Gabriella Lucia Cilmi (born 10 October 1991) is an Australian singer-songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Gabriella Lucia Cilmi (born 10 October 1991) is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA Music Awards, including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist. Her debut album, Lessons to Be Learned, was released in March 2008, becoming a moderate international success. Her second studio album, Ten, was released in March 2010. Her third studio album, The Sting, was released in November 2013.

Gabriella Cilmi was born in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. Of Italian and Albanian heritage, she moved to London with her family when she was fifteen, where she currently lives with her parents Paula and Joe (whose origins are in Calabria and Sicily, Italy) and her brother Joseph.

At an early age, Cilmi developed an interest in a wide range of pop music acts, including Nina Simone, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Sweet, T. Rex and Cat Stevens. She has also cited Suzi Quatro as a particular influence. Despite her natural aptitude and vocal talent, Cilmi was told that she lacked the discipline necessary to pursue a singing career. Idolising Janis Joplin, during this time she sang with a band (Foucault) covering songs by Led Zeppelin, Jet, Silverchair and others. Cilmi recorded original songs with writer/producers Barbara and Adrian Hannan of The SongStore.

In 2004, Cilmi captured the attention of Warner Music executive Michael Parisi while giving an impromptu rendition of the Rolling Stones' song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at the Lygon Street Festa, a community festival in Melbourne. At the age of 13, Cilmi travelled to the US and UK with Adrian Hannan and was offered four major US deals. She eventually signed a contract with Island Records UK.

Cilmi's first album, Lessons to Be Learned, was written and recorded with hit production team Xenomania and was released in March 2008 in the UK. Cilmi has been compared to Amy Winehouse. The first single, "Sweet About Me", debuted on the UK Singles Chart that month and climbed to number six three months later, in June. It reached number seventeen on the Irish Singles Chart, and peaked at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song was used in a worldwide advertising campaign for the deodorant Sure/Rexona. Cilmi's second UK single, "Save the Lies", was not as successful as "Sweet About Me", peaking at number thirty-three in the UK. In Australia, the second single from the album was "Don't Wanna Go to Bed Now", which reached number twenty-eight. The subsequent single, "Sanctuary", was issued in November 2008 and failed to chart.

The lead single of Gabriella Cilmi's Ten is "On a Mission". It was released on 5 February 2010 in Australia and on 7 March 2010 in Europe. As soon as the song was broadcast on Australian radios, it reached number-one most added track to Australian radio in its second week of release, getting played 296 times. The song reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart and number sixteen in Australia.

The new album Ten was planned for 22 March 2010 and Cilmi said it would feature "lots of uptempo funk and disco-inspired numbers designed to make people groove", referring to "On a Mission", "Hearts Don't Lie", and "Love Me Cos", as well as "some more sexy tracks" probably referring to "Superhot" and "Invisible Girl". The song "Boys" incorporates a type of yodel into it. The song "Let Me Know" is described as the "Lessons To Be Learned-ish" song of the album.

It also features a new version of "Sweet About Me", with some disco/electronic style to show her music has changed.

While producing the album, Cilmi worked with Greg Kurstin, The Invisible Men and Dallas Austin, as well as Xenomania. She made her debuts in producing songs with the track "Love Me Cos", she says the song she is most proud of due to the fact it was produced with her band. It features production from Xenomania, Dallas Austin and Greg Kurstin, and bears an electropop sound in contrast to her first album, which had more of a pop/rock style.

By October 2010, Cilmi had already begun work on her third studio album. She has been quoted as saying: "It's totally exciting because I am spending a bit more time with this record. I want to see what works. I really love Dolly Parton, roots music, Tricky and Enya, so anything could happen."

On 20 January 2012, Cilmi released an acoustic version of a song from her album, "Vicious Love". It is played in a clip video where she sings with her band and walks around an Italian restaurant with sunglasses. Two days after the broadcast, she says: "This is an 'Acoustic-ish' version of a tune that will be on the new record, one that I love very much". The song has blues influences, contrasting the disco-inspired pop sound of Ten. Cilmi claims she felt pressured into adopting a more sexual image, which prompted her to part ways with Island Records and her management team. She also told the Herald Sun that the lacklustre commercial reception of her second album, Ten, taught her not to compromise herself or her music: "It was an awakening for me to realise the position I am in to make the record that I want to make and just stand up for myself."

On 22 January 2012, Cilmi explained how the song "Vicious Love" was inspired. She states: "If you've ever experienced any type of 'Vicious Love' you will know that sometimes despite all the arrows pointing to a dead end there is just no way out, there is no way back. But then again don't all roads lead to dead ends? Guess we should just enjoy the ride..."

In March 2013, Cilmi first performed "Sweet About Me", as well as two new songs "Come Wander With Me" and "Sweeter in History", at the Moxafrica Festival. On 15 March, the clip from her new single "Sweeter in History", is shown on her YouTube page. It was shot in Italy, precisely in Cassino and Valvori, Lazio. In July 2013, Cilmi announced a new track called "The Sting", released on 2 September as the album's lead single. The artwork of the single was revealed on 15 July 2013, picturing Cilmi in black and white, in front of a flower field. Cilmi's third studio album, The Sting, will be released on 4 November 2013 on her own UK-based imprint Sweetness Tunes, in association with Absolute Marketing & Distribution."Symmetry" is set to be released on 11 November as the album's second single.

Cry Me A River
Gabriella Cilmi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You were my sun, you were my earth
But you didn't know all the ways I loved you, no
So you took a chance, made other plans
But I bet you didn't think that they would come crashing down, no

You don't have to say, what you did
I already know, I found out from him
Now there's just no chance

With you and me
There'll never be
Don't it make you sad about it?

You told me you love me
Why did you leave me all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me on the phone
Girl I refuse
You must have me confused with some other guy
The bridges were burned
Now it's your turn, to cry

Cry me a river
Cry me a river
Cry me a river
Cry me a river

You know that they say somethings are better left unsaid
It wasn't like you only talked to him
And you know it
(Don't act like you don't know it)
All of these things people told me
Keep messing with my head
Should've picked honesty
Then you may not have thought it

You don't have to say, what you did
I already know, I found out from him
Now there's just no chance
With you and me
There'll never be
Don't it make you sad about it?

You told me you love me
Why did you leave me all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me on the phone
Girl I refuse
You must have me confused with some other guy
The bridges were burned
Now it's your turn, to cry

Cry me a river (Go on and just)
Cry me a river (Go on and just)
Cry me a river (Baby go on and just)
Cry me a river

Oh!
The damage is done, so I guess I be leaving

Oh!
The damage is done, so I guess I be leaving

Oh!
The damage is done, so I guess I be leaving

Oh!
The damage is done, so I guess I be leaving

You don't have to say, what you did
I already know, I found out from him
Now there's just no chance
With you and me
There'll never be
Don't it make you sad about it?

Cry me a river (Go on and just)
Cry me a river (Baby go on and just)
Cry me a river (You can go on and just)
Cry me a river

Cry me a river (Baby go on and just)
Cry me a river (Go on and just)
Cry me a river (Oh baby cry)
Cry me a river (I don't wanna cry no more)

Cry me a river
Cry me a river
Cry me a river
Cry me a river

Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)
Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)
Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)
Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)

Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)

Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)
Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)

Overall Meaning

In “Cry Me a River,” Gabriella Cilmi sings about a past lover who betrayed her trust, and now she wants him to feel the pain she is going through by crying his eyes out. In the first verse, she reminisces about the times when she loved him unconditionally, but the person she was investing her emotions in did not appreciate it fully. He left her heartbroken after making other plans, and she knew he would regret his actions. In the chorus, Gabriella tells him that she already knows about his infidelity and that he doesn't have to tell her again. But now, it is too late to turn back or try to make amends, as there is nothing left between them.

In the second verse, Gabriella points out how people told her about the situation but wishes that he could have been honest as it could have saved their relationship. But now, it's too late, and she wants nothing else than to see her lover cry. Through the repetition of the words 'cry me a river' in the outro, Gabriella emphasizes how much she wants him to feel every bit of pain that she has experienced because of him. The concluding lines, "The damage is done, so I guess I'll be leaving," indicate that the relationship is over and that Gabriella has moved on from him.

Line by Line Meaning

You were my sun, you were my earth
You were the center of my world, my everything

But you didn't know all the ways I loved you, no
You didn't realize the depth of my love for you

So you took a chance, made other plans
You decided to take a risk and pursue something else

But I bet you didn't think that they would come crashing down, no
But you probably didn't anticipate the consequences of your actions

You don't have to say, what you did
You don't need to explain your actions

I already know, I found out from him
I already know the truth about what you did, I found out from someone else

Now there's just no chance, with you and me, there'll never be
Our relationship is over, there is no hope for us to be together again

Don't it make you sad about it?
Aren't you upset about what happened between us?

You told me you love me, why did you leave me all alone?
You claimed to love me, so why did you abandon me?

Now you tell me you need me, when you call me on the phone
Now you claim to need me when you contact me

Girl I refuse, you must have me confused with some other guy
I don't want you back, you're mistaken if you think I would take you back

The bridges were burned, now it's your turn, to cry
You caused damage to our relationship, now it's your turn to feel the pain

Cry me a river
Let out your emotions, cry all you want

You know that they say somethings are better left unsaid
Some things are better off not being said or kept secret

It wasn't like you only talked to him, and you know it
You weren't just casually talking to him, you were doing more

(Don't act like you don't know it)
(Don't pretend like you're ignorant)

All of these things people told me, keep messing with my head
What people told me is affecting me emotionally and mentally

Should've picked honesty, then you may not have thought it
If you had been truthful, maybe things would have turned out differently

Oh! The damage is done, so I guess I be leaving
The harm has been done, so I'm leaving

Cry me a river (Go on and just),
Cry as much as you need to

Cry me a river (Baby go on and just)
Let it all out

Cry me a river (You can go on and just)
Keep crying, you have the right to do so

Cry me a river (I don't wanna cry no more)
I don't want to cry anymore, but you can if you need to

Cry me a river (Cry me, cry me)
Keep crying, let out everything you feel

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Justin R. Timberlake, Timothy Z. Mosley, Scott Spencer Storch

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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