"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" | ||||
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Single by Shania Twain | ||||
from the album Up! | ||||
Released | February 9, 2004 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:20 | |||
Label | Mercury Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
Shania Twain singles chronology | ||||
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"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was written by Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It was released on February 9, 2004, as the eighth and final single from her fourth studio album Up! . Disparate to the remainder of Up!, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" is a ballad that Twain labeled to be the sole heartbreak song on the album. Musically, it lies within the country pop genre while its lyrics speak of misery. The song was not included in any of Twain's tours, but she performed the song for the Up! Live in Chicago video special in 2003. The performance was also used as a promotional music video for the single.
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" received mixed reviews from music critics. Commercially, the single performed well in Canada, where it peaked at number four. It was also a minor hit in the United States, peaking at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 18 on the Hot Country Songs chart. American Idol contestant Michael Lynche performed a cover version of the single on a Twain-themed episode for the ninth season of the show.
After collaborating on her great successes The Woman in Me (1995) and Come on Over (1997), Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange decided to take a musical hiatus. The two relocated to Switzerland, settled down, and had a child, Eja, in August 2001. Twain felt content and was in a very positive state of mind, which inspired Up! (2002). [1] She and Lange conceptualized the album to be very positive, optimistic, and uplifting; they desired to evade dark subject matters, yet still be profound through optimism. In doing so, they co-wrote every track on Up!, in which few tracks were ballads, something Twain considered a small ratio compared to the nineteen songs on the album. She explained it was not done deliberately, but influenced by her and Lange's state of mind at the time, adding, "There just didn't seem to be enough room for [ballads]". [1] One of the ballads was "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing", which Twain deemed necessary to come down in tempo. She said the song was very powerful and, as with each track on Up!, was significant to her. [1] Twain said of the track, "This is the only heartbreak song on the new CD. [...] a chance for all of us to catch our breath here." [2] "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" was later selected as the eighth and final single from Up!, fifth to impact the North American music market. It was released to country radio on February 9, 2004 [3] and to adult contemporary radio on March 22, 2004. [4] A live CD single and digital download were taken from Up! Live in Chicago, and released on March 9, 2004 with the same cover as the video album. [5] CD singles and 7" singles were later issued by Mercury Nashville Records on March 30, 2004. [6] [7]
"It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" is one of two music videos shot from Twain's Up! Live in Chicago special, the other being "She's Not Just a Pretty Face".
"It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" is a ballad that lies within a fine line of country pop, most instrumentation are typical of country music, yet it does not sound distinctively country. [8] The country "Green" version is of three minutes and nineteen seconds in length, and the pop "Red" version is of three minutes and twenty seconds in length. [9] Paul Cognata of The Daily Campus stated, "Twain decides to deeply cross the line into pop music in her song, 'It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing.' Since there isn't any type of country-feel in it, the song sounds like a typical pop ballad that could be found on Kiss 95.7." [8] It is set in common time and has a slow tempo of 76 beats per minute. Written in the key of D♭ major, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" follows the chord progression G–Am7–F9. Twain's vocals span two octaves, from A♭3 to D5. [10] Its lyrics reflect misery and burden. [11]
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" received mixed reviews from music critics. Ron Rollins of Dayton Daily News believed the song was "catchier" under its pop format from the Red CD of Up!. [12] Eric R. Danton of the Hartford Courant felt his heartstrings weakly tugged by "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing", and added, "The whole endeavor feels like a calculated and spectacularly cynical attempt to make money while expending as little effort as possible." [13] Carol Tannehill of The News-Sentinel called the song one of the hottest singles on country and pop radio at the time. [14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic noted the song's absence from Twain's Greatest Hits (2004) album; however, he said it was not greatly missed. [15] In 2004, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" was listed as a "Winning Song" in the country genre by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). [16] The song was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 2004 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, but lost to Carolyn Dawn Johnson's "Die of a Broken Heart". [17]
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" debuted at number fifty-seven in mid-March 2004, [18] and eventually peaked at number four in mid-April 2004 on the Canadian Singles Chart. [19] On the week ending May 8, 2004, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" debuted at number seventy-six on the United States' main singles chart, the Billboard Hot 100. [20] In the succeeding week, the track jumped to its peak position at number seventy-one. [21] It spent a total of seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. [21] On the week ending February 21, 2004, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" entered the US Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart at number fifty. [22] The following week, the track ascended to number forty-three, [23] and, after thirteen weeks on the chart, on the week ending May 15, 2004, it reached its peak at number eighteen, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. [21] In all, the single managed to remain aboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for twenty weeks. [21] "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" also charted on the US Adult Contemporary chart, where it peaked at number sixteen on the week ending May 29, 2004. [21]
Twain first performed the song as part of her setlist for an outdoor concert on July 5, 2003 at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny, Ireland. [24] She then performed it at another concert on July 12, 2003 at Hyde Park in London, England. [11] The singer last performed "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" on July 27, 2003 at a free outdoor concert held in Grant Park in Chicago, filmed for the Up! Live in Chicago (2003) concert film. [25] The singer donned a tan, multi-patterned halter top and black, sequined wide leg trousers, and performed sitting on a stool placed at the end of the runaway. [2] The recording of the performance at Grant Park was used as a promotional music video for the single. [26] The song was not included on Twain's Up! Tour.
Contestant Michael Lynche performed a cover version of "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" on a Twain-themed episode of the ninth season of the singing competition American Idol , aired on April 27, 2010. [27] Lynche performed the contemporary R&B-oriented rendition of the song sitting on the staircase of the show's stage. His performance was received well by judges Ellen DeGeneres (who compared Lynche's delivery to that of Luther Vandross), Kara DioGuardi, and Randy Jackson; judge Simon Cowell felt Lynche's song selection was poor, deeming it too feminine for him. [28] Sitting in the audience after serving as a guest mentor, Twain herself was moved to tears listening to Lynche's rendition. Eric Ditzian of MTV News desired for the contestant to tap into his R&B and soul music roots further and concluded, "Last night's performance was hardly the stuff of Luther Vandross, as Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell maintained, but it's a comparison that Mike should take to heart." [27] Leslie Grey Steeler of The Palm Beach Post acknowledged Lynche was usually cheesy in his performances, but favored his rendition of "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing", saying, "I loved it" and calling it "awesome". [29] Mary T. Kelly of Salon.com commented, "Big Mike went back to good, ole country basics and sang the song sweet, simple and pure. Tammy Tyree would have been proud." [28] Lynche was placed in the bottom three that week, and later eliminated. [30]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | February 9, 2004 | country radio | Mercury Nashville | [38] |
March 22, 2004 | [39] [40] |
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Her success garnered her several titles, including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the '90s country-pop crossover stars.
Up! is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 19, 2002, by Mercury Nashville. Three versions of the album were released: a pop version, a country version, and a version in the style of Indian film music. The album was heavily hyped by the media due to it being Twain's follow-up to her monstrous 1997 studio album Come On Over.
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by Canadian country-pop singer Shania Twain, released on November 8, 2004, by Mercury Nashville. The album contains seventeen of Twain's top ten hits, including all of her seven number one hits on the Hot Country Songs. Excluded from the track list is Twain's self-titled debut album, of which no songs were included. Some songs are included in their pop versions such as "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!".
"You're Still the One" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain for her third studio album Come On Over (1997). The song was inspired by criticism of Twain's relationship with her then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange and depicts her celebrating their marriage despite the difficulties and differences between the two. Written by Twain and Lange, it is a piano-driven country pop ballad incorporating guitar, organ, and mandolin. Mercury Records released "You're Still the One" to U.S. contemporary hit radio stations on January 13, 1998, as the album's first pop radio single. The song was later serviced to U.S. country radio stations as the third single from Come On Over on February 13, 1998.
"I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the first single from her fourth studio album, Up! (2002), and was co-written by Twain and her then-husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange.
"Forever and for Always" is a song by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. The song was released as the fourth single from her fourth studio album Up! (2002), on April 7, 2003; it was also the third to be sent to country radio. The song was written by her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain. The song is about two people who fall in love as children and are still with each other even as they grow older. "Forever and for Always" was certified gold for 500,000 digital downloads by the RIAA in 2006.
"When You Kiss Me" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released as the seventh single from her fourth studio album Up! (2002) on November 10, 2003, exclusively to Europe and Australia, although its music video was later released to the US. The song was written by Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Twain described on several occasions that "When You Kiss Me" is her favorite ballad off Up!.
Canadian singer Shania Twain has released six studio albums, three compilation albums, three remix albums, one box set, two live albums, 45 singles, 38 music videos, six promotional singles, and made six guest appearances. Twain's repertoire has sold over 34 million albums in the United States alone, placing her as the top-selling female artist in country music. Moreover, with 48 million copies shipped, she is ranked as the 26th best-selling artist overall in the US, tying with Kenny G for the spot. She is also recognized as one of the best-selling music artists in history, selling over 100 million records worldwide and thus becoming the top-selling female artist in country music ever.
"She's Not Just a Pretty Face" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country pop artist Shania Twain, recorded for her fourth studio album Up! (2002). It was released as the album's sixth single on October 6, 2003 and the fourth released to country radio. Twain wrote the song with then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also produced it. "Nah!" was initially planned to be the next single after "Forever and for Always" as Twain had announced it would be. It was also supposed to be released to the United Kingdom on 5 April 2004, but its release was cancelled; it was released to Eastern Europe as the fourth single where it received modest success.
"Up!" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released as the second official single from her 2002 album of the same name. The song was written by Twain and her then-husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange. "Up!" was originally released to North American country radio on January 6, 2003. It was later released as a double A-side single with "When You Kiss Me" to exclusively the UK on November 17, 2003, and issued as the sixth and final single in Europe on March 8, 2004. At the 2004 Juno Awards, "Up!" was named Country Recording of the Year.
"Party for Two" is a song recorded by Canadian country singer-songwriter Shania Twain. It was released as the lead single from her first Greatest Hits compilation on September 7, 2004. The song was written by Twain and her then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, with the latter producing the song. "Party for Two" was recorded as both a pop mix with pop rock band Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath and a country version with country musician Billy Currington. The country version with Currington was released to country radio, while the pop mix with McGrath was released to pop audiences.
"I'm Holdin' On to Love (To Save My Life)" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released as the twelfth and final single from her double-Diamond certified third studio album Come on Over. It was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain. The song was originally released to North American country radio stations on July 3, 2000.
"You've Got a Way" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released in June 1999 as the ninth single from her third studio album, Come on Over. It was also the fourth single released to adult contemporary radio and fifth to Oceania. It was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain. The song was also remixed and used for the film Notting Hill. "You've Got a Way" was included on the Come on Over Tour in a medley with two ballads from her second studio album, The Woman in Me. "You've Got a Way" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 42nd Grammy Awards.
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"The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released in August 1995 as the third single and title track from her second studio album The Woman in Me. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. The song became Twain's third top-twenty hit at country radio. It was released to radio in August 1995, following the success of her previous single "Any Man of Mine". Twain has performed "The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)" on the Up! Tour, in a video interlude for the Now Tour and in a medley for the Come On Over Tour.
"(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 15, 1995, as the fourth single from her second studio album, The Woman in Me. Written by Twain and then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the song is lyrically a warning to "pickup artists" who are searching for one-night stands instead of real love.
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"God Bless the Child" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Shania Twain. It was released on October 26, 1996 as the eighth and final single from her sophomore studio album The Woman in Me (1995). The album version was solely written by Twain and the single version was co-written by Mutt Lange. The album version is more a poem than a song, completely done a cappella. A country version and an alternate version without the banjo were later released for airplay. "God Bless the Child" is one of Twain's few songs to have a major gospel music influence.
Up! Live in Chicago is the third live video album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. Directed and produced by Beth McCarthy-Miller, the concert was held and filmed on July 27, 2003 at Hutchinson Field in the south-side of Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois; over 50,000 people attended. The concert itself differed from that of the Up! Tour (2003–04), featuring a different stage, setlist and production. Behind-the-scenes footage of the singer visiting local landmarks and events was filmed the same week. The concert film premiered on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) on August 19, 2003. The special was watched by over 8.87 million viewers, becoming the second-most-viewed concert film on television, behind Celine Dion's A New Day ... Live in Las Vegas (2003).
"Today Is Your Day" is a song by the Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain. It was self-penned by Twain and co-produced by David Foster and Nathan Chapman. The song was released on June 12, 2011, by Mercury Nashville Records, as a single to accompany the documentary television series Why Not? with Shania Twain (2011). The song marked Twain's first song release in over six years and actually even the only song release of her own within a timespan of twelve years. Twain wrote the track for self-inspiration, during the development of Why Not? with Shania Twain. To her, "Today Is Your Day" became the theme song for the series, expressing the purpose behind it via music. Despite feeling apprehensive, Twain decided to record the track, which induced her to create her forthcoming fifth studio album. The track is a midtempo ballad in the country pop genre. Lyrically, "Today Is Your Day" regards personal upliftment. "Today Is Your Day" is Twain's first track to have had no involvement from her now ex-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange in 18 years. It is also only her second self-penned song, the first being "Leaving Is The Only Way Out" from her second studio album The Woman In Me (1995). Twain performed the song on her Rock This Country Tour and in an acoustic version for the Still the One residency.