“What I Really Meant to Say”
Cyndi Thomson
Written by Tommy Lee James, Cyndi Thomson, and Chris Waters
Radio & Records
#1 (3 weeks)
September 14 – September 28, 2001
Billboard
#1 (3 weeks)
September 22 – October 6, 2001
Cyndi Thomson chose to walk away from her recording contract after releasing a successful debut album.
It was a surprising – and thankfully, not permanent – decision that came while the industry itself was shifting away from female artists making sophisticated pop country like “What I Really Meant to Say,” a classic hit that only hints at the complexity of her songwriting and the depth of her vocals across My World, one of the strongest country albums released in 2001.
She has a real ear for a pop hook, and the way the emotion builds in the chorus and then resets each time it ends makes for a satisfying feedback loop. It does feel very much like a 2001 debut single, with her label playing it safe the first time out. We only get hints of the expressive scope of her vocals on this track, which are so much more evident on her best single, “I Always Liked That Best,” and the Kim Richey co-write “I’m Gone,” which served as the album’s final hit single. But we do get a fresh and innovative arrangement that sounds nothing like anything that was played on the radio before or since. Bring back the penny whistle, Nashville!
Thomson resurfaced as a writer, playing a hand in one of Gary Allan’s best hits, “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful.” She most recently released “Devil’s Hands,” a song that is in contention for the best single of 2025 right here at Country Universe.
“What I Really Meant to Say” gets an A.
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My World was among my Top 10 favorite albums of any genre back in ’01. Cyndi Thomson’s gorgeous voice always suggested a sturdier Deana Carter as the two displayed the same languid, occasionally drawn out phrasing but Thomson possessed the stronger vocal
instrument. The fact that What I Really Meant To Say is only the third best single off that album and is still an A tells you about the singular quality on display. And yes, there’s no such thing as too much tin whistle! Reminds me alot of my beloved Corrs.
I suspect I’ll once again be the wet blanket on this one as I could never understand the appeal of this song. It was deeply impressive for a new artist to break through with a multi-week #1 amidst the hypercompetitive radio climate of 2001 so I’ll chalk this one up to a “me problem”, but even revisiting the song for the first time in 20 years didn’t soften my ambivalence toward it. It still sounds like a flyweight hybrid of vastly superior songs by Earl Thomas Conley and Wade Hayes. The only element that stands out for me is the opening musical salvo which I’ve never been able to identify but which you helpfully identify as a “penny whistle”. That was definitely a cool production trick.
I can’t say that I loved any of Cyndi’s three singles released to radio but “I Always Liked That Best” certainly showed the most potential with its sexy lyrics and sultry vocals. I was really surprised it wasn’t a much bigger hit, and it suggested that radio was already beginning its post-9/11 pivot away from women. I didn’t realize “I’m Gone” was a Kim Richey song. I normally love Richey but that one didn’t work for me. With all that said, I was disappointed when Thomson checked out after a single album (presumably so did Clay Davidson from this era???) as I saw potential for her to be the kind of artist I could rally around more than I did with her debut. Indeed, “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful” is an outstanding song and I’d love to hear Thomson’s vocals matched with those lyrics.
Anyway, I’m on an island so far with this review and I’ll be curious to see if that holds as other reviews roll in.
Grade: C
2001-me chafed against the breathy vocal style.
2025-me loves the nuanced lyrics, pop production style, and especially the Penny whistle. Paul Worley loves his Penny whistle as this is like the fourth song I heard him use it on.
Great stuff. She deserved more hits, but I’m glad she’s still a known quantity.