User:Jivesh boodhun/Sandbox16
Un-Break My Heart
[edit]- Songwriter Diane Warren thought that "Un-Break My Heart" was a great title. She played the finished song to Arista Records president Clive Davis. He thought it would be perfect for Toni Braxton. With background vocals by Shanice Wilson and produced by David Foster from her multi-platinum Secrets, "Un-Break My Heart" had 11 weeks at number one pop and a 14-week stay at number one adult contemporary in late 1996.
- Go to AllMusic to find all inclusions!!!
- Toni Braxton's aching slice of melodrama, "Un-break My Heart," ruled atop the U.S. pop charts for an amazing 11 weeks, and that was largely due to the fact that two versions of the song became equally famous, extending its audience and format appeal. This also helped usher in a trend where big, diva-styled ballads were transformed into massive dance club anthems. "Un-Break My Heart," in its original form, was a massive adult contemporary and pop hit, and, with its larger-than-life chorus, worked equally well as an unstoppable dance number, even if the vocals were never re-recorded. This maxi-single includes the original version, two dance mixes, and an instrumental of the original. The "Soul-Hex Anthem Vocal" is a nine-minute tribal extravaganza, and the "Classic Radio Mix" is a breezy, piano-driven, single-length house mix. The only thing missing would have been a single edit of the "Soul Hex" remix, which is a little more aggressive than the "Classic Radio Mix." Other than that, it's a fine maxi-single, containing both incarnations which helped make this song so famous, and appealing to the adult contemporary audience as well as the nightclub crowd.
- http://www.allmusic.com/album/un-break-my-heart-cd-1-r308899 (CD Single with Spanish version)
- But instead of trying to pursue the cutting edge and emulate the youngsters' melding of R&B and hip-hop, Braxton has opted to skew older: Secrets offers space to veteran songwriter-producers Diane Warren and David Foster, who between them have worked with a slew of middlebrow behemoths from Barbra Streisand to Michael Bolton. Warren came up with Un-Break My Heart, a tearjerker so grandiose and yet so intrinsically, assuredly hit-bound, it's the kind of mass-appeal grabber that's probably already sent a jealous Diana Ross diving for a comfort gallon of Haagen-Dazs.
Easily the worst song on Secrets and therefore worth lingering over for a second, Un-Break My Heart (produced by Foster, so Babyface is guilt-free) is one of those the-verses-exist-only-for-the-swelling-chorus showstoppers that allude to emotions without ever actually embodying them. Braxton does her darnedest to plug some life into the song, to no avail. And no matter: This is the sort of MOR fodder that becomes a radio standby in spite of itself. Its selection by Braxton and coexecutive producers Antonio L.A. Reid and Babyface was, in this sense, a shrewd, if artistically disappointing, one.
- helium
- Far more impressive is the diva moments of "Unbreak My Heart". All though it teeters perilously on the border of melodramatic Braxton skillfully gives the sentiment of loneliness enough presence to make it sincere. Diane Warren penned this and this is a good collaboration since Warren in general turns to melodrama as a songwriter at times. I love the key change in the finale where Toni gives us a dynamic, powerful vocal.
- and the overblown "Unbreak My Heart" -- it's hard not to come away from the album wanting more.
- This is a song of blistering heartbreak, as Braxton sings to her former lover, begging him to return to her and undo all the pain he has caused. It was written by Diane Warren, who creates very emotional songs with big, hooky choruses and titles that tell a story in just a few words: "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," "Why Did You Have To Be," "Save Up All Your Tears." Warren was surprised the phrase "Un-Break My Heart" hadn't been used as a title before. David Foster produced this track. Like Diane Warren, he has a remarkable ability to craft a hit song. Some of the songs he's worked on as a writer or producer include "After The Love Has Gone," "Through The Fire" and "You're the Inspiration." This song was a massive hit, spending 11 weeks at #1 in the US and winning Braxton a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Legal issues and a bankruptcy filing kept Braxton from capitalizing on the success of this song, and she didn't release another album until 2000 with The Heat. Shanice Wilson, who had a big hit in 1991 with "I Love Your Smile," sang backup on this track. Based on chart performance this is Diane Warren's most successful song in the US as a songwriter. This topped the charts in a number of other countries including Sweden, Switzerland and Austria.
- Live performance at Lyric Opera House
- http://exclaim.ca/MusicVideo/ClickHear/weezer-unbreak_my_heart_toni_braxton_cover *http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/10/listen_to_weezer_covering_toni.html
- http://stereogum.com/557471/weezer-cover-unbreak-my-heart/mp3s/
- http://www.americansongwriter.com/2010/10/exclusive-rivers-cuomo-explains-weezers-cover-of-un-break-my-heart/
- http://www.spin.com/articles/weezer-covertoni-braxton-devo-postpone-tour
- Weezer "Un-Break My Heart" (Toni Braxton cover)