Songfacts®:

• "Cry Baby" is a collaboration between Clean Bandit, Anne-Marie, and David Guetta that explores the aftermath of a relationship gone awry. Anne-Marie sings about the heartache of betrayal, before moving on while her ex is left wallowing in regret and tears.
• This song marks the third time Clean Bandit and Anne-Marie have joined forces, following their massive 2016 hit "Rockabye" and 2018's "Should've Known Better."
  
  It's also the third collaboration between Anne-Marie and David Guetta, who previously worked together on the 2018 track "Don't Leave Me Alone" and the 2023 banger "Baby Don't Hurt Me."
  
  "Cry Baby" is the first time Clean Bandit and David Guetta have teamed up directly, though the band's keyboard player, Jack Patterson, co-wrote and co-produced Jamaican rapper Sean Paul's 2018 song "Mad Love" with David Guetta.
• The origins of "Cry Baby" date back to 2020 when Anne-Marie, Camille Purcell, Jack Patterson, and Steve Mac penned the song. It was Anne-Marie who introduced them to David Guetta. They sent him the track to see if he was interested, and to their delight, he was so enthusiastic that he Zoom-called them immediately with ideas.
  
  Despite their initial eagerness to release the song, it took four years of experimentation - playing with country influences and different tempos - before Clean Bandit finally settled on an early version of the track. "Cry Baby" was released on August 9, 2024, and holds the distinction of being Clean Bandit's first release under their new label, B1 Recordings.
• The single's long gestation means it's an emotional song for Clean Bandit cello player Grace Chatto.
  
  "It's hard to express in words how much 'Cry Baby' means to me," she said. "It came out delicate, playful and soft, despite the song's deep pain. It still makes me cry sometimes when I listen to it, four years on from when we started it. I'm so grateful it is finally out in the world."
• Anne-Marie gave fans their first taste of "Cry Baby" during her Scarborough concert on June 20, 2024, as part of her Unhealthy Club Tour. The song quickly became a staple of her setlist, with notable performances at major venues, including the Glastonbury Festival.
• Clean Bandit directed the accompanying music video. There is an eclectic mix of guest appearances, including TikTok-famous trainspotter Francis Bourgeois and Nigerian singer-songwriter Ruger.
  
  The visual follows Anne-Marie as she embarks on a whimsical train journey - aptly named the Cry Baby Express - after parting ways with her unfaithful partner. Jack and Luke Patterson are the train drivers, while Grace Chatto, ever the multitasker, serves tea and plays the cello. The train is a marvel, hand-built by Chatto's father, adding a charmingly personal touch to the production.
  
  Making the music video was a bit of a passion project for the band. "We haven't made a music video ourselves in a while," Chatto told Official Charts, "and it's just turned into this epic project. We built a train, an actual train, for the new video. Francis Bourgeois is in the video, and we even consulted him on the different models we could use and stuff."
• "Cry Baby" continues Clean Bandit's playful naming trend, following in the footsteps of their previous hits "Tears" and "Baby."