I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying Explained

I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying
Cover:Imsohappy.jpg
Alt:A photo of Sting with his hands intertwined and covering his face
Type:single
Artist:Sting
Album:Mercury Falling
Genre:Rock, country rock
Length:4:00
Label:A&M
Producer:Hugh Padgham, Sting
Prev Title:I Was Brought to My Senses
Prev Year:1996
Next Title:On Silent Wings
Next Year:1997

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" is a song written and recorded by English rock singer Sting, which featured on his fifth album, Mercury Falling (1996). The song was also released as a single, and reached No.84 in the US. Sting also recorded the song as a duet with American country music artist Toby Keith for Keith's 1997 album Dream Walkin'; this version reached No.2 in the US Hot Country Songs charts and No.84 in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, giving Sting his only country hit.

Background and release

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.[1] The song begins in the key of E-flat major, before modulating a semitone upward to E major in the final verse.[2] 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'. The music video for the song was directed by Lol Creme.

During the Mercury Falling tour, Sting would often invite audience members up onto stage to sing the song along with him.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as "a country-flavored ballad that shows the artist at his most tender and engaging." He added, "It's kind of odd at first to hear Sting's reedy tenor amid the twang of a slide guitar, but it ultimately works."[3]

Track listing

  1. "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
  2. "This Was Never Meant to Be"
  3. "Giacomo's Blues"
  4. "Beneath a Desert Moon"
  1. "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
  2. "Giacomo's Blues"
  3. "Moonlight"
  4. "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets"

Toby Keith version

I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying
Cover:Toby Keith - I'm So Happy.JPG
Alt:Keith seated on a chair with an acoustic guitar in his lap
Type:single
Artist:Toby Keith and Sting
Album:Dream Walkin'
B-Side:Jacky Don Tucker (Play by the Rules Miss All the Fun)
Genre:Country, country rock
Length:4:03
Label:Mercury Nashville 568114
Producer:James Stroud
Toby Keith
Chronology:Toby Keith
Prev Title:We Were in Love
Prev Year:1997
Next Title:Dream Walkin'
Next Year:1998

In 1997, American country music singer Toby Keith recorded the song for his fourth studio album, Dream Walkin' (1997).[5]

Notes and References

  1. Garbarini . Vic . Interview with Sting . Guitar World . July 1996 .
  2. Book: Contemporary Country. Hal Leonard Corporation. 1999. 1. 130–138. 0-634-01594-X .
  3. Larry. Flick. Reviews & Previews: Singles. Billboard. 17 August 1996. 77. 1 December 2022. Larry Flick.
  4. Web site: Response from ARIA re: Sting ARIA singles chart history, received 9 April 2018. Imgur.com. 9 April 2018. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the single's peak on the national chart.
  5. Web site: Toby Keith Grammy Awards. 2021-12-12.
  6. News: Keith, Sting duet gives tune second wind. 1997-11-07. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. P3. 2009-07-03.
  7. Web site: 31st Annual CMA Awards Show. https://web.archive.org/web/20090116005230/http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1473203/31st-annual-cma-awards-show.jhtml. dead. 16 January 2009. Wix. Kimmy. 1997-09-24. CMT. 2009-07-03.
  8. Country Music . October–November 2001 . 2001-10-11 . 33 . https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Country-Music/00s/Country-Music-2001-10-11.pdf.
  9. Billboard, 11 October 1997
  10. Best of 1998: Country Songs . . . 1998. 14 July 2013.
  11. Web site: [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r277858|pure_url=yes}} ''Dream Walkin''' review|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|work=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=2009-07-03}} His version, a duet with Sting, was released in late 1997 as the album's second single. It out-peaked the original version on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.84. It reached No.2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, becoming Sting's only entry on that chart. Additionally, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.[5]

    Background

    According to Keith, Sting agreed to let Keith record the song to give it a second chance at radio, as long as Sting could play bass guitar and sing duet vocals on it.[6] The two also performed the song at the 1997 Country Music Association awards.[7] In 2001, Keith told Country 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."[8]

    Critical reception

    Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard 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."[9]

    Charts

    "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" debuted at number 53 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of 11October 1997.

    Weekly chart performance for duet re-recording! Chart (1997–1998)! Peak
    position

    References

    .