"Break Your Heart" is a song by British singer and songwriterTaio Cruz. The song serves as thelead single from his second studio album,Rokstarr (2009). It was written by Cruz andFraser T Smith and produced by Smith. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2009, followed by a release in the United States and other markets on 2 February 2010. The single version features US rapperLudacris; that version was the single released in North American countries. The song, originally penned forCheryl Cole, is anelectropop song withdance-pop elements, accompanied by Cruz's vocals. The song is lyrically a warning to someone about being aheartbreaker.
The song received mixed to positive reviews, critics commending its infectious sound, but noting that it was generic. The single entered at the top of theUK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "Break Your Heart" topped the charts in Canada, Switzerland and the United States, and also within the top ten of the charts in many other countries, including Australia and the Netherlands. The accompanying music video features several scenes of Cruz on escapades with different women, including aspeedboat compared to classicDiddy and a club scene with Ludacris in the US version.
"Break Your Heart" was one of two songs penned by Cruz forCheryl Cole for her debut solo album,3 Words.[1] After Cruz did not hear back from Cole's label about the song, he reworked the song for a male and made it the first song off his second album,Rokstarr.[1] Cruz toldMTV News UK that after he released the song, Cole's people would have liked the song for her after all.[1] The latter track by Cruz, "Stand Up" made it onto the final track list on Cole's album.[1]
However, according to the song's other co-writerFraser T Smith in an interview withHitQuarters, "Break Your Heart" was rejected by Cole'sPolydor label boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton felt it was too similar to "Heartbreaker" bywill.i.am, the executive producer of3 Words.[2] Smith also told This Must Be Pop: "Taio felt the lyric was a bit cocky for him to carry off – I told him he sounded great on it."[3]
Speaking of the song's lyrical background, Cruz told Pete Lewis ofBlues & Soul:
"It's about breaking a girl's heart, but in a way that's kinda not on purpose. It's more that I'm just a single guy, trying to be single and trying to remain single. And sometimes, when you are in that place, you get girls who wanna be a part of what you're about – but, because you're not really ready for a relationship, those girls can end up being heartbroken. So what I'm basically saying is 'I might just break your heart. But I'm only gonna break your heart if you come through this way right now'."[4]
Cruz also has called his song "catchy" with a "good melody" and "fun topic", stating that "both girls and guys can get into this character".[5] In an interview withEntertainment Weekly, Cruz elaborated and said the song was partially based on a personal situation, and rather an "exaggeration of an experience".[5]
The success of the song in the United Kingdom attracted the attention ofDavid Massey and Daniel Werner from Mercury/Island Def Jam who were excited and aggressive about releasing "Break Your Heart" in the United States on their label.[6] According to Cruz's manager Jamie Binns, the relationship with Monte Lipman at Universal Republic had "gone a bit quiet" by this point and as Taio wanted to be with the label that was most enthusiastic about his music, a move from Universal Republic to Mercury/Island Def Jam was engineered.[6] Massey and Werner's belief in the single's potential within the United States and relentless promotional push they gave it helped the song reach theBillboard Hot 100 top spot.[6]
In addition to re-working his album for a US release, Cruz tapped US rapperLudacris on a remix for the US version of "Break Your Heart". According to Cruz's manager Jamie Binns, Mercury Records president David Massey had suggested that to introduce Cruz to the American market, the single should feature an American rapper with chart credibility.[6] Massey and Mercury A&R manager Daniel Werner engineered an introduction with Ludacris' manager Jeff Dixon, who then played the song to Ludacris, who loved the track and within a week his contribution was complete.[6]
On collaborating with Ludacris, Cruz said, "With Ludacris, pretty much every track he's ever featured on sounds amazing. I gave him a quick call and asked him if he could get on the record, and he recorded it and sent it over. As I expected, there was nothing I needed to change. It sounded perfect. He put my name in there, which is great – so people know to pronounce it now properly, hopefully."[7] The version featuring Ludacris was originally released digitally as theb-side to "No Other One" in November 2009, before in the United States in February 2010.[8][9]
"Break Your Heart" is anelectropop song featuring a "surgingdance-pop" sound, accompanied with Cruz'sAuto-TunedR&B vocals.[10][11][12][13] It is written in thekey ofE♭ major described as a "medium dance groove", Cruz's vocals span from B♭3 to B♭4, and it'stempo has 122 beats per minute.[14] According to Jason Draper ofYahoo! Music UK, the song is a mix ofEuropean and Americanurban music.[15] It includes several tempo changes, which have been compared to that ofJay Sean's "Down".[12] The song is filled with boasting lyrics about being a heartbreaker rather than being heartbroken.[11]
AlthoughBBC Music called the song a "cheese-fest", the reviewer said "in a weird way it's kind of beautiful", investing in the "Ibiza-inspired R&B trend".[11] The review also compared the song toDizzee Rascal and Cruz's "layered vocals" and "slick production" toOneRepublic andTimbaland's "Apologize".[11] Michael Menachem ofBillboard said that the "stateside version" turns up the heat with Ludacris' feature as "Cruz's breezy vocals on this electro-pop number have all the warmth of smooth R&B, while producer Fraser T Smith sets up the right ratio of catchy vocals and tempo changes to make a hit".[12] Ash Dosanjh ofNew Musical Express said that Cruz's downfall was when he acts the player, as on "Break Your Heart" and "Dirty Picture".[16] Caroline Sullivan ofThe Guardian said Cruz was "proficient but generic" in the song, but his "autotuned vocals could have been anyone's, and this facelessness is a problem Cruz rarely surmounts."[10] Chris Ryan ofMTV Buzzworthy said that the song "perfectly embodies Cruz's infectious, dancefloor-friendly sound and sleek, immaculate production", and compares it toJason Derulo andAkon.[13]
"Break Your Heart" entered at the top of theUK Singles Chart on 20 September 2009 – for the week ending dated 26 September 2009 – becoming Cruz's first single to do so.[17] The song remained at the top of the chart for three weeks.[17] The song also peaked at number one in Switzerland, and in the top ten in several other countries across Europe.[18]
In the United States, theLudacris remix of "Break Your Heart" entered at number fifty-three on theBillboard Hot 100.[19] The following week, the single jumped from number fifty-three to the top of the chart, Cruz also set the record for largest jump to the top of the chart by a debut act.[19] The record was previously held by US singerKelly Clarkson, who jumped from 52 to one with herAmerican Idol coronation song, "A Moment Like This", and who also holds the record for the biggest non-debut jump on the chart, moving from 97 to one with "My Life Would Suck Without You".[19] It originally moved 31,000 digital copies in the United States for a partial sales week prompting its original Hot 100 entry, and shifted 273,000 downloads in its first full week of availability, claiming the top debut onHot Digital Songs.[19] It also marked Ludacris' fifth number one song. The song eventually dominated US airplay also, peaking at number one on theMainstream Top 40 chart.[20] Cruz became the twelfth male artist to have his first solo single peak at the top of the chart, and was the third since October 2008, followingJay Sean andJason Derulo.[20] By August 2012, "Break Your Heart" had sold 3,712,000 digital copies in the United States.[21]
Cruz and his girlfriend on a speedboat in the music video.
The original music video was filmed inSotogrande,[22] Spain in July 2009, with new parts filmed in Miami, United States in February 2010 to includeLudacris,[23] resulting in two versions of the video.[24]
The video begins with Cruz and his girlfriend, played byUzbekistan-born supermodel Nadya Nepomnyashaya, sitting together in asports car near apier. She tells him "You know I'm just gonna hurt you." Cruz responds by saying "You know I'm only gonna break your heart, right?" She says "You want a bet?" and he says "Bring It On." They then exit the car, walk down the pier and enter a nearbyspeedboat. Scenes are then shown in several different venues, including a club, a boat, a beachfront party, the speedboat and a hotel room. Throughout the video, Cruz is on escapades with different women and his girlfriend on escapades with other men. The video ends with Cruz's girlfriend laughing at his attempts to break her heart and then the two get off the boat they are on and go back onto the speedboat. For the version with Ludacris, there are scenes with him and Cruz in a white concrete backdrop with a flashing light, as well as the two of them together with a large group of people in another club.
When asked ifDiddy was an influence on the video, Cruz said "Probably on some kind of subconscious level. I just love supermodels, I lovesunshine, and I love sports cars. And this time we also added a speedboat. So you got the four S's in there."[5] In an interview withRap-Up, when talking about the video portraying him as a heartbreaker, Cruz said "No, not really. I suppose maybe 20%. It was more of just playing a character and having fun, just going out there and making a real cool, fun, cocky video. Not everyone has seen the whole plot of the video, but it's actually myself and my girlfriend both going out with the intention of breaking everyone's hearts."[25]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 10. týden 2010 in the date selector. Retrieved 13 March 2010..
