Carrie Underwood – "Cry Pretty"

[ILLUSION]

Is this struggling? I've been watching the chart moves the past few days. Regardless, the post above is right, Carrie doesn't have to prove anything at this point and she can release whatever type of music she wants.

[lady𝓐fan]

Jun 4, 2018 12:25:34 GMT -5 ILLUSION said:

Is this struggling? I've been watching the chart moves the past few days. Regardless, the post above is right, Carrie doesn't have to prove anything at this point and she can release whatever type of music she wants.

I wouldn’t say it’s struggling, but it definitely isn’t rising as fast as some want it to.

[desertfloods]

I am thinking this song works much better in live performance than studio recording. After the initial excitement of a new single has died down for me, I actually didn't have the urge to listen to this often.

[straitouttanashville]

This isnt my favorite Carrie song, I hope there are some more darker song on this assumed upcoming album. She really has a nack for songs like "Two Black Cadillacs".

[collinkottke]

One of my favorite performances from the CMT Awards was Carrie's powerful rendition of "Cry Pretty". She's performed this awesomely multiple times on TV now! 

[stanches2318]

Since she got a CMT Award for "Champion" i hope she puts that song on her "Cry Pretty" album.

[tryexp]

Jun 8, 2018 1:44:44 GMT -5 stanches2318 said:

Since she got a CMT Award for "Champion" i hope she puts that song on her "Cry Pretty" album.

Please no Carrie! I want an album with mostly new songs and these days we are lucky if getting more than 13, so I would like it if that was left as a single on its own or a bonus track deluxe version if she absolutely wants to.

It's a good song, but unless the album is a lot more pop than what I imagine it won't fit in and will take precious space!

[Deleted]

Jun 8, 2018 14:28:20 GMT -5 tryexp said:

Jun 8, 2018 1:44:44 GMT -5 stanches2318 said:

Since she got a CMT Award for "Champion" i hope she puts that song on her "Cry Pretty" album.

Please no Carrie! I want an album with mostly new songs and these days we are lucky if getting more than 13, so I would like it if that was left as a single on its own or a bonus track deluxe version if she absolutely wants to.

It's a good song, but unless the album is a lot more pop than what I imagine it won't fit in and will take precious space!

With you all the way, plus with the way she talked about this album, it would seem there is no room for "The Champion".

[NeRD]

It does feel a bit odd to have a Carrie lead single rising so slowly. However, as others have said, the label may be going for a slow burn approach since the album isn't out till September.

[lady𝓐fan]

Jun 11, 2018 15:39:43 GMT -5 NeRD said:

It does feel a bit odd to have a Carrie lead single rising so slowly. However, as others have said, the label may be going for a slow burn approach since the album isn't out till September.

Also, the entire top twenty is extremely clogged right now.

[carrieidol1]

Jun 8, 2018 1:44:44 GMT -5 stanches2318 said:

Since she got a CMT Award for "Champion" i hope she puts that song on her "Cry Pretty" album.

I hope the hell she doesn’t. I don’t want anything but new music on this record. Don’t waste spots on the track list for old stuff. New only, please, aside from CP (the single) - but that goes without saying.

[stanches2318]

Jun 11, 2018 16:41:57 GMT -5 carrieidol1 said:

Jun 8, 2018 1:44:44 GMT -5 stanches2318 said:

Since she got a CMT Award for "Champion" i hope she puts that song on her "Cry Pretty" album.

I hope the hell she doesn’t. I don’t want anything but new music on this record. Don’t waste spots on the track list for old stuff. New only, please, aside from CP (the single) - but that goes without saying.

Ok about "Champion" as a bonus track. that would make more sense.

[desertfloods]

No, I don't even want The Champion as bonus track. I want the bonus track to be in cohesiveness with the rest of the album. The Champion will be so ridiculously out of place.

Plus, in this era of digital streaming and downloads, why do we even need another copy of The Champion? Just stream or buy the existing version.

[Darkest Hour]

Jun 12, 2018 0:49:28 GMT -5 desertfloods said:

Plus, in this era of digital streaming and downloads, why do we even need another copy of The Champion? Just stream or buy the existing version.

Because these songs can be converted for certification of the albums (10 downloads=1500 streams=1 album unit). Just look at how Bebe Rexha did with Meant to Be.

[Ragin]

Finding loopholes in the system to get honors not truly earned doesn't seem like a good way to operate to me. Some see it as clever. I see it as deceptive. I hope they wouldn't do something like that.

[jenglisbe]

I never understand the mentality of one song "taking the place" of another. That isn't even how it often works. If "The Champion" fits the vibe of the album, why not have it on there? The odds are it wouldn't be a decision between "TC" and another song; albums today can be as long as artists want them to be, so it would be more of a decision of including "TC" or not.

Anyway "Cry Pretty" is currently #12, and it's newer than everything ahead of it (and the next 5-6 songs right behind it). Only 1 song above it is losing spins. The chart is definitely clogged. The song right above it has been out for 33 weeks!

[stanches2318]

My point is is that “The Champion” And “Cry Pretty” are both inspirational songs in there own right , so if Carrie was going for an album that is uplifting to people than why leave out the “Champion”.

[Troublemaker]

Jun 13, 2018 7:39:53 GMT -5 stanches2318 said:

My point is is that “The Champion” And “Cry Pretty” are both inspirational songs in there own right , so if Carrie was going for an album that is uplifting to people than why leave out the “Champion”.

Well there lots of reasons but I'll give one: unless I'm wrong, Champion wasn't produced by her.

[stanches2318]

Jun 13, 2018 7:47:37 GMT -5 Troublemaker said:

Jun 13, 2018 7:39:53 GMT -5 stanches2318 said:

My point is is that “The Champion” And “Cry Pretty” are both inspirational songs in there own right , so if Carrie was going for an album that is uplifting to people than why leave out the “Champion”.

Well there lots of reasons but I'll give one: unless I'm wrong, Champion wasn't produced by her.

You’re right. Jim Jonsin produced it.

[Marv]

I never realistically expected that it would have torched the charts by streaking to #1 in a mere ten weeks as 'Cowboy Casanova' did in the fall of 2009, so I'm not worried at all about this song's chart performance, so a typical (these days at least) superstar-level chart run to #1 (12-17 weeks) suits me fine.

Unless I'm mistaken, I do believe that Bob Kingsley recently stated on CT40 that the current singles by Carrie, Keith & Kenny are all in single-digit territory as it relates to weeks on CT40, which gives me even less of a reason to be worried.

That's my two cents, FWIW.

[tryexp]

Jun 13, 2018 7:28:50 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

I never understand the mentality of one song "taking the place" of another. That isn't even how it often works. If "The Champion" fits the vibe of the album, why not have it on there? The odds are it wouldn't be a decision between "TC" and another song; albums today can be as long as artists want them to be, so it would be more of a decision of including "TC" or not.

This is a very nice sentiment but it is simply not how things work. Albums needs to be cohesize, while avoiding having too many similar theme/sound songs, and obviously there is a limit to how many songs you can fit in a traditional CD.

Artists usually record 20-50 (sometimes more) songs for an album, and have possibly written/had on hold even more. When they are looking at building the album they need to look at it from a balanced perspective, and cut a lot of material out if it's repetitive/doesn't fit the theme/makes the album strange for any reason. I am half convinced the reason why Carrie never released Oklahoma Wind is because the sad theme/ballad had been done better with other songs on each album it was considered for (I know the rumour says differently).

If they are tracking the album and wanting to include Champion it's less likely that other songs with similar themes/sound are going to be included, and that obviously reduces the number of available songs you will have to pick singles out of. In the event that nothing has the same message or sounds remotely similar to the Champion then why include it?

There is also the possibility that it totally fits in the album, in which case, the album is probably more pop than what I've been lead to believe, and really hope it's not true!

Call me old school, but I like it when albums are planned and designed carefully, and don't just include any song the artist has released in the past year for the sakes of it. Let singles be singles, especially if they don't belong with the rest of the album.

[jenglisbe]

Jun 13, 2018 13:30:43 GMT -5 tryexp said:

Jun 13, 2018 7:28:50 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

I never understand the mentality of one song "taking the place" of another. That isn't even how it often works. If "The Champion" fits the vibe of the album, why not have it on there? The odds are it wouldn't be a decision between "TC" and another song; albums today can be as long as artists want them to be, so it would be more of a decision of including "TC" or not.

This is a very nice sentiment but it is simply not how things work. Albums needs to be cohesize, while avoiding having too many similar theme/sound songs, and obviously there is a limit to how many songs you can fit in a traditional CD.

Artists usually record 20-50 (sometimes more) songs for an album, and have possibly written/had on hold even more. When they are looking at building the album they need to look at it from a balanced perspective, and cut a lot of material out if it's repetitive/doesn't fit the theme/makes the album strange for any reason. I am half convinced the reason why Carrie never released Oklahoma Wind is because the sad theme/ballad had been done better with other songs on each album it was considered for (I know the rumour says differently).

If they are tracking the album and wanting to include Champion it's less likely that other songs with similar themes/sound are going to be included, and that obviously reduces the number of available songs you will have to pick singles out of. In the event that nothing has the same message or sounds remotely similar to the Champion then why include it?

There is also the possibility that it totally fits in the album, in which case, the album is probably more pop than what I've been lead to believe, and really hope it's not true!

Call me old school, but I like it when albums are planned and designed carefully, and don't just include any song the artist has released in the past year for the sakes of it. Let singles be singles, especially if they don't belong with the rest of the album.

It isn't normal for artists to record 50 or more songs for a project. 20 would be more the norm, if that. They of course might consider more than 20 songs for an album, but in terms of recording songs, it wouldn't be much more than 15-20 if only for budget reasons (recording a song means paying a producer, musicians, etc and that's money lost if the track isn't even used). Having said that, my point was more about "The Champion" specifically as it's so different for her both lyrically and in terms of its sound that I don't see it being in direct competition with another song for a spot on the album. I don't expect to even be in consideration for the album, but if it is, I think it would be based on its own merits and not how it stacks up against another song.

I don't know much about "Oklahoma Wind" and you may be right about its exclusion, but I wish it had been included on Blown Away. I've actually often found the 'thematic' elements of Carrie's albums to be overstated. Blown Away was in theory about dark/dramatic songs, but outside of "Blown Away" and "Two Black Cadillacs" there wasn't much that fit that theme. Storyteller was supposedly about a focus on story songs, and we did get 4-5 of them, but I wouldn't say it was a theme that truly ran throughout the album. So, if she does have a theme for the new album, I'm on board as I love themes, but I hope it's a theme that is truly used throughout the album.

[tryexp]

Jun 13, 2018 13:44:52 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Jun 13, 2018 13:30:43 GMT -5 tryexp said:

This is a very nice sentiment but it is simply not how things work. Albums needs to be cohesize, while avoiding having too many similar theme/sound songs, and obviously there is a limit to how many songs you can fit in a traditional CD.

Artists usually record 20-50 (sometimes more) songs for an album, and have possibly written/had on hold even more. When they are looking at building the album they need to look at it from a balanced perspective, and cut a lot of material out if it's repetitive/doesn't fit the theme/makes the album strange for any reason. I am half convinced the reason why Carrie never released Oklahoma Wind is because the sad theme/ballad had been done better with other songs on each album it was considered for (I know the rumour says differently).

If they are tracking the album and wanting to include Champion it's less likely that other songs with similar themes/sound are going to be included, and that obviously reduces the number of available songs you will have to pick singles out of. In the event that nothing has the same message or sounds remotely similar to the Champion then why include it?

There is also the possibility that it totally fits in the album, in which case, the album is probably more pop than what I've been lead to believe, and really hope it's not true!

Call me old school, but I like it when albums are planned and designed carefully, and don't just include any song the artist has released in the past year for the sakes of it. Let singles be singles, especially if they don't belong with the rest of the album.

It isn't normal for artists to record 50 or more songs for a project. 20 would be more the norm, if that. They of course might consider more than 20 songs for an album, but in terms of recording songs, it wouldn't be much more than 15-20 if only for budget reasons (recording a song means paying a producer, musicians, etc and that's money lost if the track isn't even used). Having said that, my point was more about "The Champion" specifically as it's so different for her both lyrically and in terms of its sound that I don't see it being in direct competition with another song for a spot on the album. I don't expect to even be in consideration for the album, but if it is, I think it would be based on its own merits and not how it stacks up against another song.

I don't know much about "Oklahoma Wind" and you may be right about its exclusion, but I wish it had been included on Blown Away. I've actually often found the 'thematic' elements of Carrie's albums to be overstated. Blown Away was in theory about dark/dramatic songs, but outside of "Blown Away" and "Two Black Cadillacs" there wasn't much that fit that theme. Storyteller was supposedly about a focus on story songs, and we did get 4-5 of them, but I wouldn't say it was a theme that truly ran throughout the album. So, if she does have a theme for the new album, I'm on board as I love themes, but I hope it's a theme that is truly used throughout the album.

Me too, and I hope this will see Carrie as less polished/more real version of herself. I always thought the themes previously were used as a marketing move more than any real meaning, as it's easier to promote an album if they have an angle for it. But for me the best albums are cohesive and therefore have a unique sound/lyrical style that makes the songs "belong together".

[g8erboi]

Hopefully this doesn’t become her “Female” and break her top 10 streak.

[Darkest Hour]

This song is in callout reports this week and has #9 net positve (54.7) out of 20 songs. The stalling is more likely to be due to strong group of songs in front of this instead of poor callout.

[jenglisbe]

Jun 15, 2018 9:32:30 GMT -5 g8erboi said:

Hopefully this doesn’t become her “Female” and break her top 10 streak.

It's currently #12 and 2 songs in the top 3 are losing major spins. Obviously some others will be soon, too, since they are peaking. Even if a song or two passes "Cry Pretty" - which isn't even likely, per se - it should be able to rise into the top 10 in a few weeks.

[musicfix18]

Ugh the country chart is so hard to watch right now due to the backlog. I can't wait for it to clear up.

Are there any other possible live performances we could get this summer? I bet they push a new single in August...

[jenglisbe]

Jun 20, 2018 9:00:46 GMT -5 musicfix18 said:

Ugh the country chart is so hard to watch right now due to the backlog. I can't wait for it to clear up.

Are there any other possible live performances we could get this summer? I bet they push a new single in August...

It’s looking to me like they may only be aiming for a top 5/10 peak and will then be pushing a new single when the album drops.

Having said that, if the album is named after “Cry Pretty,” surely they want it to be a big hit.

[musicfix18]

Jun 20, 2018 9:21:59 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

Jun 20, 2018 9:00:46 GMT -5 musicfix18 said:

Ugh the country chart is so hard to watch right now due to the backlog. I can't wait for it to clear up.

Are there any other possible live performances we could get this summer? I bet they push a new single in August...

It’s looking to me like they may only be aiming for a top 5/10 peak and will then be pushing a new single when the album drops.

Having said that, if the album is named after “Cry Pretty,” surely they want it to be a big hit.

Part of me agrees.  Carrie herself even alluded to the single's fit (or lack thereof) on radio when she thanked her fans for standing by a song that traditionally doesn't fit radio's sound.  She then talks about how much she loves the song and how important it is to her, which makes me think that they released it because it is a great song - great live performances, great reviews, demonstrates artistic growth, etc...

I say all this because so many people assume that this song will hit #1 because this is Carrie's first single with her new label.  I wonder if Carrie has stopped caring about #1s.  Everyone knows she is popular, but often times popularity comes at the expense of artistic growth and/or critical acclaim.  Maybe Carrie is now seeking those awards that have evaded her for most of this decade.  We will probably have a better picture when we hear the second single/the entire album.  

Either way, I am happy wherever the song peaks.  Would prefer a top 5 peak, but would be just as happy with a top 12 peak :)

[bigb0882]

Jun 20, 2018 9:59:23 GMT -5 musicfix18 said:

Maybe Carrie is now seeking those awards that have evaded her for most of this decade.  We will probably have a better picture when we hear the second single/the entire album.

Uh, what? Carrie is one of the most awarded country artists, especially female, of the last decade and maybe of all time?! How is this even a thought?