Break It Up (Scooter song)

"Break It Up"
Single by Scooter
from the album Wicked!
B-side	"Scooter Del Mar" "Wednesday" (Kontor mix)
Released	21 November 1996 (1996-11-21) [1]
Length	3:38
Label	Club Tools
Songwriter(s)	Nosie Katzmann
Producer(s)	Scooter
Scooter singles chronology
"I'm Raving" (1996) "Break It Up" (1996) "Fire" (1997)
Music video
"Break It Up" on YouTube

"Break It Up" is a song by German hard dance band Scooter, released on 21 November 1996 by Club Tools as the second single from their third album, Wicked! (1996). Written by Nosie Katzmann, it was a top-20 hit in several countries, like Austria, Finland and Germany. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 65 in February 1997.

Critical reception

British magazine Music Week rated "Break It Up" four out of five, adding, "Shock of the week – the German trio press pause on their noisy techno and unleash a simple but stunning ballad instead. If radio bites, this could be huge." ^[2] In a second review two months later, they gave it five out of five, writing, "This epic ballad, a massive hit on the continent, has been around for two or three months and, with greater familiarity, sounds even more anthemic. It could be massive." ^[3]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Break it Up" was directed by Rainer Thieding ^[4] and features the band performing on a train.

Track listings

• 12-inch

1. "Break It Up" – 3:38
2. "Scooter Del Mar" – 4:58
3. "Wednesday" (Kontor mix) – 6:52

• CD single, France

1. "Break It Up" – 3:38
2. "Wednesday" (Kontor mix) – 6:52

• CD maxi

1. "Break It Up" – 3:38
2. "Break It Up" (Unplugged) – 3:36
3. "Wednesday" (Kontor mix) – 6:52

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Break It Up" Chart (1996–1997) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [5] 18 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [6] 65 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [7] 13 Germany (GfK) [1] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [8] 44 UK Singles (OCC) [9] 83

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Break It Up" Chart (1997) Position Germany (Media Control) [10] 98 Romania (Romanian Top 100) [11] 73

References

1. "Scooter – Break It Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
2. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 8 March 1997. p. 29. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
3. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 24 May 1997. p. 18. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
4. "scooter - break it up ( viva tv )". YouTube . Retrieved 9 December 2018.
5. "Scooter – Break It Up" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
6. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 14, no. 8. 22 February 1997. p. 11. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
7. "Scooter: Break It Up" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
8. "Scooter – Break It Up". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
10. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1997" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 13 May 2025.
11. "Romanian Top 100 Singles Airplay – Top of the Year 1997" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 2 November 2024.