| "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySting | ||||
| from the albumMercury Falling | ||||
| Released | 18 November 1996[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock,country rock | |||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter | Sting | |||
| Producers | Hugh Padgham, Sting | |||
| Sting singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Sting - I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" onYouTube | ||||
"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" is a song written and recorded byEnglish rock singerSting, which featured on his fifth album,Mercury Falling (1996). The song was also released as a single, and reached No. 94 in the US. Sting also recorded the song as aduet with American country music artistToby Keith for Keith's 1997 albumDream Walkin'; this version reached No. 2 in the USHot Country Songs charts and No. 84 in the USBillboard Hot 100 charts, giving Sting his only country hit.
Sting began composing the song as a rock song, but the lyrical content pushed the song in a country direction, and it evolved into a country-rock shuffle.[2] The song begins in the key ofE-flat major, before modulating asemitone upward toE major in the final verse.[3] Its lyrics concern a father whose wife has left him for another man and taken their two children. After a cynical beginning, he has a revelation about the connectedness of life and the universe, and finishes the song truly 'so happy he can't stop crying'. Themusic video for the song was directed byLol Creme.
During theMercury Falling tour, Sting would often invite audience members up onto stage to sing the song along with him.
Larry Flick fromBillboard described the song as "acountry-flavoredballad that shows the artist at his most tender and engaging." He added, "It's kind of odd at first to hear Sting's reedytenor amid the twang of a slide guitar, but it ultimately works."[4]
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 133 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] | 27 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[7] | 16 |
| Germany (GfK)[8] | 74 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[9] | 47 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 54 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[11] | 94 |
| USAdult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[12] | 28 |
| "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byToby Keith andSting | ||||
| from the albumDream Walkin' | ||||
| B-side | "Jacky Don Tucker (Play by the Rules Miss All the Fun)" | |||
| Released | 6 October 1997 (1997-10-06) | |||
| Genre | Country,country rock | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | Mercury Nashville 568114 | |||
| Songwriter | Sting | |||
| Producers | James Stroud Toby Keith | |||
| Toby Keith singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Sting singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1997, Americancountry music singerToby Keith recorded the song for his fourth studio album,Dream Walkin' (1997).[13] His version, a duet with Sting, was released in late 1997 as the album's second single. It charted higher than the original version on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 84. It reached No. 2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (nowHot Country Songs) chart during the week ending January 17, 1998, right behind "Just to See You Smile" byTim McGraw, becoming Sting's only entry on that chart. Additionally, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.[14]
According to Keith, Sting agreed to let Keith record the song to give it a second chance at radio, as long as Sting could playbass guitar and sing duet vocals on it.[15] The two also performed the song at the 1997Country Music Association awards.[16] In 2001, Keith toldCountry Music that he regretted making the record, describing it as a compromise:
"He was on the same label on the pop side," Keith recalls. "Everybody was talkin' about that tune, how great it was and how country it sounded. So they brought it over and said, 'Do this and we'll get Sting to come and sing on it, too.' The personalities conflicted. He's areal introvert. I was a real outgoing guy. He didn't like my abrasive and brash manner. It wasn't fun at all. It was a horrible experience."[17]
Deborah Evans Price, ofBillboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Sting and Keith's voices "complement each other extremely well." She goes on to say that a great songwriter can write words and music that transcend any genre and Sting's "poignant lyrics and strong melody on this song are perfect evidence."[18]
"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" debuted at number 53 on theHot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of 11 October 1997.
|
|
