Broken Stones

"Broken Stones"
Single by Paul Weller
from the album Stanley Road
B-side	"Steam"
Released	18 September 1995 (1995-09-18)
Length	3:16
Label	Go! Discs
Songwriter	Paul Weller
Producers	Brendan Lynch Paul Weller
Paul Weller singles chronology
"You Do Something to Me" (1995) "Broken Stones" (1995) "Out of the Sinking" (1996)

"Broken Stones" is a song by English singer-songwriter Paul Weller, released in September 1995 by Go! Discs as the fourth single from his third solo album, Stanley Road (1995). It was written by Weller and co-produced by him with Brendan Lynch. The song reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. Weller was inspired to write the track after a conversation he had with his son at the beach, with the idea that people were like a broken stone trying to become whole again. ^[1]

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Mid-tempo scorchers like 'Broken Stones' with its Memphis-soul-meets-New-Orleans feeling keep the rhythmic tension at cooking level." ^[2] Ted Kessler from NME named the song a "soul ballad" and "a distant and healthy cousin of The Jam's 'Ghosts '". ^[3]

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [4]	81
Scotland Singles (OCC) [5]	11
UK Singles (OCC) [6]	20

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	18 September 1995	7-inch vinyl CD cassette	Go! Discs	[7]
Australia	30 October 1995	CD cassette		[8]

References

1. "Broken Stones". Songfacts. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
2. "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 12, no. 21. 27 May 1995. p. 17. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
3. Kessler, Ted (20 May 1995). "Long Play". NME . p. 44. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
4. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 12, no. 40. 7 October 1995. p. 22.
5. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
7. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 16 September 1995. p. 49.
8. "New Releases – Product Available from : 30/10/95: Singles". The ARIA Report . No. 298. 29 October 1995. p. 21.