On May 31, 2013, Cassadee Pope released her song “Wasting All These Tears.” The track was her debut country single, but far from her first foray into the music business.
Pope was no stranger to music and touring by the time she dropped “Wasting All These Tears”: The Florida native had spent the previous few years fronting the high-energy pop-rock band Hey Monday, and then followed that up by winning Season 3 of The Voice. In other words, expectations were high; however, Pope more than rose to the occasion with the tune, which was co-written by Caitlyn Smith and Rollie Gaalswyk.
On “Wasting All These Tears,” moody pedal steel, fiddle and banjo underscore Pope’s emotional, clear-eyed vocals, which take cues from both mainstream pop (specifically Avril Lavigne) and torchy country. It’s a combination that works well with the song’s classic themes: being dumped by an unworthy ex and working to get over the resulting heartbreak.
“I don’t even remember / Why I’m wasting all these tears on you,” Pope sings plaintively. “I wish I could erase our memory / ‘Cause you didn’t give a damn about me.” Finally, Pope concludes once and for all that she’s “through wasting all these tears on you.”
“Wasting All These Tears” landed at No. 5 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart (and No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100) and was eventually certified platinum. The song also appeared on Pope’s debut country album, Frame By Frame, and helped push that LP to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart.
The video for “Wasting All These Tears,” which illustrates a no-good-cheating ex and Pope wallowing in melancholy, also struck a chord: It won Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2014 CMT Music Awards. Press play above to watch.
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