the song "a superb ballad, as affecting as it is accomplished" and described its opening line as "witty and wise, a master class in how to put contemporary language to the service of a sublime melody."[4] Digital Spy reviewer David Balls viewed to the song as "a sultry, soulful affair that warms the cockles like a cup of cocoa on a cold winter's night", adding that "Lott's vocals have a rich and smoky tone beyond her years."[5] Jack Foley wrote for IndieLondon that the song "taps into the clever songwriting tendencies her PR insists she has with some cheeky lyrics and a keen sense of beat and melody."[6] The LINC Online referred to the track as "a decidedly retro-sounding gem of tune heading more in the direction of the epic ballad than her previous singles may suggest",[7] whilst Daily Star's Sarah-Louise James summarized it as "a retro-tinged stomper."[8]
Chart performance
Following the release of Turn It Up, "Cry Me Out" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 117 on the issue dated 20 September 2009.[9] It peaked at number twelve on 6 December 2009, becoming her first song not to reach number one and to miss the top ten completely. Nevertheless, it spent a fortnight on the UK Official Download Chart at its peak position of number ten. On 12 February 2010, "Cry Me Out" earned Lott her second silver single certification from the British Phonographic Industry,[10] eventually became her best-selling single despite moderate chart success. The single also debuted and peaked at number thirty-one on the Irish Singles Chart on 10 December 2009. "Cry Me Out" peaked at number four on the Danish Singles Chart on 14 January 2011, after being performed during the auditions of the fourth season of the Danish version of X Factor.
Music video
Lott stated on her Twitter page that the music video would be available to watch by the end of October and was later uploaded onto YouTube on 30 October 2009. It was directed by Jake Nava (who also directed videos for Beyoncé, Leona Lewis and Shakira) and was shot in Cuba.
The black-and-white-themed video features Lott performing ballet in an empty room. Other scenes include her lying on a dining table surrounded by men, as if she is there as a meal to eat. The video starts off with a scene of a man crying as Lott walks down a case of stairs wearing a black dress. She then can be seen doing model-like poses in a classic-styled home. Lott then sits down and looks at herself in a mirror, a maid then appears and fixes Lott's outfit up before Lott knocks over a bottle of black nail polish and walks off as the maid helps her put on a black jacket. The next scene involves Lott wearing a gothic-like dress and an unusual hairdo, she then goes to turn on the record player in a different room before involving herself in a ballet dance of her own and later dropping to the floor and having an emotional breakdown. Pixie is then situated lying down on a lengthy dining table surrounded by men, as if she were their meal. She is later in a different scene, where she can be seen walking through the house's corridor as various other ballet dancers can be seen dancing to and from between the rooms visible in the corridor behind and in front of Lott. The final scene involves Lott swimming with her dress on underwater and dancing in the ballet room with the other ballet dancers before lying in a swimming costume and holding a cocktail glass on a chair adjacent to a swimming pool with six ballet dancers dancing inside of it.
Lott described her experience filming the video to The Sun: "We had a great time shooting it. The locals gathered round each scene to have a look, which was funny."[11]
Track listing
- UK and Australian iTunes remix bundle[12]
- "Cry Me Out" – 4:04
- "Cry Me Out" (Bimbo Jones Remix Edit) – 3:28
- "Cry Me Out" (Bimbo Jones Remix) – 6:28
- "Cry Me Out" (Desert Eagle Discs Remix) – 6:00
Personnel
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- Everton Nelson – violin
- Jackie Norrie – violin
- Claire Orsler – viola
- Carlos Oyanedel – additional mixing
- Chris Sansom – additional engineer
- Emlyn Singleton – violin
- Julia Singleton – violin
- Phil Tan – mixing
- David Tench – Wurlitzer
- Phil Thornalley – producer, glockenspiel
- Bruce White – viola
- Chris Worsey – cello
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Certifications
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References
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| Studio albums |
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