And yes, tired as that metaphor may be, the butterfly is the ultimate symbol of change and transformation. In another scene, Max stands behind a dew drop (or is it teardrop?)-drenched spider web gazing at a butterfly atop her finger. While it might apply to the trio themselves borrowing from the metamorphosing aesthetic of The Secret World of Alex Mack, here it is the tear drop shapes that shift and transmogrify.

And don’t forget the shape-mutating element that appears in said video as well. Looking like Lady Gaga as usual (try as she might to differentiate with her “signature” haircut), it’s no wonder she should also come up with her own “roundabout” version of “Rain on Me.” And in its own way, the single follows the tradition of an “anthem” of strength like Britney’s “Stronger.” The visual nods to TLC (apparently more influential on a girl growing up in Wisconsin than we imagined) continue as Max’s tears form surrealistic shapes (think: Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures) before an entire body of water appears for Max to confidently wade in like this is now the “Waterfalls” video. Even though Britney Spears’ lyric, “Every time I try to fly I fall” is probably more accurate. This, naturally, adheres to the chorus, “Every time I cry, I get a little bit stronger.” Or so we must tell ourselves as a means to normalize the waterworks (or what some might call “feeling our feelings”).

No stranger to writing songs about crying, the track is not only a “Rain on Me” knockoff, but something of a “companion piece” to her song, “Salt,” which declares, “I’m all out of salt, I’m not gonna cry/Won’t give you what you want/‘Cause I look way too good tonight/I’m all out of salt, tears are running dry.” Speaking of that “dryness,” the “EveryTime I Cry” video takes place against a desert wasteland that’s been compared to the tableau of TLC’s “Unpretty” and Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever.” The arid landscape is meant to mirror how Max is able to restore strength to the environment (a metaphor for her own mind and body) the more tears she cries. On the heels of Heaven & Hell’s last release, “My Head & My Heart,” this one is a standalone likely to appear on whatever her sophomore album will be called. Because sad dance anthems have been the way of summer ever since Reich & Bleich remixed Lana Del Rey in 2012, Ava Max continues the tradition with her quelle tristesse but I’ll make it hot-inspired single, “EveryTime I Cry.” Although the song was released in June, Max’s new video for it has resuscitated its chances for 2021 memorability.

Everytime i cry ava max