"Don't Break My Heart" is a song by British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

band

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...

from their sixth album ''

Baggariddim ''Baggariddim'' is the sixth album by UB40, released in 1985. Most of the tracks are reworkings of previous UB40 recordings that originally appeared on ''Labour of Love'' and '' Geffery Morgan'', here showcasing guest singers and "toasters" on ...

''. A remixed version was released as a single in October 1985 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, making it their highest charting original song.

Songwriting dispute

On its release, the songwriting credits were only given to UB40, apart from in the US where the single and album credited the lyrics as being written by Javid Khan and the music by UB40. Khan was a singer and the next-door neighbour of UB40 lead singer

Ali Campbell Alistair Ian Campbell (born 15 February 1959) is an English singer and songwriter who was lead singer and co-founder of the British reggae band UB40. UB40 sold more than 70 million records worldwide and toured for 30 years with the original l ...

. However, in 1992, Deborah Banks, a secretary in Birmingham, took legal action again UB40 and the music publishers, claiming she had written the majority of the lyrics for "Don't Break My Heart". In the 1980s, Banks and Khan were friendly and Khan was struggling to write an appropriate song, so Banks, who was also an amateur poet, wrote two for him. Khan was paid £10,000 by the band for "Don't Break My Heart" who were under the impression that Khan had written the song, with Banks not receiving any recognition or payment. The case went to the High Court in 1995 presided by judge

Jeremiah Harman Jeremiah Harman (1763-1844) was chief of a family known in the commercial world for nearly a century, and highly esteemed both in England and abroad. He may himself be said to have stood at the head of London city, both as to mercantile and pri ...

. Khan denied the lyrics were written by Banks, saying that they had "come from my head". However, Judge Harman ruled in favour of Banks, stating that Khan had no right to sell the song and UB40 had no right to record it, and awarding her royalties from the song. Following the verdict, subsequent albums released with "Don't Break My Heart" co-credited Banks and UB40 as writing the lyrics.

Track listing

7": DEP International / DEP 22 # "Don't Break My Heart" – 3:58 # "Mek Ya Rok" – 3:39 12": DEP International / DEP 22-12 # "Don't Break My Heart" – 7:12 # "Mek Ya Rok" – 6:19

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1985 songs 1985 singles UB40 songs