"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" is a song written and recorded by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

rock singer

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

, which featured on his fifth album, ''

Mercury Falling ''Mercury Falling'' is the fifth studio album by English musician Sting. It was released on 8 March 1996 through A&M Records and was produced by Sting alongside longtime producer Hugh Padgham. The album features many tracks which see elements ...

'' (1996). The song was also released as a single, and reached No.84 in the US. Sting also recorded the song as a

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

with American country music artist

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (July 8, 1961 – February 5, 2024) was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman. Keith released his chart-topping debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy", in 1993. During the 1990s ...

for Keith's 1997 album '' Dream Walkin'''; this version reached No.2 in the US

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts and No.84 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 charts, giving Sting his only country hit.

Background and release

Sting began composing the song as a rock song, but the lyrical content pushed the song in a country direction, and it evolved into a country-rock shuffle. The song begins in the key of

E-flat major E-flat major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D minor). The E-fla ...

, before modulating a

semitone A semitone, also called a minor second, half step, or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between ...

upward to

E major E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...

in the final verse. Its lyrics concern a father whose wife has left him for another man and taken their two children. After a cynical beginning, he has a revelation about the connectedness of life and the universe, and finishes the song truly 'so happy he can't stop crying'. The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song was directed by

Lol Creme Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme ( ; born 19 September 1947) is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He was later one half of the duo Godley & Creme, with 10cc drummer Kevin Godley. Creme has collaborated with ...

. During the ''Mercury Falling'' tour, Sting would often invite audience members up onto stage to sing the song along with him.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

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'' described the song as "a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

-flavored

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

that shows the artist at his most tender and engaging." He added, "It's kind of odd at first to hear Sting's reedy

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

amid the twang of a slide guitar, but it ultimately works."

Track listing

* US edition #"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" #"This Was Never Meant to Be" #"Giacomo's Blues" #"Beneath a Desert Moon" * German edition #"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" #"Giacomo's Blues" #"Moonlight" #"La Belle Dame Sans Regrets"

Charts

Toby Keith version

In 1997, American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

recorded the song for his fourth studio album, '' Dream Walkin''' (1997). His version, a duet with Sting, was released in late 1997 as the album's second single. It reached the same position as the original version on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No.84. It reached No.2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

) chart during the week ending January 17, 1998, right behind "

Just to See You Smile "Just to See You Smile" is a song written by Mark Nesler and Tony Martin, and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in August 1997 as the third single from McGraw's fourth studio album ''Everywhere''. Having spent ...

" by

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 17 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, five for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those albums have reached number one on ...

, becoming Sting's only entry on that chart. Additionally, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals.

Background

According to Keith, Sting agreed to let Keith record the song to give it a second chance at radio, as long as Sting could play

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and sing duet vocals on it. The two also performed the song at the 1997

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...

awards. In 2001, Keith told

Country Music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

that he regretted making the record, describing it as a compromise: "He was on the same label on the pop side," Keith recalls. "Everybody was talkin' about that tune, how great it was and how country it sounded. So they brought it over and said, 'Do this and we'll get Sting to come and sing on it, too.' The personalities conflicted. He's a real introvert. I was a real outgoing guy. He didn't like my abrasive and brash manner. It wasn't fun at all. It was a horrible experience."

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of ''

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Sting and Keith's voices "complement each other extremely well." She goes on to say that a great songwriter can write words and music that transcend any genre and Sting's "poignant lyrics and strong melody on this song are perfect evidence."''

'', 11 October 1997

Charts

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" debuted at number 53 on the

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart for the week of 11October 1997.

References

{{authority control 1996 singles 1997 singles Sting (musician) songs Toby Keith songs Male vocal duets Songs written by Sting (musician) Song recordings produced by James Stroud A&M Records singles Mercury Nashville singles 1996 songs Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Songs about fathers Songs about divorce