Writing and Production
"Cry Me a River" was co-written by Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, and Scott Storch. The production of the song was handled by Mosley, under his stage name Timbaland. After months of speculation, Timberlake's relationship with American recording artist Britney Spears ended in 2002. Due to its lyrical content, the media speculated that the song was inspired by his failed relationship with Spears. In an interview for MTV News, Timberlake clarified the speculations: "I'm not going to specifically say if any song is about anybody. I will say writing a couple of songs on the record helped me deal with a couple of things. To me songs are songs. They can stem from things that completely happened to you personally or they can stem from ideas that you think could happen to you." Storch, while explaining the recording of "Cry Me a River", revealed that it was easy to work with Timberlake in the studio because there "was a meaning behind ". He additionally praised Justin's vocals on "Cry Me a River" and compared his voice with American R&B and rock singer Daryl Hall.
In December 2011, Timberlake clarified the rumors and admitted that he had written "Cry Me a River" after an argument with Spears. Timberlake further explained, "I was on a phone call that was not the most enjoyable phone call. I walked into the studio and he could tell I was visibly angry." Timbaland recalled: "I was like, 'Man, don't worry about it'." According to him, that was the time when Timberlake wrote the opening lyrics "You were my sun, you were my earth". "Cry Me a River" was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles by Senator Jimmy D, while Carlos "Storm" Martinez served as the assistant engineer. Jimmy Douglass and Timbaland mixed the song at Manhattan Center Studios in New York City. Timberlake did the vocal arrangement and provided the background vocals alongside Timbaland, Marsha Ambrosius, Tyrone Tribbett and Greater Anointing. Larry Gold provided the string arrangement and conducting, while Scott Storch and Bill Pettaway played the clavinet and guitar respectively.
Read more about this topic: Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake Song)
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