"Cry Me a River" is an American popular song, written by Arthur Hamilton, first published in 1953 and made famous in 1955 with the version by Julie London.
"[2] A bluesy jazz ballad, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film Pete Kelly's Blues (released 1955).
According to Hamilton, he and Julie London had been high school classmates, and she contacted him on behalf of her husband, Jack Webb, who was the film's director and was looking for new songs for its soundtrack.
[4][5] The song's first release was by actress and singer Julie London on Liberty Records in 1955, backed by Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass.
Sparkling piano, organ and brass work and Joe Cocker's unique rearrangement of the vocal end make the oldie a totally new experience.