"You're Breakin' My Heart" is a song by American singer-songwriterHarry Nilsson, appearing on his 1972 albumSon of Schmilsson. It is notorious for the opening line, "You're breakin' my heart / You're tearin' it apart / So fuck you".[1]
The song was written by Nilsson about the then-recent separation from his wife Diane; the lyrics contain self-blame for the break-up, as well as several unpleasant diatribes towards his former partner. Biographer Alyn Shipton speculated that at least one line was a coded reference to Nilsson's relationship with his close friendRingo Starr.[2]
During recording, Nilsson had begun to drink heavily and started to record more experimental and controversial material; producerRichard Perry urged him to reconsider and try to record something more in the vein of the earlier hit albumNilsson Schmilsson, but was overruled. Nilsson wanted to release the track as a single, but this was clearly impractical, for the profanity in the lyrics would never be broadcast on mainstream radio.[2]RCA Records was apprehensive about even putting the track on the album, but it did eventually make the final pressing.[1] In Britain, the song was also issued as theB-side of the album's first single, "Spaceman".[3]
The backing track featuresGeorge Harrison onslide guitar[4] and a horn section comprisingBobby Keys,Jim Price andKlaus Voormann.[2] The other musicians on the recording arePeter Frampton (on electric guitar),Nicky Hopkins (piano) andBarry Morgan (drums), while Voormann also played bass guitar.[5]
The song is listed in the bookThe 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era, where it is simply described as "terse and to the point".[6] It was used in the 1983 teenage comedyPrivate School.[7]
In 1995, formerJ. Geils Band frontmanPeter Wolf covered the song on the tribute albumFor the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson.[1]
In 2021,The Melvins covered the song for their albumWorking With God, retitling it "1 Fuck You".[8]