Break Down Here
| "Break Down Here" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Julie Roberts | ||||
| from the album Julie Roberts | ||||
| B-side | "No Way Out" | |||
| Released | February 23, 2004[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:06 | |||
| Label | Mercury Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Brent Rowan | |||
| Julie Roberts singles chronology | ||||
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"Break Down Here" is the debut single by American country music artist Julie Roberts. The song was written by Jess Brown and Patrick Jason Matthews, with Brent Rowan providing production on the song. The song was initially recorded by Trace Adkins in 2003 but his version was not released as a single. Mercury Nashville released the song to country radio on February 23, 2004, as the lead single to her eponymous debut studio album (2004).
The single reached number 18 on the US Hot Country Songs.chart, becoming Roberts' sole top-forty hit on the chart.
History
[edit]The song's b-side, included on the vinyl and CD single, was a cover of Suzy Bogguss's "No Way Out", from her 1996 album Give Me Some Wheels.
The song was originally recorded as "I'd Sure Hate to Break Down Here" by country singer Trace Adkins on his 2003 album Comin' On Strong. However, his version of the song was not released as a single.
Content
[edit]"Break Down Here" is a mid-tempo ballad centralizing on the narrator, who is driving by herself on the freeway, escaping a failed relationship with all of her belongings in the back of the vehicle. Realizing that her vehicle is beginning to make a noise and that she is far from an exit, she states that she would "sure hate to break down here". The phrase has a double meaning, in that she does not want the vehicle to break down, and she does not want to break down and cry ("I've made it this far without crying a single tear").
Music video
[edit]A music video was released for the song, directed by Steven Goldmann. Roberts is driving through a desolate country road with her ex-lover passed out in the shotgun seat. During the course of the video, she tosses mementos from her now finished relationship out the window, and eventually her ex-lover disappears, having been revealed to be a hallucination. Shots of Roberts singing in her stopped car while the rain is pouring outside and her car breaking down are interspersed throughout the video.
The video was added to GAC-TV's playlists during the week of February 29, 2004.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described the song favorably, calling it "one of the year's best country ballads" and "an aching but resolute lament".[3]
Commercial performance
[edit]"Break Down Here" debuted onto the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on February 21, 2004, at number 60. The single entered the top-forty the week of April 10, 2004, becoming Roberts' first and only top-forty song. The song would reach its peak position of number 18 on the chart on September 11, 2004, spending 32 weeks in total on the chart.
The song shot straight to number one on the Top Country Singles Sales chart the week of April 17, 2004, making Roberts the first female artist to debut atop the chart since LeAnn Rimes did so in the August 5, 2000 issue with "I Need You".[4]
Personnel
[edit]The following musicians performed on this track:[5]
- Shannon Forrest – drums
- David Hungate – bass guitar
- Tim Lauer – pump organ
- Pat McLaughlin – background vocals
- Gordon Mote – keyboards
- Julie Roberts – lead vocals
- Brent Rowan – electric guitar
- Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar, mandocello
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ "Going for Adds: Country". Radio & Records. No. 1543. February 20, 2004. p. 24.
- ^ "Video Monitor: New Ons". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 11. Nielsen Business Media. March 13, 2004. p. 81. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Pop and Rap, to Classical and Country". The New York Times. December 7, 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (April 17, 2004). "Chart Beat". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 76. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Julie Roberts (CD booklet). Julie Roberts. Mercury Records Nashville. 2004. 000190202.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "R&R Canada Country Top 30". Radio & Records. No. 1574. September 24, 2004. p. 65.
- ^ "Julie Roberts Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ "Julie Roberts Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ "Top Country Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 16. April 17, 2004. p. 36. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
- ^ "R&R Country Top 50". Radio & Records. No. 1573. September 17, 2004. p. 53.
- ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most Played Country Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. December 17, 2004. p. 42.
- ^ "The Year in Music & Touring". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. December 25, 2004. p. YE-31. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 21, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ "R&R Most Heard 2004: Country". Radio & Records. No. 1585. December 10, 2004. p. 55.