Diana Krall "Cry Me a River"

"Cry Me a River" is a popular American torch song, written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953. 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 record producer insisted Hamilton remove the word "plebeian" since "audiences wouldn't accept a black woman in the '20s using that word."[citation needed]. 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. A sultry performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It helped to make it a million-selling blockbuster (#9 US/#22 UK). More recently, the song was featured on the soundtracks of the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006). In 1963, Barbra Streisand recorded the song for her debut solo album The Barbra Streisand Album, which later appeared on the compilation The Essential Barbra Streisand. In 2000, Barbra performed the song on her "Timeless Tour" and a live recording was included on the live album Timeless: Live in Concert, and the accompanying DVD release. In 1970, British blues rocker Joe Cocker made the chart with an upbeat hard-rock rendition 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. [Wikipedia]