Cups (song)

"Cups (Pitch Perfect's 'When I'm Gone')"
A woman is seen with headphones around her neck looking to the corner. Above her, the words Anna Kendrick and Cups (Pitch Perfects "When I'm Gone") are in bold.
Single by Anna Kendrick
from the EP More from Pitch Perfect
Released
  • March 26, 2013 (US single)
  • October 28, 2013 (UK single)
Recorded2012
GenreFolk pop
Length2:07
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Cups" is the only song released and performed by American actress Anna Kendrick on the 2012 extended play (EP) More from Pitch Perfect. The song rose to prominence following its debut in Pitch Perfect (2012). Republic Records released the "Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone" remix on March 26, 2013. The original folk song was written in 1931 by A. P. Carter, and in 2009 it was reworked by British musicians Heloise Tunstall-Behrens and Luisa Gerstein recording under the group name Lulu and the Lampshades.

A folk pop song, Kendrick's version uses the children's clapping game known as the cup game for its percussion. The music video was directed by Jason Moore and released on April 12, 2013; Kendrick appears as a waitress who imagines everyone drumming their cups along with the tune. It reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Kendrick her first top-10 record in the United States. It was also a top 30 hit in Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.