"Cry Baby" is a song by British electronic group Clean Bandit, English singer Anne-Marie and French DJ David Guetta. It was released on 9 August 2024 by B1 Recordings and Ministry of Sound Recordings, as the lead single from Clean Bandit's upcoming third studio album. The song was written by Anne-Marie, Jack Patterson, Camille Purcell, and Steve Mac, with the production being handled by Clean Bandit.
Background
Clean Bandit, a band comprising Jack and Luke Patterson and Grace Chatto, became known for their signature sound of dance beats and chamber music and were signed to Atlantic Records.[1] "Cry Baby" was written and recorded in 2020, four years before its release date. Anne-Marie sent the song to David Guetta, introducing him to Clean Bandit.[2] The artists then worked on the song remotely on Zoom, as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of four years, they experimented on the song with the intention of trying to make it more country or sped-up, though the final version was one of the early versions of the song.[3]
In the early 2020s, Atlantic put pressure on the band to adapt their sound, as they felt that songs needed to belong on Spotify dance music playlists. For several years, Clean Bandit's releases were darker and closer to house music, and were less successful. Eventually the band negotiated an exit from their label and joined Ministry of Sound Recordings, whose boss had been one of the first people to recommend them and who encouraged them to release the track.[1]
Promotion and release
Anne-Marie previewed "Cry Baby" at her Scarborough concert that was part of the Unhealthy Club Tour on 20 June 2024, and continued to perform it at further dates, including at Glastonbury Festival.[4] The track was released on 9 August 2024 by B1 Recordings and Ministry of Sound Recordings as the lead single from Clean Bandit's upcoming third studio album, and was written by Anne-Marie, Jack Patterson, Camille Purcell, and Steve Mac, with the production being handled by Clean Bandit.[5] The track addresses a breakup, with Anne-Marie instructing an ex-partner to "keep on crying", and features strings during the verses.[6]
The song marked the third collaboration between Clean Bandit and Anne-Marie, following their 2016 number-one single "Rockabye" and Clean Bandit's album track "Should've Known Better", and the third one between Anne-Marie and David Guetta, who previously teamed up on "Don't Leave Me Alone" and "Baby Don't Hurt Me".[4] "Cry Baby" is the first collaboration between Clean Bandit and David Guetta.[3] The Official Charts Company, who listened to the track before it was released, wrote that there was "more than a little of a sea shanty" about the track, and described the song as "the purest melding of their trademark brand of orchestral dance-pop since their last UK Number 1 single".[6]
Music video
The music video for the song was released on the same day as the single.[7] In the video, Anne-Marie embarks on a train journey driven by Jack and Luke Patterson after splitting from her disloyal partner while Grace Chatto serves tea and plays the cello. The Cry Baby Express train was built by Chatto's father. The video features appearances from Nigerian singer Ruger and train expert Francis Bourgeois.[8][4]
The video was shot during seven days across several months due to its participants' busy schedules, with Guetta's contribution being filmed last,[5] and was directed, produced and edited by Clean Bandit after production companies told Chatto that producing it would cost at least £250,000. Many of the sets were built by Chatto's father, a carpenter.[1] In an interview with The Sun, Chatto revealed that the group were burgled while recording the music video in Ibiza, with €40,000 worth of equipment and cash stolen.[9]
Chart performance
In the United Kingdom, "Cry Baby" debuted at number 78 on the UK Singles Chart Top 100, peaking three weeks later at number 49. On the UK Singles Downloads Chart, the single debuted and peaked at number 23.[10]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 46. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 49. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
