Break My Heart (Dua Lipa song)
"Break My Heart" is a song by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was written by Lipa, Ali Tamposi, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson, and Andrew Watt, while the production was handled by Watt alongside the Monsters & Strangerz. Due to a similarity to the guitar riff in INXS's 1987 song "Need You Tonight", band members Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence are also credited as writers, and the similarity is credited as an interpolation. The song was released for digital download and streaming through Warner Records as the third single from Future Nostalgia on 25 March 2020. It is a retro-futuristic dance-pop and disco-funk song with elements of house and 1980s music that is set to a Europop beat. A vulnerable song, it sees Lipa questioning whether a new love will leave her broken-hearted.
"Break My Heart"
25 March 2020
2019
- Gold Tooth (Beverly Hills)
- Oddities (London)
3:41
- Dua Lipa
- Melissa Webb
- Andrew Wotman
- Ali Tamposi
- Stefan Johnson
- Jordan K. Johnson
- Andrew Farriss
- Michael Hutchence
- Andrew Watt
- The Monsters & Strangerz
Several music critics commended the production elements of "Break My Heart" as well as its "Need You Tonight" interpolation; some thought it sounded too similar to its influences. The song placed on numerous best of 2020 year-end lists, including ones published by Billboard, The New York Times and NPR, while also receiving numerous awards as well as nominations including Song of the Summer at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards and Song of the Year at the 46th People's Choice Awards. Commercially, the song reached the top ten of charts in twenty-one countries, including a number one peak in Israel. This also included the UK Singles Chart, where the song peaked at number six. The song is certified platinum or higher in ten countries, including a double diamond certification in Brazil, a double platinum certification in Australia and a platinum certification in the UK.
The music video for "Break My Heart" premiered on 26 March 2020. It was directed by Henry Scholfield and filmed in Bulgaria. The video features 1990s-influenced slide clips that see Lipa in numerous situations going from vulnerable to empowered after she falls for someone who's pulling away from her. Some of these situations include running through a traffic-jammed block, dancing in a club and dancing on the end of a broken plane. Several critics praised the high quality of the video and its use of colour. It won Best Pop Video at the 2020 UK Music Video Awards. Lipa performed the song on numerous occasions, including on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Big Brother Brasil 20 and Graduate Together. Several remixes including ones by Jax Jones, Joris Voorn and Moon Boots were also released.
Critical reception[edit]
Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic praised the song's mix of inspirations, and Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone labelled the INXS influence "bewitching".[71][72] In a separate Rolling Stone review, Althea Legaspi called "Break My Heart" a "dance-driven song" who's "sentiment is soothed by a beat that aims for the dance floor".[73] Idolator's Mike Nied wrote that the song adds "depth" to Lipa's discography, while calling it a "stone-cold bop". He continued, describing its beats as "deceptively bright", while viewing the song as "retro-inspired".[74] Courteney Larocca and Callie Ahlgrim, writing for Business Insider Australia, praised the song's "polished" and "minimalistic" production.[23] God Is in the TV's Jonathan Wright praised the song's bassline, calling it "spectacular", while Thomas Stichbury of Attitude stated that the bassline is "broody".[75][76] Crack Magazine's Michael Cragg categorised Lipa's vocals on the song as "swollen".[24]
Rob Harvilla of The Ringer highlighted "Break My Heart" as Future Nostalgia's lustiest track, and Bianca Gracie, for Billboard called it a "downright sexy jam".[77][78] For Under the Radar, Conrad Duncan complimented it for playing to Lipa's strengths as a "fantastically sleek dance record for those who suspect they may be better off single rather than forcing love with people too immature to give or receive it".[79] In the Gay Times, Daniel Megarry called the song "effortlessly cool" and stated it "culminates in one of the catchiest sure-to-be-hits of the year".[80] Gigwise editor Jordan Emery complimented the sample saying it sounds "even more fun now than it ever did".[81] Bailey Slater of Wonderland praised Lipa for tackling the subject of "romance and all its tribulations" in a "more hedonistic way than before", giving listeners the "well-needed hope and self-assurance that love isn’t all doom and gloom after all".[82]
Chris Willman of Variety compared the song's funk guitar line to the music of Chic, while musicOMH's Nick Smith compared the line to "Lovefool" (1996) by The Cardigans.[20][83] The PopMatters staff gave mixed reviews, averaging "Break My Heart" at 5.67/10. Ian Rushbury gave a 5/10, calling it a "forgettable piece of airbrushed pop", while Jordan Blum rated the song 4/10, comparing it to "Just Give Me a Reason" (2013) by Pink, as well as calling it "unoriginal", "disposable", and "blatant plagiarism". Steve Horowitz provided the most positive review at PopMatters, giving the song an 8/10, praising its meaning and production.[84] Jim Farber of Vogue opined that "Break My Heart" is a contender for song of the summer, viewing it as "exciting, catchy and totally danceable".[28] In Time, Raisa Bruner wrote that the song is "bouncy and sparkling with a get-up-and-dance spirit".[85]
Accolades[edit]
"Break My Heart" placed on year-end, best of 2020 lists by numerous publications. Genius ranked it as the fourth best song of the year.[86] Billboard hailed the song as 2020's tenth best song.[87] That publication also placed the "Need You Tonight" interpolation as one of the best interpolations of the 21st century with writer Andrew Unterberger saying it "adds to both the anxiety and allure" of the song's hook.[88] NPR placed it as 2020's 39th best song while writer Otis Hart ranked it at number two on his year-end list.[89][90] In The New York Times, writer Jon Caramanica ranked it as the 29th best song of the year on his year-end list.[91] "Break My Heart" also received numerous awards and nominations. It was nominated for Most Performed Australian Work and Most Performed Pop Work at the APRA Music Awards of 2021,[92] Favorite International Hit at the 2020 Nickelodeon Meus Prêmios Nick,[93] Global Hit at the 2020 MTV Millennial Awards Brazil,[94] Song of Summer at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards,[95] and Song of the Year at the 46th People's Choice Awards.[96] The song won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for Winning Songwriters at the 2021 ceremony as well as a 202 Hito Pop Music Award for Western Songs of the Year.[97][98] It was awarded an iHeartRadio Titanium Award for receiving one billions spins on the station in the United States.[99]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United Kingdom, "Break My Heart" debuted at number 76 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart dated 27 March 2020.[100] The following week, it entered the UK Singles Chart at its peak position of number six, becoming Lipa's fifteenth entry on the chart and her ninth single to appear in the top ten.[101][102] The song spent a total of 20 consecutive weeks on the chart, dropping out in August 2020.[102] In January 2021, the song was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 600,000 track-equivalent units in the United Kingdom.[103] On the Irish Singles Chart, the song debuted at number three, its peak position, behind Lipa's previous single "Physical" (2020) and "Roses" (2019) by Saint Jhn.[104] The song debuted at number 83 on the Scottish Singles Chart dated 27 March 2020, after only one day of tracking.[105] It later peaked at number 14 on the chart four weeks later.[106]
In Germany, "Break My Heart" reached number 26 while it peaked at number 56 in France.[107][108] The song was awarded a platinum certification for selling 200,000 track-equivalent units in France, from the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).[109] In Australia, the song debuted at its peak position of number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart, becoming Lipa's sixth top ten entry on the chart.[110] It spent two non-consecutive weeks in the position and spent 27 weeks on the chart.[111] The song was awarded a double platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling 140,000 track-equivalent units.[112] On the New Zealand singles chart, the song spent 20 weeks with a debut and peak of number 12.[113] The Recorded Music NZ awarded the song a platinum certification for selling 30,000 track-equivalent units in New Zealand.[114]
In the United States, "Break My Heart" debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated 11 April 2020, Lipa's highest debut on the chart.[115] In its 20th week on the chart, the song peaked at number 13, and left the chart 12 weeks later.[116] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the song a platinum certification for sales of 1,000,000 track-equivalent units in the US.[117] On the Canadian Hot 100, "Break My Heart" debuted at number 47 in April 2020 and later peaked at number 13 in July of the year.[118][119] For track-equivalent unit sales of 400,000 in Canada, the song was awarded a five times platinum certification from Music Canada.[120] In Brazil, the song reached number 43 and was awarded a double diamond certification from Pro-Música Brasil for track-equivalent sales of 320,000 units.[121][122] It also charted at number 23 on Brazil's April 2020 monthly streaming chart.[123]
Music video[edit]
Background and production[edit]
The accompanying music video for "Break My Heart" premiered via YouTube on 26 March 2020. It was directed by Henry Scholfield, who also directed Lipa's videos for "Lost in Your Light", "New Rules" (both 2017), and "IDGAF" (2018).[124] The visual was shot in Bulgaria in January 2020 over the course of three days.[125][126] It features slide clips that were inspired by the 1990s as well as a colour palette from the early works of Pedro Almodóvar and iridescent landscapes from Japanese hotels.[127][128] During filming for the video, Lipa had a case of the flu.[129] For creation of it, VFX, wire work, and a tilting set were used.[130] The sets for the music video were built across three stages and designed by Mark Connell.[130]