"Break Your Heart" is a song by British singer and songwriter

Taio Cruz Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...

. The song serves as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release str ...

from his second studio album, ''

Rokstarr ''Rokstarr'' is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. It was released on 12 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. On 11 June 2010 a revised version of the album was released in Europe and the United States, appearing ...

'' (2009). It was written by Cruz and

Fraser T Smith Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith (born 8 February 1971), known professionally as Fraser T. Smith, is an English record producer, songwriter and musician. Some of the singles he collaborated on include Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain", James Morrison's " ...

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 rapper Ludacris; that version was the single released in North American countries. The song, originally penned for

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstars ...

, is an

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a ...

song with

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

elements, accompanied by Cruz's vocals. The song is lyrically a warning to someone about being a

heartbreaker Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to: Film and television *''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle *'' The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff * ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American ...

. 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 the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top ...

. 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 a speedboat compared to classic Diddy and a club scene with Ludacris in the US version.

Background

"Break Your Heart" was one of two songs penned by Cruz for

for her debut solo album, ''

3 Words ''3 Words'' is the debut studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's " Heartbreaker" (2008), on which she sang additional voc ...

''. 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''. Cruz told '' MTV News UK'' that after he released the song, Cole's people would have liked the song for her after all. The latter track by Cruz, "Stand Up" made it onto the final track list on Cole's album. However, according to the song's other co-writer

in an interview with ''

HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...

'', "Break Your Heart" was rejected by Cole's

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

label boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton felt it was too similar to "

Heartbreaker Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to: Film and television *''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle *'' The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff * ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American ...

" by

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

, the executive producer of ''3 Words''. 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." Speaking of the song's lyrical background, Cruz told Pete Lewis of ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

'':

"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'."

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". In an interview with ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cultu ...

'', Cruz elaborated and said the song was partially based on a personal situation, and rather an "exaggeration of an experience". The success of the song in the United Kingdom attracted the attention of David 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. 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. 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 the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top spot.

Ludacris remix

In addition to re-working his album for an US release, Cruz tapped US rapper Ludacris 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. 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. 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." The version featuring Ludacris was originally released digitally as the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

to " No Other One" in November 2009, before in the United States in February 2010.

Composition

"Break Your Heart" is an

song featuring a "surging

" sound, accompanied with Cruz's

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d R&B vocals. It is written in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalen ...

described as a "medium dance groove", and Cruz's vocals span from B₃ to B₄. According to Jason Draper of ''

Yahoo! Music UK Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...

'', the song is a mix of

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

and American

urban music Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

. It includes several tempo changes, which have been compared to that of

Jay Sean Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born 26 March 1981), better known by the stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with " Dance with You", which reache ...

's " Down". The song is filled with boasting lyrics about being a heartbreaker rather than being heartbroken.

Critical reception

Although ''

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio op ...

'' called the song a "cheese-fest", the reviewer said "in a weird way it's kind of beautiful", investing in the "

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its la ...

-inspired R&B trend". The review also compared the song to

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. Dizze ...

and Cruz's "layered vocals" and "slick production" to

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...

and

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

's " Apologize". Michael Menachem of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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". Ash Dosanjh of ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music journalism, music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine tha ...

'' said that Cruz's downfall was when he acts the player, as on "Break Your Heart" and "

Dirty Picture "Dirty Picture" is a song by British R&B singer Taio Cruz, which features vocals from American singer Kesha and was released from his second studio album, '' Rokstarr'' (2009). The song was written and produced by Cruz alongside Fraser T Smit ...

". Caroline Sullivan of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...

'' 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." Chris Ryan of ''

MTV Buzzworthy MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

'' said that the song "perfectly embodies Cruz's infectious, dancefloor-friendly sound and sleek, immaculate production", and compares it to

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter.

and

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

Chart performance

"Break Your Heart" entered at the top of the

on 20 September 2009 – for the week ending dated 26 September 2009 – becoming Cruz's first single to do so. The song remained at the top of the chart for three weeks. The song also peaked at number one in Switzerland, and in the top ten in several other countries across Europe. In Australia, the Ludacris remix of the single peaked at number two on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. In the United States, the Ludacris remix of "Break Your Heart" entered at number fifty-three on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming i ...

. 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. The record was previously held by US singer

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her deb ...

, who jumped from 52 to one with her ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' coronation song, "

A Moment Like This "A Moment Like This" is the debut single by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid from British house music project Nightcrawlers) and produced by Stephen Ferrera and Steve Mac. It was released a ...

", 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 "My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her fourth studio album, '' All I Ever Wanted'' (2009). The song features songwriting credits from Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, and Claude Kelly and production ...

". 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 on

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

. It also marked Ludacris' fifth number one song. The song eventually dominated US airplay also, peaking at number one on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

chart. 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, following

and

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter.

. By August 2012, "Break Your Heart" had sold 3,712,000 digital copies in the United States.

Music video

The original music video was filmed in

Sotogrande Sotogrande is the largest privately owned residential development in Andalusia, Spain. Originally a gated community, it is located in the municipality of San Roque and is composed of a 25-square-kilometre stretch from the Mediterranean Sea 25&nbs ...

, Spain in July 2009, with new parts filmed in Miami, United States in February 2010 to include Ludacris, resulting in two versions of the video. The video begins with Cruz and his girlfriend, played by

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

-born supermodel Nadya Nepomnyashaya, sitting together in a

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

near a

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. 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 nearby speedboat. 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. 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 if an old school Diddy was an influence on the video, Cruz said "Probably on some kind of subconscious level. I just love supermodels, I love

sunshine Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...

, and I love sports cars. And this time we also added a speedboat. So you got the four S's in there." In an interview with ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'', 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."

Covers and other uses

"Weird Al" Yankovic included the chorus in his polka medley " Polka Face" from his 2011 album ''

Alpocalypse ''Alpocalypse'' is the thirteenth studio album by American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It was the seventh studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pa ...

''. Violinist

Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007. Stirling pe ...

used the song to perform to on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global Got Talent, ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (company), F ...

''. It was also covered by Blondie whilst on the European Leg of 2010 Endangered Species Tour.

Track listing

* German CD single # "Break Your Heart" (featuring Ludacris) – 3:05 # "Break Your Heart" (The Wideboys Remix Radio Edit) – 3:46 * UK CD single #"Break Your Heart" – 3:23 #"Break Your Heart" (Vito Benito FF Radio Remix) – 3:22 #"Break Your Heart" (Paul Thomas Remix) – 7:41 #"Break Your Heart" (Cassette Club Remix) – 7:22 * Digital download #"Break Your Heart" – 3:23 #"Break Your Heart" (Paul Thomas Remix) – 7:41 * Digital download – EP #"Break Your Heart" (Vito Benito FF Radio Remix) – 3:22 #"Break Your Heart" (Cassette Club Remix) – 7:22 #"Break Your Heart" (Agent X Remix) – 4:27

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes. * Songwriting – Taio Cruz, Fraser T. Smith (and Chris Bridges for remixed version) * Producing – Taio Cruz, Fraser T. Smith * Engineering – Beatriz Artola * Mixing – Fraser T. Smith * Mastering – Dick Beetham

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2009 singles 2010 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles Ludacris songs Song recordings produced by Fraser T. Smith Songs written by Fraser T. Smith Songs written by Taio Cruz Taio Cruz songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles 2009 songs Songs written by Ludacris