Cry Me a River --- Julie London -vs- Ella Fitzgerald -vs- Dinah Washington

[NurseJackie]

"Cry Me a River" is a popular American torch song, written by Arthur Hamilton, first published in 1953 and made famous in 1955 with the version by Julie London.

Arthur Hamilton later said of the song: "I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words... Instead of 'Eat your heart out' or 'I'll get even with you,' it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart." He was initially concerned that listeners would hear a reference to the Crimea, rather than "..cry me a...", but said that "..sitting down and playing the melody and coming up with lyrics made it a nonissue."[1]

A jazzy blues ballad, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film, Pete Kelly's Blues (released 1955), but the song was dropped. Fitzgerald first released a recording of the song on Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! in 1961. The song was also offered to Peggy King, but Columbia Records A&R chief Mitch Miller objected to the word "plebeian" in the lyric[2] and its first release was by actress/singer Julie London on Liberty Records in 1955, backed by Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass. A performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It helped to make it a bestseller (reaching no. 9 on US and no. 22 on UK charts). It became a gold record, and in 2016, it was inducted by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry.[3]

Other recordings include a version by Shirley Bassey on her third album, The Fabulous Shirley Bassey, her debut for Columbia in 1959; Dinah Washington on What A Diff'rence A Day Makes! also in 1959;

2 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Julie London
	1 (50%)
	Ella Fitzgerald
	1 (50%)
	Dinah Washington
	0 (0%)
	I can't decide, I like all three versions.
	0 (0%)
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[Polly Hennessey]

1. I like the smokey voice of Julie London.

The song is a beauty. Plus, every word is clear. Wonder how Peggy Lee’s version would have sounded.

[NurseJackie]

2. It's one of my favorite songs! Yes... a "smoky" voice describes her beautifully.

[NurseJackie]

3. Here are two other versions (Nina Simone and Etta James) that I enjoy too.

[nocoincidences]

4. I love the voices of all of these women.

I think the Julie London version is my preference because my parents had an album on which she sang it that they played a lot, so there is that childhood familiarity with it that give it a special tug at my heart.