I Try

"I Try"
Single by Macy Gray
from the album On How Life Is
B-side	"Don't Come Around" "Rather Hazy"
Released	September 27, 1999
Format	CD single 12" maxi single
Recorded	1999
Genre	R&B, neo soul
Length	3:59
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Macy Gray Jeremy Ruzumna Jinsoo Lim David Wilder
Producer(s)	Andrew Slater
Macy Gray singles chronology
"Do Something" (1999) "I Try" (1999) "Still" (2000)

"I Try" is a hit song co-written and recorded by American musician Macy Gray. It was released in September 27, 1999, outside of United States, and later released in North America in January 25, 2000 (See below) , it was the second single from her debut album, On How Life Is. It is Gray's biggest hit to date. It peaked at number six in the United Kingdom, number five in the United States, and number one in Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Due to its success, the song was featured on the 2000 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 4

At the 2001 Grammy Awards, "I Try" won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It remains Gray's biggest hit single in the USA to date, and her only one to reach the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. The song was used in the TV sitcom Spin City, when Michael J Fox's character, Michael Flaherty was leaving his job and moving from NYC; the actor was also leaving the series after he had announced that he had Parkinson's. In 2010, the song was featured in an episode of The Office. It was also featured in the series 2 finale of Mrs. Brown's Boys during which it was sung by Brendan O'Carroll and Pat "Pepsi" Shields.

Music video

The video for the song, directed by Mark Romanek, depicts Gray waking up in a hotel room, buying flowers, and traveling through New York City, traveled through by bus and train to meet a man in a park. At the end of the video, Gray is shown to still be in in her hotel room. It is implied that she may have been dreaming the entire time and that none of the events in the video actually occurred.

At the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won Best New Artist and was nominated for Best Female Video.

Track listing

UK CD 1

1. "I Try" (Album Version)
2. "I Try" (Full Crew Mix)
3. "Don't Come Around"

UK CD 2

1. "I Try" (Album Version)
2. "I Try" (JayDee Remix)
3. "I Try" (Bob Power Remix)

European CD single

1. "I Try"
2. "Rather Hazy"
3. "I Try" (Full Crew Mix - Extended 2 - No Vocoder)

Charts

Peak positions Chart (1999-2000) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[1] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 23 Canada (RPM)[4] 2 France (SNEP)[5] 29 Germany (Official German Charts)[6] 16 Ireland (IRMA)[7] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 39 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[10] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 52 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 13 United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)[13] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 5 US Billboard Mainstream Top 40[14] 1 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[14] 21 US Billboard Adult Top 40[14] 2 US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles[15] 21

Year-end charts Chart Position UK Top 40 Singles of 1999 21 US Billboard Hot 100 of 2000[16] 26

Release history

Format	Release date
Worldwide	September 27, 1999
North America	January 25, 2000

References

1. "Australian-charts.com – Macy Gray – I Try". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
2. "Austriancharts.at – Macy Gray – I Try" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
3. "Ultratop.be – Macy Gray – I Try" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
4. Canadian peak
5. "Lescharts.com – Macy Gray – I Try" (in French). Les classement single.
6. "Musicline.de – Macy Gray Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
7. "The Irish Charts". IRMA. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Macy Gray search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
9. "Charts.org.nz – Macy Gray – I Try". Top 40 Singles.
10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Macy Gray – I Try". VG-lista.
11. "Swedishcharts.com – Macy Gray – I Try". Singles Top 100.
12. "Swisscharts.com – Macy Gray – I Try". Swiss Singles Chart.
13. "Chart Stats – Macy Gray – I Try". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
14. "On How Life Is > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
15. "Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
16. "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved 2010-08-31.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics