The principal reason I included Big Girls Don’t Cry in my music project is because of its irresistible chorus—much like how I’m drawn to the infectious hook in Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like a Woman.”
Until researching this song I was ignorant of who Fergie was and her impact on the music industry in the 2000’s. So here goes…(big inhale)… ‘She was a member of the hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas from 2002 to 2018. She has sold over 35 million albums and 60 million singles worldwide, and is the recipient of eight Grammy Awards. Billboard ranked her among the top artists of the 2000s, and in 2010, the same publication named her Woman of the Year‘.
Today’s featured track deviates from the hip hop and urban music of Fergie’s previous singles and opts for a more simplistic pop ballad sound that incorporates acoustic elements. It talks about moving on from the pain of a breakup.
Lyrically, Big Girls Don’t Cry definitely sounds like it was written by someone who’s earned their ‘Big Girl’ badge! with lines such as:
And I’m gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket, and
I’ll be your best friend and you’ll be my Valentine
Yes, you can hold my hand if you want to
And the line ‘I need some shelter of my own protection, baby‘ amongst others I found a bit discombobulating. Fergie had quit crystal methamphetamine before this song was released. In a 2006 interview with Time Magazine she talked about quitting her addiction. “It was the hardest boyfriend I ever had to break up with,” she said.
In a later interview in 2007, Fergie admitted that she went on a sex and drugs spree when she turned eighteen, saying: “I have had lesbian experiences in the past. I won’t say how many men I’ve had sex with—but I am a very sexual person.”
[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
[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]
Big Girls Don’t Cry was released as the fourth single from Fergie’s debut studio album, The Dutchess (2006). According to Wikipedia, the critical reception of Big Girls Don’t Cry was positive, with many praising the maturity (Umm WHAT!) and simplicity displayed on the single as well as the message. The song attained the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 and was her third single from the same album to do so. It also reached number one in eleven international territories, including Australia, where it spent nine weeks at the top position, became the highest-selling song of 2007, and was certified quintuple platinum.
I’ve shared a simple lyric video below because the visuals in the official release didn’t quite suit my taste.
References:
1. Big Girls Don’t Cry (Fergie song) – Wikipedia
2. Fergie (Singer) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Great song
I like this song, which is one of the few by Fergie that I could tolerate.
That is exactly my take on Fergie. I listened to her other songs and with the Black Eyed Peas, but this is the only one I liked.
I’ve always liked this song as a catchy pop ballad. Off topic, when I heard the name Fergie at the time, I always thought of Sarah Ferguson, ex-wife of Prince Andrew – which is kind of funny since I generally don’t follow British royalty.
I do too and I found the British Royalty rigmarole dull until…. I wrote a post about a great Netflix movie concerning the Prince Andrew expose called ‘Scoop’ see below. I can see how you could mix up the names.