"Harder to Breathe" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Maroon 5 | ||||
from the album Songs About Jane | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | May 22, 2002 [1] | |||
Recorded | 2002 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:53 | |||
Label | Octone | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Matt Wallace | |||
Maroon 5 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Harder to Breathe" on YouTube |
"Harder to Breathe" is the debut single of American band Maroon 5, released in May 22, 2002 as the lead single from the band's debut album, Songs About Jane (2002). Co-written by frontman Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael, the song expresses tension, having been written quickly under trying circumstances, and tells the story about a former relationship Levine was involved in. It was positively received by music critics, who praised the track's sound.
The song peaked at number six on Airplay Monitor. In spite of Maroon 5's later mainstream success, it also appeared on the Alternative Songs chart at number 31 and the Billboard Hot 100 at number 18. Internationally, the single charted at number 13 in the United Kingdom and peaked within the top 40 on the Irish, Italian, Australian, and New Zealand charts, respectively, while also charting in Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
"Harder to Breathe" was included from Maroon 5's 2004 EP 1.22.03.Acoustic in an acoustic version and the live album Live – Friday the 13th (2005).
In an interview with MTV News in August 2002, Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine, when asked behind the development of "Harder to Breathe", admitted that the song describes the band's frustration with their label, Octone Records, during the making of their debut album, Songs About Jane . The band thought they had enough material for a release, but when the label told them to keep writing, Levine wrote this song to express his frustration at the pressure. "That song comes sheerly from wanting to throw something. It was the 11th hour, and the label wanted more songs. It was the last crack. I was just pissed. I wanted to make a record and the label was applying a lot of pressure, but I'm glad they did." [3]
"Harder to Breathe" tells the story of a relationship Levine had with a woman named Jane, [4] who, according to Levine was the "muse" in the band's album. MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic described the song as a "soulful disposition". [5] Meghan Bard of The Daily Campus described the single featuring "a great up-tempo number with gritty guitar riffs and powerful vocals" from Levine. [6] Bard noted that the theme in the song was about "recovering from heartbreak". [6] Angus Batey of The Times compared "Harder to Breathe" sounding as "Zeppelin-esque". [7]
The song received positive reviews from critics. In the Rolling Stone review of the album, critic Christian Hoard called "Harder to Breathe" "a strong single". [8] C. Spencer Beggs of The Observer wrote: "The two singles ['Harder to Breathe' and 'This Love'] are the most popular songs on the album, showing off Maroon 5's characteristic clean, crisp and upbeat sound." [9] Sam Beresky of the Daily Lobo , who was less enthusiastic about the album, complimented Maroon 5 on "Harder to Breathe", in which he said, "The song is enjoyable. There are some aspects of mellow, soulful rockers like Train, John Mayer—maybe even a little Stevie Wonder or Jamiroquai. The track has a good rock meets R&B sound and is predictable enough to get radio play." [10]
In October 2003, Levine told USA Today , regarding the success of the song, "I didn't love or hate the song, and I didn't care if it got on the album. We have a lot of pop songs on our record, and the idea was to start out with something different. Why come out of the gate with another pop song by another pop band?" [1] The following year, the band released an EP titled 1.22.03.Acoustic (2004), which features "Harder to Breathe" in an acoustic version. [11] [12] In 2005, Maroon 5 released a live album, Live – Friday the 13th , which features the song performed live. [13]
"Harder to Breathe" charted on Airplay Monitor in the number six position [1] and later peaked at number 18 on Billboard 's Hot 100. [14] The song also appeared on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in the number 31 position in 2002 [14] when it was an independent single before it hit commercial radio stations in 2003–04, it is the band's only song played on alternative rock stations along with "This Love", while the rest of the band's other singles were only played on pop and adult contemporary radio outlets considering Maroon 5 as a pop rock band and not an alternative band. Internationally, "Harder to Breathe" appeared in the UK Singles Chart on January 31, 2004, at its peak of number 13 [15] and spent seven weeks on the chart. [15] The single also appeared in the top 40 on the Irish, Italian, Australian, and New Zealand charts, and peaked in the lower end of the Dutch, German, and Swedish charts. [16]
The music video for "Harder to Breathe" was directed by Marc Webb, [17] who later worked with the band for their 2008 video "Goodnight Goodnight". [18] The video was released on August 19, 2002 [17] and made an airplay on 120 Minutes .
The video is centered on Maroon 5 playing in a dimly-lit house/factory. Throughout the course of the video, items such as darts on a dart board, candles, pictures, and even members of the band with their instruments are shown fading in and out. Towards the end of the video, Adam Levine is seen walking through a narrow corridor dragging a guitar with pictures on both sides of the wall fading in and out. When he reaches the end of the corridor, he is face to face with a wall with a small light coming out of it and then flings his guitar backwards and then pounds on the wall. The camera then quickly moves to a scene of the band playing and the lights suddenly flickering on.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [39] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [41] | Platinum | 1,000,000 [42] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | May 22, 2002 | Radio | Octone | [1] |
Australia | September 29, 2003 | CD | Universal | [43] |
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn, keyboardist PJ Morton and multi-instrumentalist and bassist Sam Farrar. Original members Levine, Carmichael, bassist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick first came together as Kara's Flowers in 1994, while they were in high school.
Songs About Jane is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. The album was released on June 25, 2002, by Octone and J Records. It became a sleeper hit with the help of five singles that attained chart success, led by "Harder to Breathe", "This Love", and "She Will Be Loved". This is the band's only album to feature founding drummer Ryan Dusick.
"This Love" is a song by the American pop rock band Maroon 5. The song was released on January 27, 2004, as the second single from their debut album Songs About Jane (2002).
"She Will Be Loved" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was written by frontman Adam Levine and lead guitarist James Valentine. The song was released on July 27, 2004, as the third single from Maroon 5's 2002 debut studio album, Songs About Jane. The single peaked at No. 5 in the United States and by December 2012 had sold more than 2,722,000 digital downloads. It peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom. In Australia, it reached No. 1, a position it held for five non-consecutive weeks. The single is noted for its music video starring Kelly Preston in a mother-daughter love triangle with lead singer Adam Levine.
"Sunday Morning" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on December 2, 2004, as the fourth single from their debut studio album Songs About Jane (2002). The single peaked at number 31 in the United States, becoming Maroon 5's fourth Top 40 single; it also peaked at number 27 in the United Kingdom and Australia.
"Must Get Out" is a song by American band Maroon 5, taken from their debut album, Songs About Jane (2002). Written by the band members Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael, and produced by Matt Wallace, the song was released as the fifth and final single from the album on April 5, 2005. A downtempo song, "Must Get Out" has a "dreamy" lyrical story about a tough period of a relationship. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised Levine's vocals and the song's hook, considering it a highlight on the album. "Must Get Out" charted inside the top-ten in Netherlands, while reaching the top-forty in other three territories, including the United Kingdom – where it became the band's fifth top-forty hit. The song featured on Maroon 5's live album titled Live – Friday the 13th (2005). It is the only single of the album to have an official live music video. This is the band's last single to feature founding drummer Ryan Dusick.
It Won't Be Soon Before Long is the second studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on May 16, 2007, by A&M Octone Records, as the follow-up to their debut album, Songs About Jane (2002). The name was inspired by a phrase the band adopted to keep themselves motivated while on their tour.
"Makes Me Wonder" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on March 27, 2007, as the first single from their second studio album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007). Upon its release, the song set a record for the biggest jump to number-one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, rising from number 64 to number one. However, the record was later broken by Britney Spears’ 2008 single “Womanizer which was broken by Kelly Clarkson's 2009 single, "My Life Would Suck Without You".
American pop rock band Maroon 5 has released seven studio albums, three live albums, two compilation albums, one remix album, six extended plays (EPs), 36 singles, eight promotional singles, and 38 music videos. The group originally formed in 1994 as Kara's Flowers while they were still attending high school. With a line-up of Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick, they released their independent album, We Like Digging? in 1995. In 1997, they signed to Reprise Records and released an album, The Fourth World. After a tepid response to the album, the band parted with their record label and attended college. In 2001, the band regrouped and added James Valentine to the lineup, and pursued a new direction under the name Maroon 5.
"Payphone" is a pop song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American rapper Wiz Khalifa. It was released on April 16, 2012, as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Overexposed (2012). The song was written by Adam Levine, Khalifa, Ammar Malik, producers Benny Blanco and Shellback, and additional producer Robopop. The song is a pop ballad that describes a romance that ended abruptly. It received favourable reviews from music critics, who praised the catchy melody and named it "a radio success", but some others dismissed its title and Khalifa's appearance.
"One More Night" is a song performed by American pop rock band Maroon 5. The song was released on June 19, 2012, as the second single from their fourth studio album Overexposed (2012). It was written by Adam Levine, Shellback, Max Martin, and Savan Kotecha, while production was handled by Shellback and Martin. It is a reggae-influenced pop song. Lyrically, it talks about not getting along with someone and hoping he only stays with her just "one more night". It is built upon the idea that the heart, mind, and body usually want opposing things.
"Daylight" is a song performed by American band Maroon 5. The song was released on November 8, 2012, as the third single from their fourth studio album Overexposed (2012). Lead singer, Adam Levine co-wrote and co-produced it with Max Martin and Mason "MdL" Levy, with additional writing from Sam Martin. The song is a soft rock ballad about realizing that one has to move on from an old relationship, but not fully wanting to leave just yet.
"Love Somebody" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was sent to US contemporary hit radio on May 14, 2013, as the fourth and final single from their fourth studio album Overexposed (2012). The song was written by Adam Levine, Nathaniel Motte, Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella; the latter two are also the producers. "Love Somebody" is a dance-pop song that lyrically equates love and physical intimacy and explores "salvation on the dance floor".
"Maps" is a song by American pop-rock band Maroon 5. The song was released on June 16, 2014, as the lead single from their fifth studio album V (2014). The song was written by Adam Levine, Ammar Malik, Benjamin Levin, Noel Zancanella and Ryan Tedder and produced by the latter three. It was also their first single after the return of keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael. "Maps" received mainly positive reviews from music critics, with praise going to the song's melody and chilled-out vibe. However, some criticized the song for being similar to their previous lead single "Payphone", on their last album Overexposed (2012).
"Animals" is a song by the American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on August 25, 2014, as the second single from the band's fifth studio album V (2014). The song was written by Adam Levine, Benny Blanco and its producer Shellback.
"Sugar" is a song recorded by American band Maroon 5 for their fifth studio album V (2014). It was written by Mike Posner, Adam Levine, Dr. Luke, and Jacob Kasher Hindlin together with its producers Ammo and Cirkut. It was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States, as the third single from the album on January 13, 2015. "Sugar" is a disco, funk-pop, and soul song that features a wide range of instruments including percussion, keyboards and guitars. Commercially, the song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the band's third top 10 single from V, and eighth consecutive top 10 entry. "Sugar" is the 68th song in history to score at least 20 weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100. The song was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2022, as their third certified single.
"Moves like Jagger" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on June 21, 2011, as the fourth and final single from the re-release of the group's third studio album Hands All Over (2010). The song was written by Adam Levine, Ammar Malik, Benny Blanco, and Shellback; the latter two are also the producers. "Moves like Jagger" is an electropop song with modern disco style elements and is backed by synths and electronic drums. The lyrics refer to a male's ability to impress a love interest with his dance moves, which he compares to those of Mick Jagger, the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.
"This Summer's Gonna Hurt like a Motherfucker" is a song performed by American pop rock band Maroon 5. The fourth single from the album, it followed the reissue deluxe edition of the band's fifth studio album V, on May 15, 2015. Musically, the song has been described as having a "synthpop sound", while incorporating an arena rock style.
"Cold" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American rapper Future. The song was released on February 14, 2017, as the second single from their sixth studio album Red Pill Blues (2017), included on both the deluxe and Japanese editions of the album. The song peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Memories" is a song by American band Maroon 5, released through 222 and Interscope Records on September 20, 2019, as the lead single from the band's seventh studio album Jordi.