"Breakin' Away" is a song by British singer

Kim Wilde Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer. She first gained success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at no. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo ...

, released in September 1995 as the first single from her ninth album, '' Now & Forever'' (1995). Wilde had initially made her name in the 1980s as the highest-selling British female soloist of that decade. She had also earned some degree of success in the early 1990s. "Breakin' Away" was released both in its original form and as several different extended remixes on the 12" and

CD-single A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any single recorded onto a CD of an ...

formats. On the CD-single and

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single (music), single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was introduced in 1980 in music, 1 ...

, a song called "Staying with My Baby" was also included. This track was somewhat exclusive as it was only included on the Japanese issue of the ''Now & Forever'' album.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

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 advertis ...

'' commented, "It has been awhile since the seemingly ageless

delivered a single as good as her

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

single, "Breakin' Away". Under the production guidance of brother Ricki Wilde and the ever-fab Serious Rope, she is the picture of sweet, girlish charm, gleefully romping through the track's plush retro-disco arrangement." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' wrote that "this fast-moving

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

track introduces us to an up-to-date Kim Wilde. She lets the world know that "we've got to move forward" and that's exactly what she's doing with this single, which should be welcomed by

and EHR stations." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' noted, "Anyone else on vocals and this

marshmallow Marshmallow (, ) is a confectionery made from sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a solid-but-soft consistency. It is used as a filling in baking or molded into shapes and coated with corn starch. This sugar confection is inspired by a medicina ...

pop could pass unnoticed, but the massive past success of Wilde should see her getting a chart slot."

James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to: Dukes *James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland *James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman *James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...

from the '' RM'' Dance Update deemed it as a "breezily harmonized romping chunky strider – sorta

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

meets Manhattan Transfer".

Track listing

* CD single, Europe (1995) #"Breakin' Away" (Radio Mix) – 3:35 #"Breakin' Away" (Original 12" Mix) – 6:29 #"Breakin' Away" (Matt Darey Vocal Mix) – 6:15 #"Staying with My Baby" (Radio Mix) – 4:28

Charts

References

{{authority control 1995 singles 1995 songs British dance-pop songs Kim Wilde songs MCA Records singles Songs written by Mike Percy (musician) Songs written by Tim Lever Songs written by Tracy Ackerman