"Big Girls Don't Cry" is a song originally performed by American singer Fergie, co-written with Toby Gad. Initially released as part of her debut solo studio album The Dutchess, it was released as a single on May 22, 2007. It's one of her most critically and commercially successful singles to date.
Gad covered the song with Victoria Justice. Their version, produced by Gad himself, was released on November 3, 2023, as the lead single from his album Piano Diaries – The Hits, on which it was included as the fourth track.[1]
Background and release[]
Toby Gad wrote "Big Girls Don't Cry" with Stacy Ferguson, better known by her stage name Fergie, for her debut solo album The Dutchess, which was released on September 13, 2006. On May 22, 2007, the song was released as the fourth single from album. It became a hit, reaching number one on the major charts in more than ten countries, including the United States, where it achieved the most success of any song in Fergie's discography on the Billboard Hot 100.
On October 20, 2023, Victoria Justice announced on social media she and Gad would release a cover of the song on November 3, with a video parodying Vogue's 73 Questions. Gad revealed this would be the first song from his project Piano Diaries, which would consist of covers of eight of his greatest hits, performed by new artists in a piano style. For the first song, he chose Justice, whose songs he had been working on since 2011, but became her close collaborator after hearing her previous single "Only a Stranger" on social media.[2] Additionally, Gad, Justice, and Fergie previously worked together in 2015 on the charity single "Love Song to the Earth". Justice described "Big Girls Don't Cry" as one of her favorite songs, which is why she decided to cover it.[3] In the following days, Justice revealed on X while she felt nervous covering the song, she was also excited, but wanted to make her own version to the point she didn't even want to listen to Fergie's original.[4]
Before the song's release, Justice published several snippets online, including behind-the-scenes videos and visuals of the performance with the piano played by Gad. When released on digital music platforms, the single was released in a bundle containing the regular version along with its four mixes: euphoric, workout, moab house, and bachata.[1] Each version was eventually released separately also as a digital single.[5][6][7][8][9] A full album of covers from the project was released under the title Piano Diaries – The Hits on July 19, 2024, on which "Big Girls Don't Cry" is featured as the fourth track.[10]
Promotion[]
On the same day as the song's release, a lyric video was posted on Victoria Justice's YouTube channel. The music video premiered two weeks later. It features Toby Gad playing the piano and Justice singing in the same room. The song was also promoted by numerous shorts posted online, including the "Late Night Q&A in LA" series, in which Justice and Gad walk around Los Angeles asking each other questions. In January 2024, they appeared on an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, where they performed the song live.
Credits[]
- Personnel
- Stacy Ferguson – Writer
- Toby Gad – Producer, writer
- Victoria Justice – Vocal
- Management
- Published by Big Girls Don't Cry Publishing (ASCAP); Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP); Sony Music Publishing (Germany) GMBH (GEMA)[11]
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your hometown
I need some shelter of my own protection, baby
Be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Ha, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Verse 2]
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
[Bridge]
Like the little schoolmate in the school yard, we'll play jacks and UNO cards
I'll be your best friend and you'll be my Valentine
Yes, you can hold my hand if you want to, 'cause I wanna hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers, and share our secret worlds
But it's time for me to go home
It's getting late and dark outside
I need to be with myself and center
Clarity, peace, serenity, yeah
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Hmm, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Outro]
Da, da, da, da, da
[Verse 1]
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your hometown
I need some shelter of my own protection, baby
Be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
Big girls don't cry
[Verse 2]
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
Big girls don't cry
[Verse 1]
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your hometown
I need some shelter of my own protection, baby
Be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry
[Verse 2]
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry
Big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Intro]
And big girls don't cry
[Verse 1]
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your hometown
I need some shelter of my own protection, baby
Be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
And big girls don't cry
Ha, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Verse 2]
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Big girls don't cry
Big girls don't cry
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Verse 1]
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your hometown
I need some shelter of my own protection, baby
Be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Verse 2]
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
Big girls don't cry
[Intro]
La, da, da, da
[Verse 1]
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your hometown
I need some shelter of my own protection, baby
Be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Verse 2]
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
[Bridge]
Like the little schoolmate in the school yard, we'll play jacks and UNO cards
I'll be your best friend and you'll be my Valentine
Yes, you can hold my hand if you want to, 'cause I wanna hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers, and share our secret worlds
But it's time for me to go home
It's getting late and dark outside
I need to be with myself and center
Clarity, peace, serenity, yeah
[Chorus]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry
[Outro]
La, da, da, da, da, da
Trivia[]
- "Big Girls Don't Cry" is the second song co-written by Toby Gad that was later covered by Victoria Justice. The first one was "Cheer Me Up".
- This is Justice's third song to have more than one commercially released version – original, euphoric mix, workout mix, moab house mix, and bachata mix. The first song was "You're the Reason" and the second was "Love Song to the Earth". "Big Girls Don't Cry" has the most released versions of them.
- Justice has a playlist named "For When the Big Girls Need to Cry" on her Spotify account to promote the single. The playlist includes the original version, euphoric mix, and moab house mix of the song, as well as her previous single, "Only a Stranger".[12]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://open.spotify.com/album/5D7wiTQ45NAvKiCaIv55kJ?si=Q-duLGq9RIeOjw5a5T72jA
- ↑ https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/victoria-justice-interview-may-2024/
- ↑ https://x.com/VictoriaJustice/status/1715447058964906065
- ↑ https://x.com/VictoriaJustice/status/1715833659054608512
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/big-girls-dont-cry-piano-diaries-single/1739355960
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/big-girls-dont-cry-bachata-mix-single/1738428763
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/big-girls-dont-cry-euphoric-mix-single/1738428873
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/big-girls-dont-cry-moab-house-mix-single/1738428698
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/big-girls-dont-cry-workout-mix-single/1738428901
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/piano-diaries-the-hits/1756322060
- ↑ https://repertoire.bmi.com/Search/Search?SearchForm.Main_Search=BMI+Work+ID&SearchForm.Main_Search_Text=27368355
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68lwHDSkxDOVQ01SIiUmS7