Un-Break My Heart


"Un-Break My Heart" is a song performed by American singer Toni Braxton, from her second studio album, Secrets. The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was released as the second single from the album in October 1996, through LaFace Records. The song is a ballad about a "blistering heartbreak" in which Braxton begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. It won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997.
"Un-Break My Heart" attained commercial success worldwide. In the United States, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed a total of eleven weeks, while reaching the same position on the Hot Dance Club Songs and Adult Contemporary component charts. When Billboard celebrated their 40 years charting from 1958 to 1998, the song was declared as the most successful song by a solo artist in the Billboard Hot 100 history. In Europe, the song reached the top five in more than ten countries while peaking at number one in Austria, Belgium, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Bille Woodruff directed the accompanying video for the single. It portrays Braxton mourning the death of her lover, while remembering the good times they had together. Braxton performed the song on the opening ceremony of the 1996 Billboard Music Awards. "Un-Break My Heart" has been covered by several artists, including American alternative rock band Weezer on the album Death to False Metal.

Background

wrote "Un-Break My Heart" in 1995. When asked about her songwriting process, she said that songs usually come to her from a title, a chorus, or a drum beat. "Un-Break My Heart" was conceived from its title, and, according to Warren, "it popped into my head, and I thought, 'I don't think I've heard that before, that's kind of interesting.' I started playing around on the piano with these chords and did a key change, and then I knew, 'OK, this is magic.'" Warren further explained that she wrote "Un-Break My Heart" as a ballad and dance song, because that was the way she heard it. She said: "some people only know it as a – gay – dance song!"
When Warren played the finished song to Arista Records' president L.A. Reid, he thought it would fit Braxton's then upcoming album. When "Un-Break My Heart" was sent to Braxton, she expressed dislike for the song. According to Warren, "Toni hated the song. She didn't want to do it." Reid was able to convince Braxton to record it, and it later became her signature song. Following the recording sessions of the song, Braxton approached Warren and explained why she was skeptical about recording it, further explaining that she didn't want another "heartbreak track".
Recording sessions occurred at The Record Plant and Chartmarker Studios in Los Angeles, California in the same year. "Un-Break My Heart" was released as the second single from Secrets on November 11, 1996.

Composition

Produced by David Foster, "Un-Break My Heart" is a four minute-25 second pop and R&B power ballad. The song's theme alludes to a "blistering heartbreak" in which Braxton begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. David Willoughby, author of The World of Music, said a few phrases such as "Don't leave me in all this pain" are sufficient to reveal the "sadness and the longing" in the song.
Warren showcased Braxon's contralto vocals with a low vocal range. According to sheet music published by Realsongs at Musicnotes.com, the verses of "Un-Break My Heart" are composed in the key of B minor, and the piece modulates to D minor for the chorus and G minor for the bridge; the song is set in a time signature of common time with a moderately slow tempo of 55 beats per minute. Braxton's vocal range spans from the low-note of D3 to the high-note of D5.
The song was remixed by several DJs such as Hex Hector, Frankie Knuckles and Soul Solution. As noted by Jose F. Promis of AllMusic, the song
in its original form, was a massive adult contemporary and pop hit, and, with its larger-than-life chorus, worked equally well as an unstoppable dance number, even if the vocals were never re-recorded.
The "Soul-Hex Vocal Anthem" remix, with a length over nine minutes, was influenced by tribal house music; while the "Classic Radio Mix" is a piano-driven house music edit. A Spanish version of "Un-Break My Heart", titled "Regresa a Mi", was included as a bonus track on Secrets. MusicOMH contributor Laura McKee considered it "an easy listen" version "that encapsulates the passion and meaning of the original but opens it up to a wider audience."

Reception

Critical response

reviewer Mark Edward Nero named it one of the best R&B break-up songs and considered it Braxton's "finest moment". He further commented, "damn, this song is so sad it can make people cry for hours at a time." In 1997, "Un-Break My Heart" won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Bob McCann, author of Encyclopedia of African American actresses in film and television, considered it "simply one of the most haunting R&B records ever made", while Robert Christgau named it "miraculous" and explained "the miracle being that it's by Diane Warren and you want to hear it again." Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented: "Most who hear this Diane Warren composition, which was produced with skillful guidance by David Foster, will need to take a few seconds before breathing normally again." Insider said that the song "showcased her show-stopping voice". Pop Rescue wrote that Braxton's vocals "really shine and she’s given a real range from very low to powerful highs." They added that "the music here, aside from the acoustic guitar, is absolutely secondary behind Toni’s vocal prowess and the tender lyrics." Spin journalist Charles Aaron positively reviewed the song and joked: "this exquisitely crafted, heart-pumping l-u-v song has been droning in the produce department of my grocery store for about a year now, but I'd just like to go on record as saying that if it ever stops, I'll really be heartbroken."
While reviewing the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said the songs produced by David Foster are too predictable due to their "slick commercial appeal". However, Erlewine noted that Braxton "manages to infuse the songs with life and passion that elevates them beyond their generic confines" due to her vocal ability. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly considered the track "a tearjerker so grandiose and yet so intrinsically, assuredly hit-bound, it's the kind of mass-appeal grabber that's probably already sent a jealous Diana Ross diving for a comfort gallon of Häagen-Dazs." Tucker also named it the worst track on Secrets, and further stated: "Un-Break My Heart" is "one of those the-verses-exist-only-for-the-swelling-chorus showstoppers that allude to emotions without ever actually embodying them. Braxton does her darnedest to plug some life into the song, to no avail". J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun described "Un-Break My Heart" as "overblown".

Chart performance

In the United States, "Un-Break My Heart" managed to peak at number one on Billboard Hot 100 for eleven weeks, from the week of December 7, 1996 to the week of February 15, 1997, and stayed in the same position on the Adult Contemporary chart for fourteen weeks. The song was later ranked as the fourth most popular song of the decade on the 1990-1999 Decade-End Hot 100 chart. In July 2008, "Un-Break My Heart" was listed as the tenth most popular song of all-time by Billboard. Despite its success on the Hot 100, the song would not reach the number-one position of the Hot R&B Singles chart, remaining at number two for four weeks behind "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly. It sold 2.4 million copies domestically and was certified platinum by the RIAA. "Un-Break My Heart" also achieved commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Austria, Belgium, the European Hot 100 Singles, Sweden, and Switzerland, while reaching the top five in several European countries.
In the week of November 4, 1996, the song debuted at number four in the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak at number two after seven weeks on the chart. According to the British Phonographic Industry, it has shipped over 600,000 copies there, being certified Platinum. In Australia, the song peaked at number six, and was later certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, for shipments of more than 70,000 units of the single.

Promotion

Music video

LaFace Records commissioned a music video to be directed by Bille Woodruff. The concept evolves around the ending of Braxton's relationship with her lover, played by model Tyson Beckford. As the video begins, Beckford is seen leaving their home, with Braxton giving him a goodbye kiss, then going to check the mailbox. After he leaves the garage, a fast car suddenly appears and causes an accident, leaving him lying on the street while Braxton cries over his body. She then walks around the house, remembering the good moments she had with him, such as swimming in the pool and playing Twister. During the bridge and final chorus, Braxton is seen singing the song during a live concert, an allusion to the film A Star is Born. As applause rises, the video fades to black. The music video premiered on September 10, 1996 on MTV.

Live performances and covers

"Un-Break My Heart" was performed during the opening of the 1996 Billboard Music Awards. During the up-tempo rendition of the track, Braxton sported an outfit similar to the ones of theatrical productions Ziegfeld Follies. She also performed it as the closing number of the Libra Tour.
Saxophonist Marion Meadows covered the song for his album Pleasure in 1997, while Filipino singer Nina recorded her own version of it for her 2008 album Nina Sings the Hits of Diane Warren. Italian group Il Divo cover of the Spanish version of the track received positive appreciation from critics, who said the cover "has the potential to be a hit and to open doors for many of opera's most acclaimed stars." American alternative rock band Weezer also covered "Un-Break My Heart" in 2005. Their version was released on the album Death to False Metal in 2010. Lead vocalist Rivers Cuomo explained why the band covered the track:
"I loved that song. It was actually Rick Rubin's suggestion. We both loved that song and we both thought it would be great for Weezer, and for my voice, and it’d be great to do like a rock version of it with more of an alternative aesthetic. And you know, just the way I would sing it versus in the way Toni Braxton would sing it. And I love the way it came out, and I think probably the rest of the band really does not like it, and that’s probably why it didn’t make our fifth record, in 2005 when we were recording it."

Track listings

  1. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:30
  2. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:32
  1. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:30
  2. "Un-Break My Heart" – 9:36
  3. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:26
  4. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:44
  1. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:30
  2. "You're Makin' Me High" – 4:07
  1. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:30
  2. "You're Makin' Me High" – 4:19
  3. "How Many Ways" – 5:46
  4. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:32
  1. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:30
  2. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:29
  3. "Un-Break My Heart" – 8:38
  4. "Un-Break My Heart" – 9:36
  5. "Un-Break My Heart" – 3:56
  1. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:30
  2. "You're Makin' Me High" – 4:19
  3. "How Many Ways" – 5:46
  4. "Un-Break My Heart" – 4:26
  5. "Un-Break My Heart" – 3:56

    Personnel

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australia 34
Austria 6
Belgium 13
Belgium 8
Canada Top Singles 32
Canada Adult Contemporary 2
Eurochart Hot 1006
France 29
Germany 13
Romania 5
Sweden 17
Switzerland 7
US Billboard Hot 1004
US Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Chart18
US Mainstream Top 40 14
US Rhythmic 6

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history