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"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
Single by Sting
from the album Mercury Falling
Released	1 October 1996 (1996-10-01)
Genre	Rock, country rock
Length	4:00
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Sting
Producer(s)	Hugh Padgham, Sting
Sting singles chronology
"I Was Brought to My Senses" (1996) "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (1996) "On Silent Wings" (1997)
Music video
"Sting - I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" on YouTube

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" is a song written and recorded by English rock singer Sting, which featured on his fifth album, Mercury Falling (1996). The song was also released as a single, and reached No. 84 in the US. Sting also recorded the song as a duet with American country music artist Toby Keith for Keith's 1997 album Dream Walkin'; this version reached No. 2 in the US Hot Country Songs 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, before modulating a semitone upward to E major 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 for the song was directed by Lol Creme.

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 from Billboard described the song as "a country-flavored ballad 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 amid the twang of a slide guitar, but it ultimately works."

Track listing

• US edition

1. "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
2. "This Was Never Meant to Be"
3. "Giacomo's Blues"
4. "Beneath a Desert Moon"

• German edition

1. "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
2. "Giacomo's Blues"
3. "Moonlight"
4. "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets"

Charts

Toby Keith version

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"
Single by Toby Keith and Sting
from the album Dream Walkin'
B-side	"Jacky Don Tucker (Play by the Rules Miss All the Fun)"
Released	6 October 1997 (1997-10-06)
Genre	Country, country rock
Length	4:03
Label	Mercury Nashville 568114
Songwriter(s)	Sting
Producer(s)	James Stroud Toby Keith
Toby Keith singles chronology
"We Were in Love" (1997) "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (1997) "Dream Walkin'" (1998)
Sting singles chronology
"On Silent Wings" (1997) "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (1997) "Roxanne '97" (1997)

In 1997, American country music singer Toby Keith 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 Hot Country Songs) chart during the week ending January 17, 1998, right behind "Just to See You Smile" by Tim McGraw, 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 and sing duet vocals on it. The two also performed the song at the 1997 Country Music Association awards. In 2001, Keith told Country Music 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 Billboard 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."

Charts

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" debuted at number 53 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of 11 October 1997.

References

1. Garbarini, Vic (July 1996). "Interview with Sting". Guitar World.
2. Contemporary Country (1 ed.). Hal Leonard Corporation. 1999. pp. 130–138. ISBN 0-634-01594-X.
3. Flick, Larry (17 August 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
4. "Response from ARIA re: Sting ARIA singles chart history, received 9 April 2018". Imgur.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the single's peak on the national chart.
5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9720." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
6. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9811." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
7. "Sting – I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
10. "Sting Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "Sting Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
12. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dream Walkin' review". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
13. "Toby Keith Grammy Awards". Retrieved 12 December 2021.
14. "Keith, Sting duet gives tune second wind". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 7 November 1997. pp. P3. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
15. Wix, Kimmy (24 September 1997). "31st Annual CMA Awards Show". CMT. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
16. "Walking Tall" (PDF). Country Music. 2001-10-11: 33. October–November 2001.
17. Billboard, 11 October 1997
18. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3441." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 26 January 1998. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
19. "Toby Keith Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
20. "Toby Keith Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
21. "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved 14 July 2013.

• 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