"Take My Breath Away" is a song written by

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

and

Tom Whitlock Thomas Ross Whitlock (February 20, 1954 – February 18, 2023) was an American songwriter, best known for co-writing the Academy Award– and Golden Globe–winning song " Take My Breath Away", performed by Berlin from the film ''Top Gun'', with ...

for the 1986 film ''

Top Gun ''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired ...

'''s

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

, performed by American new wave band

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and included on their album ''

Count Three & Pray ''Count Three & Pray'' is the fourth studio album by American new wave band Berlin, released on October 13, 1986, by Geffen Records. The album spawned three singles, including "Take My Breath Away", which was featured in the film ''Top Gun''. ...

''. The song won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

at the

59th Academy Awards The 59th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 30, 1987, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During ...

, as well as the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...

at the

44th Golden Globe Awards The 44th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1986, were held on 31 January 1987 at the The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hilton. Winners and nominees Film The following films received multiple nomination ...

in 1986.

Background

Italian musician

was asked by

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leonard Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruck ...

, the co-producer for ''

'', to write a song for the film's soundtrack. He first wrote " Danger Zone" which was recorded by

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded with Jim Messina (musician), Jim Mess ...

. Happy with the result, Bruckheimer then requested a slower song for a romantic scene. Once Moroder had written the musical backing to what would become "Take My Breath Away", he recorded a demo which featured a distinctive bass sound on a synthesizer that would later be used on the actual recording. Moroder gave the demo to lyricist

. The two first became acquainted when Whitlock, a mechanic, fixed the brakes on Moroder's

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

, and informed him that he was also a lyricist. Whitlock wrote the lyrics while driving home from the studio, and then spent a few hours at home polishing them. A demo of the song, sung by a background singer, impressed director

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was a British film director and producer. He made his theatrical film debut with ''The Hunger (1983 film), The Hunger'' (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and t ...

and producers Bruckheimer and

Don Simpson Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 – January 19, 1996) was an American film producer, screenwriter, and actor, known for his work in blockbuster films of the 1980s and '90s. Simpson entered the film industry in the 1970s and worked at ...

, who decided to film new romantic scenes between

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

and

Kelly McGillis Kelly Ann McGillis (born July 9, 1957) is an American actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in ''Witness'' (1985), for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in ''Top Gun'' (1986); ''Made in Heaven' ...

to feature the song. The song was first offered to

The Motels The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles " Only the Lonely" and " Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. ...

, who much later released their original demo, which is fairly similar to

's released version, on their compilation album ''

Anthologyland ''Anthologyland'' is a compilation album containing material from the new wave band, The Motels, plus work by Warfield Foxes (an earlier incarnation), and solo work by Martha Davis, including a couple of duets with Sly Stone and Ivan Neville. T ...

'' (2001).

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

suggested some of their signed artists, but eventually Moroder thought of the band Berlin, whose song "

No More Words "No More Words" is a song by American new wave band Berlin from their third studio album, '' Love Life'' (1984). It was released on February 27, 1984, as the album's lead single. The single was the band's first top-40 entry on the ''Billboard'' ...

" he had produced. Whitlock made a few changes to the lyrics before

Terri Nunn Terri Kathleen Nunn (born June 26, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She is known as the vocalist of the 1980s New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band Berlin (band), Berlin. Biography Nunn was born in Los Angeles, California on June 2 ...

recorded the vocals. Moroder has said that of all the songs he has produced in his career, he is most proud of this song.

Releases and performances

"Take My Breath Away" was the second single from the ''Top Gun'' soundtrack album, following Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone", and was released in 1986 as a split single alongside the song "

Radar Radio "Radar Radio" is a single performed by Giorgio Moroder featuring Joe Pizzulo and written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock. It was featured in the film '' Top Gun''. The song was released in 1986 as a B-side to the hit split single that featu ...

", performed by Moroder featuring

Joe Pizzulo Joe Pizzulo (born June 15, 1951) is an American vocalist best known as one of the lead singers on 1980s hit singles credited to Sérgio Mendes, including " Never Gonna Let You Go" (from Mendes' self-titled 1983 album) and "Alibis" (from the 1984 ...

. The song peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium. It later went on to win

Best Original Song The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best ...

at the

. "Take My Breath Away" is available on both the original ''Top Gun'' soundtrack album and the expanded edition. The song was also featured on Berlin's 1986 fourth studio album, ''

'' and, as the band's biggest hit, on several of the band's compilation albums: '' Best of Berlin 1979–1988'', ''Master Series'', ''Greatest Hits Remixed'' (which includes a "

Mission UK The Mission (known as the Mission UK in the United States) are an English gothic rock band formed in 1986. Initially known as the Sisterhood, the band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams (both from the Sisters of Mer ...

Remix" version), '' Live: Sacred and Profane'', and ''Metro Greatest Hits''. "Take My Breath Away" was one of the few songs not written by Berlin's John Crawford that they had performed on any album up to that point. Following the release of "Take My Breath Away", the band split over different points of view regarding the track: while Nunn viewed it as an opportunity that allowed the band to perform worldwide, Crawford disliked it as it had not been written or composed by any of them. He later said: "None of us had ever heard it. None of us had anything to do with it. I didn't play on it. Nobody played on it. No one wrote it". "Take My Breath Away" was re-released in the United Kingdom in October 1990 to coincide with the first television showing of ''Top Gun'' (by ITV, on the evening of October 6, 1990), as well as

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

's television advertising campaign for the

405 __NOTOC__ Year 405 ( CDV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Anthemius (or, less frequently, year 1158 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 405 ...

model range. The re-release reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. In 2017, ''

ShortList A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...

''s Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest key changes in music history".

Music video

The music video features scenes from the film ''Top Gun'' intermingled with Berlin's singer Terri Nunn performing the song in blue

coveralls A boilersuit (or boiler suit), also known as coveralls, is a loose fitting garment covering the whole body except for the head, hands and feet. Terminology The term ''boilersuit'' is most common in the UK, where the 2023 edition of the ''Oxfo ...

, walking between parts of planes in a windy

aircraft boneyard An aircraft boneyard or aircraft graveyard is a storage area for aircraft which are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage continuing to receive some maintenance or parts of the aircraft are removed for reus ...

(part of the Mojave Air & Space Port) at night. Bandmates John Crawford and Rob Brill are shown relaxing in the yard and then following Nunn.
Nunn's coveralls appear to be scorched (as if her character was in an accident), and where she appears, surrounding electric lights come to life akin to paranormal phenomena associated with ghosts. As her bandmates watch, Nunn is greeted by the ghostly appearance of military airmen of various eras. Nunn and the military men disappear into thin air at the end of the video, indicating they were all ghosts in the boneyard, and a reference to the titular lyric of the song.
The video can be seen occasionally on

VH1 Europe VH1 (referred as VH1 Europe) was a European music television channel owned by ViacomCBS Networks EMEAA. It played a wide variety of music programs on a daily or weekly basis, and various VH1 original series. The channel focused on current m ...

's Top 10 Movie Soundtracks program. It was later included on the 2004 ''Top Gun'' collector's edition DVD. Also, in

Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon ''Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon'' (; ; also known as ''City Hunter'') is a 2018 French action comedy film directed by Philippe Lacheau who also co-wrote the screenplay with Julien Arruti and Pierre Lacheau. It is an adaptation of the Japan ...

(2018) film.

Track listings

*7-inch single :A. "Take My Breath Away" – 4:13 :B. "

" (performed by

featuring

) – 3:40 *UK 12-inch single :A. "Take My Breath Away" – 4:13 :B1. "

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers. This version, produced by Spector, is cited by some music critics as the ultimat ...

" (performed by

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the L ...

) :B2. "Radar Radio" (performed by Giorgio Moroder featuring Joe Pizzulo) – 3:40 *UK 7-inch single (1990) :A. "Take My Breath Away" – 4:11 :AA. " Danger Zone" (performed by

) – 3:35 *UK CD single (1990) #"Take My Breath Away" – 4:11 #"Danger Zone" (performed by Kenny Loggins) – 3:35 #"Hot Summer Nights" (performed by

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American Latin pop band of Latin-influenced music that featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan, the band was originally known as the Mia ...

) – 3:34 #" Top Gun Anthem" (performed by

Harold Faltermeyer Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer (born 5 October 1952) is a German musician, composer and record producer. Faltermeyer is best known for composing the " Axel F" theme for the feature film '' Beverly Hills Cop'', an influential synth-pop hit in the ...

and

Steve Stevens Steve Stevens (born Steven Bruce Schneider; May 5, 1959) is an American guitarist. He is best known as Billy Idol's guitarist and songwriting collaborator, and for his lead guitar work on the theme to ''Top Gun'' – " Top Gun Anthem" – for ...

) – 4:02 *UK cassette single (1990) :A1. "Take My Breath Away" – 4:11 :A2. "Danger Zone" (performed by Kenny Loggins) – 3:35 :B1. "Take My Breath Away" – 4:11 :B2. "Danger Zone" (performed by Kenny Loggins) – 3:35

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jessica Simpson version

American singer

Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Johnson (née Simpson; born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' ...

covered "Take My Breath Away" and released it as the third single from the album ''

In This Skin ''In This Skin'' is the third studio album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 19, 2003, by Columbia Records. It was reissued on March 2, 2004, with three new songs. Simpson began taking more creative ...

'' in March 2004. Her version was produced by

Billy Mann William Hort-Mann (né Isaiah Erlichman; born December 20, 1968) is an American record producer and songwriter. He is known for producing " 3 Is Family" by Dana Dawson in 1995 as well as ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 40 hits such as " For You I ...

. Simpson chose to cover this song because she thought that it was the theme song of her relationship with her then-husband,

Nick Lachey Nicholas Scott Lachey ( ; born November 9, 1973) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, producer, TV personality and host. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the multi-platinum-selling boyband 98 Degrees and later starred in the reality ser ...

Commercial performance

"Take My Breath Away" reached number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as the top 10 on the

Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks was a chart from ''Billboard'' magazine. It debuted in the issue dated December 5, 1998 to preserve the notion of Hot 100 Airplay when it expanded to include airplay data from radio stations of other formats such as R&B, rock and c ...

and

Top 40 Mainstream 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 U ...

charts. It also became another number-one single for Simpson on the

Hot 100 Singles Sales The Hot Singles Sales, also known as the Hot 100 Singles Sales and the POS chart, was a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling physical singles in the United States, such as CD singles, vinyl single ...

chart. On November 7, 2005, the song was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Track listings

* Original 2-track release # "Take My Breath Away" # "Fly" * Australian CD single # "Take My Breath Away" # " With You" (acoustic version) # "Take My Breath Away" (Eddie Baez Late Night Club Mix) # "Take My Breath Away" (Passengerz Hourglass Mix) # "Take My Breath Away" (music video) * Brazilian promotional CD single # "Take My Breath Away" # "Take My Breath Away" (Eddie Baez Late Night Club Mix) # "Take My Breath Away" (Eddie Baez Late Night Dub Mix) # "Take My Breath Away" (Passengerz Hourglass Mix)

Awards and nominations

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and Sales

Release history

The Shadows version

An instrumental version was recorded by

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

for their 1991 album ''Themes & Dreams''. As is typical for the group's cover versions, it features

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is known as the lead guitarist for the Shadows. Early life and career Marvin was born as Brian Robson Rankin at ...

's lead guitar played to the original vocal melody, with considerable note elongation, echo and whammy bar application.

Petra Janů version

A Czech version, titled "Ještě se mi směj" (also known as "Diagnóza láska") was released as a single in 1987 by multiple Zlatý slavík award winner

Petra Janů Petra Janů (born Jana Petrů, 19 November 1952) is a Czech singer and actress. She won the 1987 Zlatý slavík for Female Singer of the Year, ahead of Iveta Bartošová Iveta Bartošová (8 April 1966 – 29 April 2014) was a Czech people, Cze ...

, becoming one of her biggest hits.

References

{{Authority control 1986 songs 1986 singles 2004 singles 1980s ballads Berlin (band) songs Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs Best Original Song Golden Globe–winning songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Columbia Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Film theme songs The Flying Pickets songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Jessica Simpson songs Love themes Song recordings produced by Giorgio Moroder Songs from Top Gun Songs written by Giorgio Moroder Songs written by Tom Whitlock Synth-pop ballads UK singles chart number-one singles Music videos shot in the United States

Background

Releases and performances

Music video

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jessica Simpson version

Commercial performance

Track listings

Awards and nominations

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and Sales

Release history

The Shadows version

Petra Janů version

See also

References