"Breathe Again" | ||||
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Single by Toni Braxton | ||||
from the album Toni Braxton | ||||
Released | August 6, 1993 | |||
Length | 4:29 | |||
Label | LaFace | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds | |||
Producer(s) |
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Toni Braxton singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Breathe Again" on YouTube |
"Breathe Again" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons for Braxton's self-titled debut album (1993). Its lyrics evokes a sense of nostalgia from a relationship that has run its course. The ballad was released as the album's second single on October 6, 1993, by LaFace and Arista Records.
The single peaked at numbers three and two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, as well as number four on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles and Adult Contemporary charts. "Breathe Again" became one of Braxton's most successful international hits, reaching number two in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and peaking within the top 10 in several European countries and Canada. Its accompanying music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas and filmed in Wiltshire, England. The song earned Braxton her second consecutive Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1995.
"Breathe Again" was included in all of the greatest hits collections released by Braxton, including Ultimate Toni Braxton (2003), Platinum & Gold Collection (2004), The Essential Toni Braxton (2007), Playlist: The Very Best of Toni Braxton (2008) and Breathe Again: The Best of Toni Braxton (2009). [1]
After the success of the previous single, "Another Sad Love Song", "Breathe Again" was released as the second official single from Toni Braxton's self-titled album, on October 6, 1993. [2] "Breathe Again" was written and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, with co-production being handled by Daryl Simmons and L.A. Reid. [1] Lyrically, in "Breathe Again", Braxton would crumble and have a nervous breakdown if her boyfriend were to break up with her, singing, "If I never feel you in my arms again/If I never feel your tender kiss again/If I never hear I love you now and then/Will I never make love to you once again/Please understand/If love ends/Then I promise you, I promise you, that/That I shall never breathe again." [3]
"Breathe Again" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Ron Wynn of AllMusic named the song a highlight from the album, writing that "Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic on the track." [4] According to Daryl Easlea of BBC Music, the song "fully established Braxton," calling it "a delicate ballad that refused to resort wholly to cliché, it is brought to life by Braxton’s dreamy, breathy delivery." [5] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as "a yearning, R&B-framed ballad." He explained, "Once again, her vocal is expressive and moving—mostly due to an unusual willingness to let some rough-edged notes mingle with the sweet diva-like tones. Braxton's earthy personality makes her seem more accessible than a lot of other chest-pounding singers." [6] Also Mitchell May of Chicago Tribune was very positive, writing that "the way her voice throbs when she sings, 'I can't stop thinking about you,' conveys a sense of despair and longing that is rare." [7] John Martinucci from the Gavin Report viewed it as "melancholy". [8] Alan Jones from Music Week declared it as "pretty and radio friendly", adding that "this seems sure to launch Braxton here [in the UK], though it will struggle to repeat its Top 10 placing." [9]
A reviewer from People magazine called the song "haunting", writing that "the quaver in her voice says more about love's promise and deceit than many singers manage in a career." [10] John McAlley from Rolling Stone named it "the album's best material", concluding that "Braxton's love hangover has reached ludicrously epic proportions." [11] Charles Aaron from Spin felt "this Babyface ballad-under-glass invokes heartache more than heartbreak". He added that "Braxton's fitful vocal flourishes dazzle (and less obviously than on "Love Shoulda Brought You Home")." [12] Steve Pick from St. Louis Post-Dispatch commented, "Here's another sad love song from a sultry alto singer who seems to be getting the best of the LaFace production team's work this year. This pretty tune benefits greatly from Braxton's ability to hint at the over-the-top histrionics she never quite falls into. As a result, it's both smooth and edgy." [13] James Hunter from Vibe said that Babyface's writing on "Breathe Again" "gives the deserving future star melodic peaks and valleys to explore with her gorgeously detailed, unconceited voice." [14] Mike Joyce from The Washington Post felt the song "[has] a poignancy". [15]
"Breathe Again" was Braxton's first worldwide hit. In the United States, the song was a success, reaching number three for three non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. [16] It spent 17 weeks in the top ten. On the Cash Box Top 100, it peaked at number two. [17] On the Billboard genre charts, "Breathe Again" also reached high positions, peaking at number two on the Mainstream Top 40 [18] and number four on both the Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B Singles charts. [19] [20] It sold 500,000 copies domestically, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. [2] In the United Kingdom, "Breathe Again" debuted and peaked at number two on January 15, 1994, becoming her best charting-single in the UK along with "Un-Break My Heart". [21]
In Australia, the song debuted at number 47 on the ARIA Singles Chart on March 20, 1994, and reached number two on May 1, 1994, remaining at the same position for two further weeks. [22] It spent 17 weeks on the ARIA Singles Chart and ranked at number 20 on ARIA's year-end chart for 1994. [23] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 20 on the RIANZ chart on December 12, 1993. In its eighth week, the song climbed to number two, its peak position. It spent four non-consecutive weeks at the position and 21 weeks on the RIANZ chart, becoming Braxton's best-performing single in New Zealand. [24] The song earned a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1995, becoming Braxton's second consecutive Grammy Award in the same category.
The accompanying music video for "Breathe Again" was directed by Randee St. Nicholas. It was filmed at Longleat House in Wiltshire, England and is set in black-and-white format. It features Braxton running through a hedge maze while being searched for by her love interest, played by American model Tyson Beckford. [25] On her DVD, From Toni with Love... The Video Collection , two other versions of the video are also featured: the "European version" and the "Spanish version". [26] On the same DVD, Braxton commented about the video, saying, "This video was originally filmed in color and Randee St. Nicholas, the director, didn't like the maze part, she said it looked like piles of dirt, instead of these beautiful green [...], she said it looked like chunks of rock, so she put it in black and white." [26] About her look, she said, "I remember my stylist was going crazy, trying to find a 17th-century dress, and my hair was short, and I didn't want to wear wigs and my stylist put these little extensions in my hair and It was so cold and the dress was so heavy." [26] "Breathe Again" was later made available on Braxton's official YouTube channel in 2009, having generated more than 78 million views as of early 2024 on the platform. [27]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [23] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [60] | Platinum | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [61] | Silver | 200,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [2] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | October 6, 1993 |
| LaFace | [2] |
Japan | December 16, 1993 | Mini-CD |
| [62] |
United Kingdom | January 4, 1994 |
| [63] | |
Sweden | January 17, 1994 | CD | [64] |
Toni Michele Braxton is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and numerous other accolades. In 2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 she was honored with the Legend Award at the Soul Train Music Awards.
"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.
Toni Braxton is the debut studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on July 13, 1993, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was primarily produced by L.A. Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons.
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"Hit the Freeway" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton, released as the lead single from her fifth studio album, More Than a Woman (2002). The song, which features American rapper Loon, was written by Pharrell Williams and Loon himself, while production was handled by Pharrell's production duo The Neptunes. It is a hip hop and R&B song, with lyrics about an ex trying to rekindle with Braxton, but Braxton claims she's not interested in him anymore.
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American singer Toni Braxton has released ten studio albums, five extended plays, six compilation albums, two remix albums, thirty-four singles, two video albums and twenty-two music videos in a career spanning over 30 years. Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland, on October 7, 1967. Her mother, an opera vocalist, encouraged Braxton and her four sisters to sing in church at a young age. In 1990, songwriter Bill Pettaway discovered the sisters and helped them obtain a record deal with Arista Records, as the group titled The Braxtons; the group's debut single, "Good Life", was released the same year. Although the song failed to chart, Braxton's voice caught the attention of producers, L.A. Reid and Babyface, who signed her to their newly formed LaFace Records. In 1991, Braxton recorded songs for the soundtrack to the 1992 film Boomerang. Her solo debut single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", reached the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the top five of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Two years later, her self-titled debut album was issued through LaFace. The album topped the US Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and was certified eight-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned four singles, including "Breathe Again", which peaked within the top ten in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The album has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
"I Can See Clearly Now" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. It was the lead single from his twelfth album, I Can See Clearly Now (1972), and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1972, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box charts. It also reached number one in Canada and South Africa. The song has been covered by many artists throughout the years, including a hit version by Lee Towers that reached no. 19 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1982, and another recorded by Jimmy Cliff for the motion picture soundtrack of Cool Runnings that peaked at no. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.
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