Cruel
St. Vincent * Track #2 On Strange Mercy
Download "Cruel"
Album Strange Mercy
- #1
Chloe in the AfternoonSt. Vincent
- #2Cruel
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- #3
CheerleaderSt. Vincent
- #4
SurgeonSt. Vincent
- #5Northern Lights
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- #6Strange Mercy
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- #7Neutered Fruit
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- #8Champagne Year
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- #9Dilettante
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- #10Hysterical Strength
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- #11
Year of the TigerSt. Vincent
- #12This Wave
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Cruel by St. Vincent
Release Date
Performed by
St. VincentProduced by
John CongletonWrited by
St. VincentAbout
Cruel to be kind.
That’s how Annie Clark described the core theme of Strange Mercy. In the single “Cruel”, the former is explored as she details the subtle cruelties society inflicts on its women.
Cruel Lyrics
[Refrain]
Bodies, can't you see what everybody wants from you?
[Verse 1]
Forgive the kids
For they don't know how to live
Run the alleys, casually
[Chorus]
Cruel, cruel
[Refrain]
Bodies, can't you see what everybody wants from you?
If you could want that, too
[Verse 2]
They could take or leave you
So they took you and they left you
How could they be casually
[Chorus]
Cruel, cruel, oh-hoh
Cruel, cruel, oh-hoh
[Refrain]
Bodies, can't you see what everybody wants from you?
If you could want that, too
Then you'll be happy
[Verse 3]
You were the one waving flares in the air
So they could see you
And they were the zephyr blowing past you
Blowing fastly so they can't see you
[Chorus]
Cruel, cruel, oh-hoh
Cruel, cruel, oh-hoh
Cruel, cruel, oh-hoh
Cruel, cruel, oh-hoh
Cruel Q&A
Who wrote Cruel's ?
Cruel was written by St. Vincent.
Who produced Cruel's ?
Cruel was produced by John Congleton.
When did St. Vincent release Cruel?
St. Vincent released Cruel on Wed Aug 24 2011.
What has the media said about the song?
In 2018, NPR ranked this as the #38 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century, saying:
On her third record as St. Vincent, Annie Clark went for the jugular. Paring down her ostentatious art-rock affectations and sharpening her narrative focus allowed for an album of shimmeri...
What have she about the music video?
Well, it should be noted that it’s not that it’s my family. It’s that I’m kidnapped by a bereaved, motherless family, and they enlist me to do all these traditionally motherly tasks that I fail at—or at least, don’t reach the level of their approval. And then they bury me.
– via AV Club (September,...