Breakaway (Irma Thomas song)

Last updated
"Breakaway"
Single by Irma Thomas
from the album Wish Someone Would Care
Released1964
Genre R&B
Label Imperial Records
Songwriter(s) Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley
"Breakaway"
Tracey Ullman Breakaway.jpg
Single by Tracey Ullman
from the album You Broke My Heart In 17 Places
Released1983
RecordedAugust 1982
Genre Pop
Label Stiff Records
Songwriter(s) Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley
Producer(s) Peter Collins

"Breakaway" (spelled "Break-a-Way" on the original 45 RPM label, but usually spelled "Breakaway" on most subsequent releases and compilations) is a song written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley. It was originally recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964 and released as the B-side of her biggest hit, the US No. 17 single "Wish Someone Would Care". A demo version performed by DeShannon was also recorded but remained unreleased until a 1994 compilation.

Contents

The original version of "Breakaway" was never a hit, not making the Billboard Hot 100. Nevertheless, "Breakaway" is today generally a better-remembered song than the A-side of Thomas' record, [1] [2] which might be partly due to Tracey Ullman's 1980s hit cover. It has become a staple in Thomas' live performances and appears on several recent Irma Thomas and "New Orleans music" compilations.

"Breakaway" was Tracey Ullman's 1983 debut single in the UK, and reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The track then appeared on Ullman's album You Broke My Heart in 17 Places , which was released in 1984.

In North America, "Breakaway" was actually Ullman's second single, being released after her hit "They Don't Know". It charted at No. 70 in the US in 1984, although the video for Ullman's version received significant play on the then-fledgling MTV and Canada's MuchMusic.

The song's lyrics speak of the singer's inability to find the strength to leave a relationship, and describe a situation where the song's first person protagonist is repeatedly on the verge of running away from the bad situation, only to find at the last moment she does not have the strength of will to follow through.

Other versions

British singer Beryl Marsden recorded a cover version of this song in 1965, for Columbia Records.

In 2010, a version of the song by the Detroit Cobras was used in commercials for the NFL RedZone channel. [3]

Related Research Articles

Tracey Ullman British-American actress, comedian, singer, director, producer and writer

Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties and Three of a Kind. After a brief singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls on Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

Jackie DeShannon American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)

Jackie DeShannon is an American singer-songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the Rock and Roll period. She is best known as the singer of "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", and as the composer of "When You Walk in the Room" and "Bette Davis Eyes", which were covered by The Searchers and Kim Carnes, whose versions have been hits for both these acts.

Lets Stay Together (Al Green song) Al Green single

"Let's Stay Together" is a song by American singer Al Green from his 1972 album of the same name. It was produced and recorded by Willie Mitchell, and mixed by Mitchell and Terry Manning. Released as a single in 1971, "Let's Stay Together" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained on the chart for 16 weeks and also topped Billboard's R&B chart for nine weeks. Billboard ranked it as the number 11 song of 1972.

Irma Thomas American soul, rhythm and blues, and gospel singer

Irma Thomas is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans".

"City of New Orleans" is a country folk song written by Steve Goodman, describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad's City of New Orleans in bittersweet and nostalgic terms.

"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy. First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his orchestra in 1963, it was covered by both soul singer Irma Thomas and then later the Rolling Stones in 1964.

"Oh, What a Night" is a song first recorded by the doo-wop group the Dells and released in 1956, originally under the title "Oh What a Nite". It is said to have been inspired by a party, which had been held in the Dells' honor by some female friends of the group.

My Girl (Madness song) 1979 single by Madness

"My Girl" is a song by British ska/pop group Madness from their debut album, One Step Beyond.... It was written by Mike Barson. The song was released as a single on 21 December 1979 and spent 10 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 3.

They Dont Know (Kirsty MacColl song) 1979 single by Kirsty MacColl

"They Don't Know" is a song composed and first recorded in 1979 by Kirsty MacColl, which became a Top Ten hit via a 1983 recording by Tracey Ullman.

(Maries the Name) His Latest Flame 1961 single by Elvis Presley

"(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" is a song recorded in a hit version by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music in 1961. It was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and first recorded by Del Shannon on the album Runaway With Del Shannon, which was released in June 1961.

Terry (Kirsty MacColl song)

"Terry" is a song by Kirsty MacColl, released as a single in October 1983, and charting at No. 82 in the UK the following month. It was her first release after returning to Stiff Records, and was the last in a run of poorly selling singles released between "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and "A New England". The music video featured an appearance from actor and comedian Ade Edmondson who played MacColl's rejected boyfriend who got her back after fighting off a rival man. The photo on the front sleeve is with Chris Heester

<i>You Broke My Heart in 17 Places</i> 1983 studio album by Tracey Ullman

You Broke My Heart in 17 Places is the debut studio album by Tracey Ullman, released in 1983. It peaked at No. 14 on the UK Albums chart and No. 34 in the spring of 1984 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

Kirsty MacColl English singer and songwriter (1959–2000)

Kirsty Anna MacColl was a British singer and songwriter. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and cover versions of Billy Bragg's "A New England" and The Kinks' "Days." Her song "They Don't Know" was covered with great success by Tracey Ullman. MacColl also sang on recordings produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, most notably "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues.

Beryl Marsden is a British R&B and pop singer, who first came to notice on the Liverpool club scene of the early 1960s. She recorded a number of "powerful and soulful", but unsuccessful, records, and has been described as "undeservedly neglected".

Baby I Lied

"Baby I Lied" is a song recorded by American country music artist Deborah Allen. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from the album Cheat the Night. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was also her only hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it went to number 26. The song was written by Allen, Rafe Van Hoy and Rory Bourke.

Bobbys Girl (song) 1962 pop rock single originally performed by Marcie Blane

"Bobby's Girl" is a song and single written by Gary Klein and Henry Hoffman. The original was performed by American teenage singer Marcie Blane, and became a #3 hit on the US charts. A near-simultaneous cover by British singer Susan Maughan was the hit in the UK, coincidentally also reaching #3 on the UK charts. Both Blaine and Maughan are one-hit wonders; for both these artists, "Bobby's Girl" marked their only appearance on a national top 40 chart.

"Move Over Darling" is a song originally recorded by Doris Day, which was the theme from the 1963 movie Move Over, Darling, starring Doris Day, James Garner and Polly Bergen, and was released as a single the same year. The song was written by Doris Day's son, Terry Melcher, along with Hal Kanter and Joe Lubin.

"Sun Glasses" is a song originally released by Skeeter Davis in 1965, which was written by John D. Loudermilk. In 1984, Tracey Ullman released a version of the song titled "Sunglasses", which became an international hit.

"It's Raining" is a soul/R&B ballad, credited as written by Naomi Neville. It was first recorded in November 1961 by Irma Thomas, and produced by Allen Toussaint. The song has emotional ties to Louisiana, having been written and sung by people born in that State, being released on a New Orleans–based record label and enduring in the Deep South as a regional classic.

You Caught Me Out (song)

"You Caught Me Out" is a song written by Kirsty MacColl, Pete Briquette and Simon Crowe. It was originally recorded by MacColl in 1979 but the intended single release was shelved. Versions have also been recorded by Australian singer Christie Allen and British-American singer/actress Tracey Ullman.

References

  1. Ilva, Jyrki. "Irma Thomas - The Soul Queen of New Orleans" . Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  2. Suosalo, Heikki. "Irma Thomas". Soul Express Online. Archived from the original on 2007-02-04. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  3. Archived 2017-04-05 at the Wayback Machine