Songoftheday 11/6/23 - You were my sun you were my earth, but you didn't know all the ways I loved you...

 

 

"Cry Me A River" - Justin Timberlake

from the album Justified (2002)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 17

 

Today's song comes from Justin Timberlake, who in 2002 had left the boyband *NSYNC (though at the time they didn't know) and recorded his debut album Justified. The lead single, "Like I Like You", just missed the top ten on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 at #11, but that was mostly due to it not being released as a commercial single (hence no sales points). That wouldn't be the case with the follow-up, "Cry Me A River". Written by Justin with producers Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and Scott Storch,  The theme of the lyrics was a blatant recreation of Justin finding out that then-girlfriend Britney Spears had been seeing another guy, namely dancer Wade Robson (mind you, he leaves out his complete philandering shenanigans before this point). He's quite bitter, and says despite her wanting to reconcile he ain't hearing any of it (again, HE CHEATED ON HER as well). But of course with two of the biggest songsmith-producers on hand, the message is delivered so well that at the time the world came to his defense. And, yes, it's a damn great song, with Justin wallowing in his self-pity and throwing daggers her way. The production layers his vocals with an amazing backing vocals track that circles around the chorus in the way that feelings circle around during depression. Couple that with a music video that has a Britney look-alike as Justin invades his ex's home when she leaves and bangs a rando (smooth). With what we know now, the whole thing is soured though, and while the quality is there, the content is permanently soiled...

"Cry Me A River" became Timberlake's first solo top ten hit on the Hot 100 in February of 2003, while climbing to #11 on Billboard's R&B Songs chart. On the radio, the song peaked at #3 on the Mainstream Top-40 airplay chart, #11 on the Mainstream R&B list, and #9 on the dance/R&B-oriented Rhythmic format. Internationally, the single reached the top ten in the United Kingdom (#2), Australia (#2), Canada (#3 radio), Croatia (#4), Belgium (#5 Wallonia/#7 Flanders), France (#6), the Netherlands (#6), Ireland (#6), Hungary (#6), Sweden (#10), and Norway (#10), and made the top-40 in Denmark (#11), New Zealand (#11), Greece (#11), Germany (#13), Italy (#14), Poland (#14), Romania (#16),  Finland (#19), Switzerland (#20), and Austria (#29). At the Grammy Awards in 2004, where Justified won for best Pop Vocal Album, "Cry Me A River" also took home the prize for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. 

Both Justin and the album will be back to the series.

(8/10)

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Here's Justin performing for a televised appearance promoting the album...

Next up, on his inaugural solo tour in London in 2003...

Timberlake also cried a river at the Billboard Music Awards...

And lastly, fast forwarding to 2018 for a concert date for Spotify...

Up tomorrow: This McMansion rapper turned white trash hero takes a Polaroid.