| "Breakaway" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by
Irma Thomas, Tracey Ullman from the album You Broke my Heart in 17 Places (Ullman) |
||
| Released | 1964 (Thomas), 1983 (Ullman) | |
| Format | 45 RPM | |
| Genre | Pop R&B | |
| Writer | Irma Thomas, Jackie DeShannon | |
"Breakaway" (spelled "Break-a-Way" on the original 45 RPM label, and spelled "Breakaway" on most subsiquent releases and compilations) is a song written by Irma Thomas and Jackie DeShannon and originally recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964 and released as the B-Side of her single "Wish Someone Would Care". "Breakaway", although released as a B-Side received at least as much airplay as the A-Side of the single when it was released, and today is generally considered a better-remembered song than the A-Side of the record.[1][2].
The song was covered (as an A-Side this time) by Tracey Ullman in 1983 and appeared on Ullman's album "You Broke My Heart in 17 Places". The song was a major hit for Ullman in England and a lesser hit in the USA. The video for Ullman's version received significant play on the then-fledgling MTV.
The songs lyrics speak of the singer's inability to find the strength to leave an abusive relationship and describe a situation where the song's first person protagonist is repeatedly on the verge of running away from the bad situation only to find at the last moment she does not have the strength of will to follow through.
It is widely assumed that the song's lyrics and message were inspired by Irma Thomas' real mariage at the time which ended in 1966.[3][4]
The song, as performed both by Thomas and Ullman has a fast tempo and a perky happy-sounding beat that stands out in stark irony to the song's gloomy lyrics.
This song should not be confused with a song of the same title recorded by Kelly Clarkson.
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
