"Breathe" | ||||
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Single by the Prodigy | ||||
from the album The Fat of the Land | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 11 November 1996 | |||
Studio | Earthbound (Braintree, Essex, England) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | XL | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Liam Howlett | |||
The Prodigy singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Breathe" on YouTube |
"Breathe" is a song by English electronic dance music band the Prodigy, released in November 1996 by XL Recordings as the second single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It was written by band members Liam Howlett, Keith Flint and Maxim Reality, featuring a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin" by Wu-Tang Clan. As with "Firestarter", Jim Davies played the guitar in the song. "Breathe" became the group's second consecutive number-one in the United Kingdom and also topped the charts in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. Its music video was directed by Walter Stern, depicting the band in an abandoned, decrepit apartment building. Melody Maker ranked "Breathe" number 29 in their list of the best singles of 1996, [4] and Q Magazine featured it in their "1001 Best Songs Ever" in 2003. [5]
The first ever performance of the song was held at a concert at the Pionir Hall in Belgrade, Serbia, on 8 December 1995, 11 months prior to its release. [6] It was the first major international music act to play in Belgrade since the breakup of Yugoslavia, and came shortly after UN sanctions were partially lifted. "Breathe" thus became an iconic song for Serbia's urban youth. [7]
Larry Flick from Billboard stated that the song, "with its jittery, faux funk beat, caustic synths, and snarling vocals" gets stronger with repeated spins. [8] Nick Varley from The Guardian wrote, "'Firestarter' was only softening us up. Liam Howlett and his assorted helpers have now served up an even more stunning slab of modern genius." He added, "You don't have to be in a club, helped by the strobe lights, to appreciate the appeal as the drum roll cracks into place before giving way to the type of pounding beat that seems to have been the essential ingredient in the great singles of the year. Think 'Firestarter', 'Setting Sun', 'Born Slippy' and Beck's 'Devil's Haircut'." [9] Melody Maker ranked "Breathe" number 29 in their list of "Singles of the Year" in Decemver 1996, naming it "a rarity, this; a Prodigy single that grew on you. Less instant, more insistent — insidious, even. Nervous tension made music." [4] Music Week gave it three out of five, noting that Howlett's "raucous electronic punksters get louder and less accessible by the day. This frantic, apocalyptic number will do well to emulate their spring number one 'Firestarter'." [10]
Paul Moody from NME wrote, "'Breathe' - that rarest of things, a Prodigy track that grows on you - sounds ever more sinister in such claustrophobic surroundings, drilled as it is to a brain-numbing intensity of kick drums over which Keith howls the still baffling lyric, "Twisted animator!"(sic)." [11] A reviewer from People Magazine said that songs like this "are cathartic performances capable of spreading dance fever to the stubbornest rock-and-roll head-bangers". [12] James Hyman from the Record Mirror Dance Update praised the track, giving it a top score of five out of five. He added, "The punk-aggressive energy found here echoes landmark anarchist tracks such as the Pistols' 'God Save The Queen' (with its 'no future' cries) and Silver Bullet's 'Ruff Karnage'. Twangy guitar and ever-changing industrial breaks complement all the exhortations." [13]
The song was a major worldwide hit, reaching the top 10 in several countries such as Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. "Breathe" was a number-one hit in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The song was also a hit in France, reaching number 26. [14] In the United States, the song reached number 18 on the US Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. [15] The single also returned to the Billboard charts after Flint's death, entering number 14 on its Dance/Electronic Digital Songs Sales chart in its 16 March 2019 issue. [16]
The accompanying music video for "Breathe" was directed by English director Walter Stern and took place in what resembled an abandoned, decrepit apartment building, with the band members experiencing various aural, visual and psychological phenomena, with Keith Flint and Maxim representing the phenomena, while Leeroy Thornhill and Liam Howlett are caught in the phenomenon. Various animals, like an alligator, and crickets, make an appearance, evoking different types of phobias. The music video won the 1997 MTV Video Music Award for Viewer's Choice and International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Europe. This was also the band's final video to feature dancer Leeroy Thornhill.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [60] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Belgium (BEA) [61] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [62] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [63] | Platinum | 10,507 [63] |
Germany (BVMI) [64] | Gold | 250,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [65] | Platinum | 10,000* |
Poland (ZPAV) [66] | Gold | 50,000* |
Sweden (GLF) [67] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [68] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 11 November 1996 |
| XL | [69] |
United States | 2 June 1997 | Alternative radio | [70] |
The song is included in a 2012 television commercial for Tooheys Extra Dry. [71] [72] [73] Up until the 2012 PDC World Darts Championship, Dutch darts player Michael van Gerwen used the song as his walk-on theme. [74] The song was also used as the theme tune of the defunct Filipino public service program Aksyon Ngayon broadcast on DZMM. Professional wrestler Al Snow used the song as an entrance theme during his stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Alongside other The Fat of the Land songs, Breathe was remixed by The Glitch Mob and Zeds Dead on a sampler titled The Added Fat EP in 2012.
In 2021, two remixes by Rene LaVice featuring RZA were released for the F9 Soundtrack.[ citation needed ]
Camo & Krooked and Mefjus released a remix of the song in 2022 which was awarded the "Best Remix" award at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards 2022. [75]
A new version with era on vocals was done for the film Fast and furious 9 and made it on the official soundtrack
The Fat of the Land is the third studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 30 June 1997 through XL Recordings. The album received critical acclaim and topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide as of 2019. It is their best-selling album.
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton for her second studio album, Secrets (1996). The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was released as the second single from the album on October 7, 1996, through LaFace Records. The song is a ballad about a "blistering heartbreak" in which the singer begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. It won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and nearly 3 million in the United States alone, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
"One of Us" is a song by American singer Joan Osborne for her debut studio album, Relish (1995). Written by Eric Bazilian of the Hooters and produced by Rick Chertoff, the song was released on November 21, 1995 by Blue Gorilla and Mercury, as Osborne's debut single and lead single from Relish. It became a hit in November of that year, peaking at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earning three Grammy nominations. "One of Us" was also a hit around the world, topping the charts of Australia, Canada, Flanders, and Sweden, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart, and becoming a top-20 hit in at least 12 other countries. The song went on to serve as the opening theme for the American television series Joan of Arcadia. The music video for "One of Us" was directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward, and filmed in Coney Island, New York City.
"Wild Wild West" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith from the 1999 film of the same name, in which he also starred. The song plays during the film's closing credits. The single samples Stevie Wonder's 1976 hit song "I Wish" and includes parts of the chorus from Kool Moe Dee's song of the same name. Kool Moe Dee re-performed the chorus for the song, and additional guest vocals are provided by Dru Hill. The album version of the song is introduced by a brief spoken-word interlude where Smith asks his infant son Jaden what song he should play next, interpreting Jaden's repeated non-verbal response as "Wild Wild West".
"No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet as the first single for their second studio album, Another Level (1996), featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. Released on July 29, 1996 by Interscope, the song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and in Iceland and New Zealand. It ended "Macarena"'s 14-week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number nine. "No Diggity" was the final number-one single of Cash Box magazine. The track sold 1.6 million copies in 1996 and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. It uses samples from Bill Withers's "Grandma's Hands". The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams.
Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 is a singles collection from the UK band the Prodigy. It was released on 17 October 2005, and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 on 23 October.
"Smack My Bitch Up" is a song by English rave group The Prodigy. It was released in November 1997 as the third and final single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). In 2013, Mixmag readers voted it the third greatest dance track of all time.
"No Good (Start the Dance)" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy. Written and produced by group member Liam Howlett, it was released on 16 May 1994 by XL Recordings as the second single from the group's second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). Commercially, the track was presented with the slogan, "Hard dance with attitude" and is built around a repeated vocal sample from "You're No Good for Me", a song released by American singer Kelly Charles in 1987. Howlett initially had doubts whether to use the sample because he thought it was too pop for his taste. The song also contains samples from "Funky Nassau" by Bahamian funk group the Beginning of the End. It was certified Gold in Germany for 250,000 sold copies. The music video for the song was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in London.
"Firestarter" is a song by British electronic dance music band the Prodigy, released on 18 March 1996 by XL Recordings as the first single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It was co-written and produced by Liam Howlett and features vocals by Keith Flint. It also was the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks, and their first big international hit, topping the charts in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Norway. The music video was directed by Walter Stern and filmed in the London Underground, in black-and-white. Melody Maker ranked the song number two in their list of "Singles of the Year" in 1996. 24 years later, The Guardian ranked it number eight in their list of "The 100 Greatest UK No 1 Singles".
"Baby's Got a Temper" is a song by English electronica group the Prodigy, released as a non-album single on 1 July 2002 by record labels XL and Maverick. It was the band's first single in five years after 1997's "Smack My Bitch Up", and was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill left the band in 2000.
"Breathe" is a song by American singer Blu Cantrell from her second studio album, Bittersweet (2003). A remixed version featuring Sean Paul was released as a single in February 2003, several months after the album version was released in November 2002. The album version of this song was produced and co-written by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin. The remix featuring Sean Paul was produced by Ivan Matias, Andrea Martin, and Mark Pitts. The song peaked at 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a hit in Europe, most notably in the United Kingdom, where it topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in August 2003.
"Cosmic Girl" is the second single from British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai's third studio album, Travelling Without Moving (1996). The song was released in the United Kingdom on 25 November 1996 via Sony Soho Square and in the United States in 1997 via Work Group. It was written by Jay Kay and Derrick McKenzie, and produced by Rick Pope, achieving great chart success, peaking at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached No. 3 in Italy, No. 4 in Iceland, and No. 10 in Finland. The accompanying music video was directed by Adrian Moat and filmed in Spain. The B-side to the single is an instrumental, "Slipin' 'N' Slidin'", a song originating from another Jamiroquai track called "Mr Boogie", which was a live-only song. "Slipin 'N' Slidin'", just like "Mr Boogie", also has a vocal version.
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"I Love You Always Forever" is the debut single by Welsh singer Donna Lewis from her debut album, Now in a Minute (1996). Written by Lewis and produced by Lewis and Kevin Killen, it was released as the album's lead single in the United States on 16 April 1996 and in the United Kingdom on 26 August 1996. The song is inspired by H. E. Bates' novel Love for Lydia, from which the chorus is taken.
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The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and vocalist Keith Flint, dancer and occasional live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, dancer Sharky, and MC and vocalist Maxim. They are pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, and describe their style as electronic punk.
"Sunchyme" is the debut single of British electronic music trio Dario G. It was released on 15 September 1997 as the lead single from their debut studio album, Sunmachine (1998), although early editions were stated to be from an album named Super Dario Land. The song heavily samples the track "Life in a Northern Town" by dream pop band the Dream Academy.
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