High 'n' Dry was released in the US in summer 1981. "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" was commercially released in the US on 13 November,with "Me and My Wine" (a non-album track) and "You Got Me Runnin'" included as B-sides. It did not appear on the US charts,but its music video was picked up by the recently launched television channel MTV and received heavy rotation.[8] The popularity of the video and the exposure the band received caused a resurgence in sales of High 'n' Dry,which subsequently sold over two million copies. It was released in Mexico as "Llevarlo en la Desilusión" with "Yo y mi Vino" ("Me and My Wine"),featuring the cover art from the single "Too Late for Love".
High 'n' Dry was re-issued in May 1984 with two new tracks,one of which was a synthesizer-heavy remix of "Bringin' On the Heartbreak". With a newly-filmed video featuring Phil Collen on guitar,the remix was released as a single and peaked at 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The original version of the song was later included on three of their compilation albums:Vault:Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995) (1995) Best of Def Leppard (2004) and Rock of Ages:The Definitive Collection (2005). The latter compilation ends with the instrumental "Switch 625",as it does in High 'n' Dry. Steve Huey of AllMusic has characterised the song as an "unabashedly dramatic rock ballad."[9]
Music video
The first music video was directed by Doug Smith,and is a live recording of Def Leppard performing the song at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool,England on 22 July 1981. It was originally filmed (along with clips for "Let It Go" and "High 'n' Dry") as part of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert television series on the US network ABC.[10] The second music video,directed by David Mallet,was shot in February 1984 in Jacob's Biscuit Factory in Lake,Dublin,Ireland and features replacement guitarist Phil Collen playing Pete Willis's part.[11] The original version of the second video featuring the remix is only available on the VHS and LaserDisc versions of the band's video compilation release Historia. DVD reissues of Historia,and the band's subsequent video compilations Best of the Videos and Rock of Ages - The DVD Collection replace the remix soundtrack with the original High 'n' Dry LP recording.
Alternative single cover,used in promotional releases in the United States. Also used for some other releases in the US and the UK omitting "RJ Janman Mix" on the front cover.
Background and composition
In 2002,the song was covered by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey for her album Charmbracelet (2002). The reaction from Def Leppard's Joe Elliott was positive.[16]
Carey co-produced her cover of the song with Randy Jackson. The single version also featured a newly recorded solo and extra guitar overdubs performed by Dave Navarro. One of Carey's few songs with a heavy rock influence,it was released as the album's third and final single on June 2,2003,by Island Def Jam and her own label,MonarC. It was also the final single from MonarC before she shut it down in 2004.
Critical reception
The cover was met with positive reviews from a variety of critics.[17]Rolling Stone described the song as "the catchiest cut [on Charmbracelet]...a fascinatingly overblown orchestral remake."[18] Phil Collen praised Carey's cover as a "genuine version of our song"[19] and defended it from Def Leppard's more critical fans:"The fans really get it wrong sometimes. She's on our side and it's an honour she's done it. Really,that's the only way we're getting played."[20] Carey's version was number 24 on VH1's "Least Metal Moments"[21]—in a segment subtitled "Bringin' On the Headache"—because many metal fans and musicians did not like the remake. At the same time,Mark Edward Nero of About.com ranked it at number 2 on his list of "Top 5 R&B/Pop Crossover Cover Songs" and said Carey's version is "superior to the original."[14] Asked about Carey's cover version,Joe Elliott told the Las Vegas Sun,"I think she's done a very good job. It's faithful to the arrangement,but not done like a rock song." Referring to Carey's whistle register vocals at the end,Elliott commented that her "astonishing vocal gymnastics toward the end...make Minnie Riperton sound like Tom Waits." Billboard was favourable by naming it "set's crowning glory."[22]The New York Times also reviewed this song favourably:"Another high point is her version of the Def Leppard song Bringin' On the Heartbreak. It starts out as a piano-driven slow jam;then the chorus is interrupted by a dramatic chord progression,and soon Ms. Carey's precise,fluttery voice is turning a power ballad into something more delicate."[23] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called this cover "daring" and praised its "surprising amount of live instrumentation,which contributes to an overall sense of warmth that's been otherwise missing from Carey's recent work."[24] Rich Juzwiak of Stylus called Mariah's version of the song "epic." In the exception of AllMusic,who gave mixed reviews,stated that its best song on album but also noting that it "isn't even covered all that well."[25]
Chart performance
Similar to the commercial performance of "Boy (I Need You)",the album's second single,"Bringin' On the Heartbreak" failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100,[26] or the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It reached the top-thirty in Switzerland,and the top-forty in Belgium;but peaked outside the top-forty in Austria. Junior Vasquez,Mike Rizzo and Ruanne produced club remixes of the song,which received a wider release on promotional singles than commercial singles and received spins in nightclubs worldwide—the song reached the top five on the US BillboardHot Dance Club Play.[26][27]
Promotion
The song's video,set to the RJ Janman remix,was shot in Los Angeles on 8 March 2003 by director Sanaa Hamri,and features cameo appearances by Randy Jackson,Dave Navarro,Evan Marriott (as a helicopter pilot/bodyguard) and model Damon Willis. The single's video is based on the 1979 film The Rose,which featured a rock star (played by Bette Midler) who struggles to find happiness as she goes from her rough "rock and roll" lifestyle to her final high-profile concert.[28][29]
On 7 December 2002,Carey performed the song along with "Through the Rain" and "My All" in front of a crowd of 50,000 people,at the closing concert of the Mexican Teletón,which took place in the country's Azteca Stadium. Announced as the concert's "star",she performed in a black dress.[30]
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