Cry Pretty

"Cry Pretty"
Single by Carrie Underwood
from the album Cry Pretty
Released April 11, 2018 (2018-04-11)
Genre
Length 4:06
Label Capitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Carrie Underwood singles chronology
"The Champion"
(2018)		 "Cry Pretty"
(2018)		 "Love Wins"
(2018)
Music video
"Cry Pretty" on YouTube

"Cry Pretty" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Carrie Underwood. It was released on April 11, 2018 as the lead single from her sixth studio album of the same name.

Writing and composition

"Cry Pretty" was written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna.[1] About the song, Underwood said:

"The title refers to when emotions take over and you just can't hold them back. It really speaks to a lot of things that have happened in the past year and I hope when you hear it, you can relate those feelings to those times in your life. It's emotional. It's real. And it rocks!"[2]

Critical reception

"Cry Pretty" received positive reviews upon its release. Billboard praised its subject matter, writing, "The four-minute song digs deep into the difficulty of "dressing up" heartache with fancy rhinestones and lace when all you want to do is break down and cry, building to a sky-high crescendo in the final minute, where Underwood unleashes the full, soulful power of her voice."[3]NPR praised Underwood's delivery, writing that her "performance communicates the same weary rage these classics do, the injustice of being expected to keep it together so that the world is a little better-looking, a version of country's tragic punchlines that could only be sung by a woman."[4] USA Today praised the song, writing "The track is a promising return for Underwood, featuring an enduring melody that's instantly more memorable than "The Champion", her Super Bowl theme she released in January. For country music's unshakable sweetheart, "Cry Pretty" shows Underwood in full empowerment mode, even if she's not always in control of her emotions."[5]

Commercial performance

The song was added by 121 total stations on impact date on Mediabase which prompted it to debut at number 20 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week ending April 21, 2018.[6] It peaked at number 9 on that chart, becoming Underwood's 27th consecutive top ten single and extending the record for most consecutive top ten singles from the start of a career.[7] It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart despite arriving late for the tracking week.[8] The following week, the song topped the Digital Songs chart with 54,000 sold, becoming the first country song to top that chart since 2014.[9] It also became Underwood's first ever number one on the Digital Songs chart and vaulted from number 20 to number 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming her 27th consecutive top ten single. It also debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10]

In Canada, the song debuted at number 83 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. On the Canadian Country Songs chart, it debuted at number 35 and has reached number 8.

"Cry Pretty" debuted at number 94 on the Scottish Singles Chart before moving to number 75 in its second week.[11]

As of September 2018, the single has sold 189,000 copies in the United States.[12]

Music video

Underwood first posted a short teaser clip for the official music video of the song on May 3, 2018, with a note at the end of the clip saying "official video coming soon". The video premiered during the May 6 episode of American Idol.[13] It was directed by Randee St. Nicholas.

The video begins with Underwood in the shower, then shows her walking onstage getting ready to perform the song. This is intercut with scenes of her in her dressing room, bedroom, shower and limousine, where she is seen crying.[14]

Live performances

Underwood performed the single live for the first time at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards on April 15, 2018, marking her first public appearance since November 2017.[15] The performance was very well received and she received a standing ovation from the crowd.[16] Billboard ranked it as the best performance of the night.[17]

On May 13, 2018, Underwood performed the song live during the semi-final of American Idol.[18] On May 11, she performed the song during her ten-year Grand Ole Opry anniversary celebration,[19] and at the 2018 CMT Music Awards on June 6, 2018.[20] Underwood's performance of the song was shown during ABC's airing of CMA Music Fest on August 8.[21]

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[22] 83
Canada Country (Billboard)[23] 8
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[24] 75
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 48
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[26] 9
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[27] 5

Awards and nominations

Teen Choice Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2018"Cry Pretty"Choice Country SongNominated

Country Music Association Awards

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2018"Cry Pretty"Music Video of the YearPending

References

  1. ↑ Underwood, Carrie. "Carrie's Letter To Fans". CarrieUnderwoodOfficial. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Gives Health Update & Talks New Single in Open Letter to Fans: 'I Feel More Like Myself'". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ Kaufman, Gil. "Carrie Underwood Doesn't Hold Anything Back on Emotional 'Cry Pretty': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ Powers, Ann. "Ahead Of Her Return, Carrie Underwood's 'Cry Pretty' Does Some Heavy Lifting". National Public Radio. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Carrie Underwood's new song 'Cry Pretty' is an emotional comeback". USA Today. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Carrie Underwood's "Cry Pretty" Erupts As Country Radio's Most Added Song". Headline Planet. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8464798/carrie-underwood-gets-27th-straight-country-airplay-top-10
  8. ↑ "Carrie Underwood's "Cry Pretty" Debuts On Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100". Headline Planet. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  9. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8376548/carrie-underwood-first-country-no-1-since-2014-cry-pretty
  10. ↑ "Carrie Underwood's "Cry Pretty" Debuts on Billboard Hot 100". Headline Planet. April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 – Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (August 14, 2018). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles: September 5, 2018". Roughstock. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  13. ↑ http://tasteofcountry.com/carrie-underwood-cry-pretty-video-premiere-american-idol/
  14. ↑ Maslow, Nick (May 6, 2018). "Carrie Underwood's Tears Flow in First Music Video After Receiving Over 40 Stitches in Her Face". People. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  15. ↑ Pasquini, Maria (April 9, 2018). "Carrie Underwood Will Debut New Single at the ACMs, Returning to the Stage for First Time Since Accident". People. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Stuns With Emotional 'Cry Pretty' ACM Awards Performance". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  17. ↑ "2018 ACM Awards: All the Performances Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  18. ↑ Hermanson, Wendy (May 13, 2018). "Carrie Underwood Delivers Another Perfect 'Cry Pretty' for 'Idol'". Tasre of Country. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  19. ↑ Brickey, Kelly (May 15, 2018). "Carrie Underwood Commemorates Her 10 Year Opry Anniversary". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ Betts, Stephen L. (May 29, 2018). "Carrie Underwood, Backstreet Boys Added to 2018 CMT Music Awards". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  21. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/8460158/carrie-underwood-cma-fest-2018-performance-recap
  22. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
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