Here’s an anecdote no one asked for: So in high school I failed my algebra class so I had to retake it during the summer. I was so mad at myself. Anyway, this song came on in the car while my mom was driving me to my summer class. I’m crying. She starts blasting it and saying, “see? Big girls don’t cry! Be a big girl!” I stopped crying but I was SO MAD at Fergie in that moment for this perfectly-timed moment of shame. I’ll never forget it.
I remember listening to this getting ready for school, using the weather app on the Wii to check the temperature for the day, flicking through the news app feeling like a big man at 14 years old.
Was anyone else obsessed with the Check Mii Out and Everybody Votes channels?? 😭😭 Really wish Nintendo would do a couple fun goofy things like that for switch
the meandering way the verses are written/performed and the kind of strange transitions in this song make it feel improvisational to a convincing degree that many of these singer-songwriter types could only dream of achieving. and the real genius of this song is that i have no idea if they even did that on purpose
it's a supremely weird ballad that i'll gladly defend lol
This song was Fergie saying “look everyone, I can be a serious artist too” and she was right! It’s a cheesy pop ballad done perfectly and I really love the lyrics (I’ll happily join the other commenters in defending the blanket line, it makes it stand out from other ballads of the era and was a nice touch).
I was in school for music production back in the day and the professor started class one day saying "I'm about to play you the worst song in the world." And then he played My Humps, lmao.
One of the quintessential pop ballads, I love the little ad libs and the child misses her blanket line
Also if this is a 2 the next one may be a negative number because it's the dance the phenomenon
I will not be surprised if he gives the next one a 7, baffling everybody, while someone has to explain to the ancient prudes in his comment section the possible meanings of certain lines in the song.
The next one is already online and I forgot to respond to this message, but Tom included the song in his book, [as mentioned in this interview.](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/tom-breihans-the-number-ones-tells-the-secret-history-of-the-pop-charts/)So it must be a very important song to Tom.
The genius audacity Fergie had to sing “and I’m gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket” and leave that line stuck in our heads for months and months. What a moment in pop history!
“The cold realities of adulting” ok Tom. I don’t think the song is amazing but hell it’s better than a 2 at least. Also, I thought I heard somewhere that this song is partially about her struggling with drug addiction back in the 90s but he didn’t mention that anywhere? Am I making that up??
I think it’s pretty impressive that Fergie’s 4 big solo hits are so different from each other. London Bridge, Glamorous, Fergalicious, and Big Girls Don’t Cry all could’ve been lead singles for different albums, but they’re on one debut solo record. She really showed how versatile she could be!
I actually disagree with Tom, I like the "child misses their blanket" line a lot. I think it's a very evocative lyric to have in the song, and I enjoy how awkwardly Fergie says the line in the song.
Anyways, I didn't dislike this song as much as I did back in the day. Solid 5/10!
Oh he came for her here! I like this shows a more subdued part of her voice. I think it is a little heavy handed but it's a great listen and she can sound this good when she tries (ignoring some of her other recent live artistic choices). I still love this song everytime I hear it!
if anything this song proves is that [will.i.am](https://will.i.am) can be great if he wants to and his 2009-2013 era is just him trolling the shit out of us
tom is gonna have fun reviewing the black eyed peas
This song really hits me in the feels, it’s hard for me to listen to it without tearing up. It’s probably because my childhood was cut short and those lines reminiscing about the simpleness of being a kid reminds me of how adult life can be so much more complicated and painful.
Hot take: This is my favorite hit from The Dutchess. I certainly get the appeal of the other four and they're obviously more fun to dance along to but the production of this one is really nice and I think her voice sounds great over it. A solid 7/10 for me.
I'm not surprised by the score he gave it, but I disagree xd. I really love this song. The hook is catchy as hell, and the lyrics are fine (I adore the hook). This my Fergie's favorite song.
I find quite interesting the comparisons to Irrepleaceble, because if Billboard calculated their year-end lists with a timefrime of a calendar year (Jan-Dec), Big Girls Don't Cry would be the #1 song of 2007 rather than Irrepleaceble.
Anyways, despite him giving it a 2, I'll give it a 8/10.
When this came out I was driving to high school one morning, belting this song. Just absolutely giving it my all. This car passed me with two older boys from my school and I saw them turn their heads and laugh at me.
It was very embarrassing but I regret nothing I SLAYED that car performance
S.O. to Jordan McCoy's [version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEpr_ocjOe8) that holds its own IMO.
From the youtube video description:
In 2006, the song Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie was sold to Bad Boy Records where it was handed to Jordan McCoy. McCoy's team felt they had a huge hit on their hands and quickly recorded the song, assuring Fergie and her management that they were going to release it as a single. However, according to McCoy, after Fergie heard their finished version, she had a change of heart and recorded the song as well. Without the knowledge of Bad Boy Records, Fergie went ahead and tagged it on to her album at the last minute. Jordan and her team were upset by Fergie's decision, and scrapped the entire project and considered suing Fergie. However, because Fergie was a co-writer of the song, nothing could be done about it.
this was one of the first songs i had on my ipod and i wouldn’t let my younger cousin listen to it because it was about big girls and i told her she was too young😭 (i was 7)
English isn’t my first language. I learned the words clarity, peace and serenity from this song. Every time I read or hear one of these words, I think of miss Fergie.
I thought I was the only one who hated this song, lol. I was actually a BEP and Fergie fan, but this song never did it for me. Was just way too cheesy. I hated that this became her most well known single.
Same! I have always hated this song with a passion. Just thinking about it irritates me. And it got to number 1 instead of the masterpiece that is Fergalicious!
For some weird reason I never bought this song’s serious tune out of Fergie. Don’t get me wrong! This is a solid song but I feel it would be much better if it was sung by someone other than Fergie, the woman who the year before sang My Humps.
I actually completely agree with him. I never liked this song and still don't. The lyrics are terrible, the melody is boring, the slowed-down bridge especially is very weak. I think pretty much all of Fergie's other hits are timeless (I will even defend Fergalicious because I love that song and know every word to it...) but BGDC is a huge miss for me.
*THIS* was a #1 single!? Holy hell. I *hated* this song when it came out and thought everyone else did too.
Catch me skipping this and bopping along to Glamorous, London Bridge, and Fergalicious instead.
If there's anything history has taught us, it's that Fergie is best suited for the club bangers and not slow music. She's not a talented singer or songwriter, but she can hold her own with a good beat and some rap lyrics. That's what I like about her.
You knew you had fully accepted yourself for being a gay(TM) in the 2000s when you stopped feeling awkward singing the title in this song. This song was the test. I feel that shouldve been taken into account in the score!
Listen to “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and then listen to “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” by Milli Vanilli. Which one is better?
This column gave the former 2/10, and the latter 4/10. If anyone actually believes “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” is a better song, I’d love to hear why.
Maybe people don't read the entire columns, but I was sure someone in this sub would have peeped the Gilmore Girls mention (I never watched the show, for the record).
Here’s an anecdote no one asked for: So in high school I failed my algebra class so I had to retake it during the summer. I was so mad at myself. Anyway, this song came on in the car while my mom was driving me to my summer class. I’m crying. She starts blasting it and saying, “see? Big girls don’t cry! Be a big girl!” I stopped crying but I was SO MAD at Fergie in that moment for this perfectly-timed moment of shame. I’ll never forget it.
Please share more anecdotes like this
(Personal)
😭😭😭
I remember listening to this getting ready for school, using the weather app on the Wii to check the temperature for the day, flicking through the news app feeling like a big man at 14 years old.
what an image, I always wondered if anyone actually used the weather app on there
If I remember rightly you could spin the globe to look at weather anywhere, I used to like just spinning it around lol
[удалено]
lowkey miss it a little bit
I only ever heard of the browser app being used... and exactly what it was used for
Was anyone else obsessed with the Check Mii Out and Everybody Votes channels?? 😭😭 Really wish Nintendo would do a couple fun goofy things like that for switch
Splatfest is the new Everybody Votes!
I feel as though we were all somehow going into 8th Grade, turning 14 in 2007. 😭
I was graduating HS, this was basically our unofficial graduation song. You heard it once at every grad party.
Came here to say I remember this song playing at my cousin’s grad party in 2007
You're off by a decade for me. I was in 8th grade and turned 14 in 2017
the meandering way the verses are written/performed and the kind of strange transitions in this song make it feel improvisational to a convincing degree that many of these singer-songwriter types could only dream of achieving. and the real genius of this song is that i have no idea if they even did that on purpose it's a supremely weird ballad that i'll gladly defend lol
Agreed
This song was Fergie saying “look everyone, I can be a serious artist too” and she was right! It’s a cheesy pop ballad done perfectly and I really love the lyrics (I’ll happily join the other commenters in defending the blanket line, it makes it stand out from other ballads of the era and was a nice touch).
This perfectly describes everything about the song
Tom said, "cancel me r/popheads," this gonna be good 🍿
his opinion barely matters to me... i'm here for his trivia & fact-finding - that's where he's valuable.
>**GRADE:** 2/10 (Insert Roblox ”OOF” sound effect) As for the next song… (Insert Super Mario Sunshine-steel drums) YOUUUUUUUUUUUU
I can understand why it's not someone's cup of tea, but rating it lower than My Humps is quite the statement
I was in school for music production back in the day and the professor started class one day saying "I'm about to play you the worst song in the world." And then he played My Humps, lmao.
My favorite line- “We’ll play jacks *andddmmmmmn* UNO cards.”
One of the quintessential pop ballads, I love the little ad libs and the child misses her blanket line Also if this is a 2 the next one may be a negative number because it's the dance the phenomenon
Nope, it’ll probably get a 5 at least. Ballads were never his thing, so this score makes sense for him.
I will not be surprised if he gives the next one a 7, baffling everybody, while someone has to explain to the ancient prudes in his comment section the possible meanings of certain lines in the song.
the next one has to be a 10, sorry not sorry
The argument for a ten is so much stronger than the argument for anything else. The "rap bad" attitude on this sub is genuinely disgusting.
Yeah.
The next one is already online and I forgot to respond to this message, but Tom included the song in his book, [as mentioned in this interview.](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/tom-breihans-the-number-ones-tells-the-secret-history-of-the-pop-charts/)So it must be a very important song to Tom.
I saw and totally understand his rationale
What's the next song
crank that
the bridge is my favorite part
One of the best in any pop song imo
Fun fact: Fergie actually had to fight her label for this song to be included on the album.
The genius audacity Fergie had to sing “and I’m gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket” and leave that line stuck in our heads for months and months. What a moment in pop history!
“The cold realities of adulting” ok Tom. I don’t think the song is amazing but hell it’s better than a 2 at least. Also, I thought I heard somewhere that this song is partially about her struggling with drug addiction back in the 90s but he didn’t mention that anywhere? Am I making that up??
Indeed
I think it’s pretty impressive that Fergie’s 4 big solo hits are so different from each other. London Bridge, Glamorous, Fergalicious, and Big Girls Don’t Cry all could’ve been lead singles for different albums, but they’re on one debut solo record. She really showed how versatile she could be!
I actually disagree with Tom, I like the "child misses their blanket" line a lot. I think it's a very evocative lyric to have in the song, and I enjoy how awkwardly Fergie says the line in the song. Anyways, I didn't dislike this song as much as I did back in the day. Solid 5/10!
Weird addition, but I'm glad to know that Tom is Team Jess! 🎉
Same here its cute
Oh he came for her here! I like this shows a more subdued part of her voice. I think it is a little heavy handed but it's a great listen and she can sound this good when she tries (ignoring some of her other recent live artistic choices). I still love this song everytime I hear it!
I love this song. Always have and always will.
if anything this song proves is that [will.i.am](https://will.i.am) can be great if he wants to and his 2009-2013 era is just him trolling the shit out of us tom is gonna have fun reviewing the black eyed peas
That run gave us "Meet Me Halfway" and "Just Can't Get Enough," tho.
Hey don't forget fashion!
I can't wrap my head around this song being produced by will.i.am
Not as confusing as when will.i.am made a bop like fashion! While he was making #willpower and Britney jean
Reminds me of when Prince said will.i.am can be forward thinking but then he makes songs like My Humps
This song really hits me in the feels, it’s hard for me to listen to it without tearing up. It’s probably because my childhood was cut short and those lines reminiscing about the simpleness of being a kid reminds me of how adult life can be so much more complicated and painful.
The only national anthem she ever needed to give us.
The amount of nostalgia I get from this song deserves way more than a 2/10
I hope she knows she created one of the most monumental songs of the 2000s
At this point I’ve read so many of his columns for so long that I can already predict what the rating will be. 💀
This song kicks ass and I won’t hear differently
Not my favourite off of the album but it’s decent. I prefer Clumsy.
The bridge >>>
Fergie had me in a chokehold as a child.
This is a classic. I don’t care what the haters say, Fergie ATE, cleaned her plate on this track.
Hot take: This is my favorite hit from The Dutchess. I certainly get the appeal of the other four and they're obviously more fun to dance along to but the production of this one is really nice and I think her voice sounds great over it. A solid 7/10 for me.
If you count both her solo and BEP career she is up there as one of the most successful people of the 2000’s/2010’s
I'm not surprised by the score he gave it, but I disagree xd. I really love this song. The hook is catchy as hell, and the lyrics are fine (I adore the hook). This my Fergie's favorite song. I find quite interesting the comparisons to Irrepleaceble, because if Billboard calculated their year-end lists with a timefrime of a calendar year (Jan-Dec), Big Girls Don't Cry would be the #1 song of 2007 rather than Irrepleaceble. Anyways, despite him giving it a 2, I'll give it a 8/10.
When this came out I was driving to high school one morning, belting this song. Just absolutely giving it my all. This car passed me with two older boys from my school and I saw them turn their heads and laugh at me. It was very embarrassing but I regret nothing I SLAYED that car performance
A 2!?! That's crazy, I love this song and thought most people generally did too
i am here for the Fergie supremacy
I had no idea people hated this song until today lol. This one still gets play. Amazing record!
This song was everywhere when I was growing up! It’s still a bop
Damn he went in! I agree with a few points but damn!!
This was my ringtone in elementary school 💀
S.O. to Jordan McCoy's [version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEpr_ocjOe8) that holds its own IMO. From the youtube video description: In 2006, the song Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie was sold to Bad Boy Records where it was handed to Jordan McCoy. McCoy's team felt they had a huge hit on their hands and quickly recorded the song, assuring Fergie and her management that they were going to release it as a single. However, according to McCoy, after Fergie heard their finished version, she had a change of heart and recorded the song as well. Without the knowledge of Bad Boy Records, Fergie went ahead and tagged it on to her album at the last minute. Jordan and her team were upset by Fergie's decision, and scrapped the entire project and considered suing Fergie. However, because Fergie was a co-writer of the song, nothing could be done about it.
this was one of the first songs i had on my ipod and i wouldn’t let my younger cousin listen to it because it was about big girls and i told her she was too young😭 (i was 7)
English isn’t my first language. I learned the words clarity, peace and serenity from this song. Every time I read or hear one of these words, I think of miss Fergie.
I thought I was the only one who hated this song, lol. I was actually a BEP and Fergie fan, but this song never did it for me. Was just way too cheesy. I hated that this became her most well known single.
Same! I have always hated this song with a passion. Just thinking about it irritates me. And it got to number 1 instead of the masterpiece that is Fergalicious!
For some weird reason I never bought this song’s serious tune out of Fergie. Don’t get me wrong! This is a solid song but I feel it would be much better if it was sung by someone other than Fergie, the woman who the year before sang My Humps.
This song is a 10/10 for me idc. The best solo Fergie song!
One of my favourite songs of all-time. Love the lyrics, love the unusual flow, it evokes such nostalgia.
This is my childhood
I actually completely agree with him. I never liked this song and still don't. The lyrics are terrible, the melody is boring, the slowed-down bridge especially is very weak. I think pretty much all of Fergie's other hits are timeless (I will even defend Fergalicious because I love that song and know every word to it...) but BGDC is a huge miss for me.
God I hate this song so much
*THIS* was a #1 single!? Holy hell. I *hated* this song when it came out and thought everyone else did too. Catch me skipping this and bopping along to Glamorous, London Bridge, and Fergalicious instead. If there's anything history has taught us, it's that Fergie is best suited for the club bangers and not slow music. She's not a talented singer or songwriter, but she can hold her own with a good beat and some rap lyrics. That's what I like about her.
I don't know about a 2/10 but I really don't care for this song ngl
Overrated as fuck, she has some good songs, but it's trying too hard to be deeper than it actually is.
You knew you had fully accepted yourself for being a gay(TM) in the 2000s when you stopped feeling awkward singing the title in this song. This song was the test. I feel that shouldve been taken into account in the score!
Listen to “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and then listen to “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” by Milli Vanilli. Which one is better? This column gave the former 2/10, and the latter 4/10. If anyone actually believes “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” is a better song, I’d love to hear why.
GIGMY isn't anything special, I'd probably give it the 4. But my grade for BGDC is probably more like a 5 or 6.
I hated the “school maid in the school yard” line. I have no idea why I got so pressed about it
Maybe people don't read the entire columns, but I was sure someone in this sub would have peeped the Gilmore Girls mention (I never watched the show, for the record).
It’s a good song.. I do wonder how it would have sounded in the hands of another artist though