Don't Break My Heart (UB40 song)

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"Don't Break My Heart"
UB40 Don't Break My Heart.jpg
Single by UB40
from the album Baggariddim
B-side "Mek Ya Rok"
Released14 October 1985 (1985-10-14) [1]
Genre Reggae fusion
Length3:58
Label
Songwriters
  • UB40
  • Deborah Banks
Producers
UB40 singles chronology
"I Got You Babe"
(1985)		"Don't Break My Heart"
(1985)		"Sing Our Own Song"
(1986)

"Don't Break My Heart" is a song by British reggae band UB40 from their sixth album Baggariddim . A remixed version was released as a single in October 1985 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, making it their highest charting original song. [1] [2]

Contents

Songwriting dispute

On its release, the songwriting credits were only given to UB40, apart from in the US where the single and album credited the lyrics as being written by Javid Khan and the music by UB40. Khan was a singer and the next-door neighbour of UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell. [3] However, in 1992, Deborah Banks, a secretary in Birmingham, took legal action again UB40 and the music publishers, claiming she had written the majority of the lyrics for "Don't Break My Heart". [4] [5]

In the 1980s, Banks and Khan were friendly and Khan was struggling to write an appropriate song, so Banks, who was also an amateur poet, wrote two for him. Khan was paid £10,000 by the band for "Don't Break My Heart" who were under the impression that Khan had written the song, with Banks not receiving any recognition or payment. The case went to the High Court in 1995 presided by judge Jeremiah Harman. [6] [7] [8] Khan denied the lyrics were written by Banks, saying that they had "come from my head". [9] However, Judge Harman ruled in favour of Banks, stating that Khan had no right to sell the song and UB40 had no right to record it, and awarding her royalties from the song. [10] [11] Following the verdict, subsequent albums released with "Don't Break My Heart" co-credited Banks and UB40 as writing the lyrics.

Track listing

7": DEP International / DEP 22

  1. "Don't Break My Heart" – 3:58
  2. "Mek Ya Rok" – 3:39

12": DEP International / DEP 22-12

  1. "Don't Break My Heart" – 7:12
  2. "Mek Ya Rok" – 6:19

Charts

Chart (1985–1986)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [12] 37
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [13] 15
Ireland (IRMA) [14] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [15] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [16] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [17] 13
UK Singles (OCC) [2] 3

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [18] Gold15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Silver250,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "We got UB". Record Mirror . 5 October 1985. p. 3.
  2. 1 2 "UB40: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  3. ↑ "British band UB40 has a 'Little Baggariddim' and a big U.S. reggae hit". The Morning Call . 30 August 1985. p. D2.
  4. ↑ "Deborah Banks v CBS Songs Ltd and Others". vLex. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  5. ↑ "UK Music News". The Hard Report. 31 January 1992. p. 57.
  6. ↑ "Virgin, UB40 Sued Over Hit Lyrics". Billboard . 4 March 1995. p. 97.
  7. ↑ "Mystery Witness Halts UB40 Case". Billboard . 11 March 1995. p. 48.
  8. ↑ "Songwriter wins legal claim to UB40 hit". The Independent . 26 July 1995. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Verdict imminent in UB40 lyrics row". Music Week . 4 March 1995. p. 3.
  10. ↑ "UB40 lose out in lyrics legal row". Music Week . 5 August 1995. p. 5.
  11. ↑ "Poet Wins Suit; To Get Royalties From UB40 Hit". Billboard . 5 August 1995. p. 16.
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  13. ↑ "UB40 – Don't Break My Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don?t Break My Heart". Irish Singles Chart.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – UB40" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  16. ↑ "UB40 – Don't Break My Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ↑ "UB40 – Don't Break My Heart". Top 40 Singles.
  18. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – UB40 – Don't Break My Heart". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 8 October 2025.[ dead link ]
  19. ↑ "British single certifications – UB40 – Don't Break My Heart". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
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