"Break It Off" is a song written by D. Bennett, K. Ford, Sean Paul, and Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. The song, which featured Sean Paul, was the fourth and final single from Rihanna's second album A Girl like Me and was released only in the United States, Canada, and select European territories. The song was performed during the Rockin' New Year's Eve '07 television special on January 1, 2007 at Times Square in New York City. Rihanna has previously stated that she is very proud of the song because it charted strongly without a music video. In the song Rihanna sings the chorus and a verse, while Sean Paul sings the rest of the song. The song uses the dancehall riddim "High Altitude". Although she had written a number of songs on her first two albums, this song was the first of her singles in which she had a hand in writing. She subsequently wrote the chorus and her verse on "Run This Town" with Jay-Z and Kanye West.
[edit] Music and lyrics
"Break It Off" is a dancehall and pop song that runs for 3:33 (3 minutes and 33 seconds).[1][2] The song's rhythm is influenced by electro and reggae genres[1] all while showcasing Rihanna's Caribbean roots.[3] According to the digital sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, it is written in the key of D major. The song runs through a moderate dance beat and maintains a tempo of 130 beat per minute. Rihanna's vocal range spans nearly an octave and a half from A3 to E♭5.[4] The lyrics are centered around the protagonist wanting to dance.[2]
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical reception
David Jeffries of Allmusic named "Break It Off" one of the top album tracks from the A Girl Like Me album.[5] Kelefa Sanneh of New York Times praised the song as a "triumphant return to her [Rihanna] old formula."[1] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters lauded Sean Paulfor his contribution to the song while praising Rihanna's hook as infectious, writing that "[Rihanna's] hook is so infectious that hers is the voice you ultimately remember. That’s another dancehall-flavored song and another winner."[2] Ruth Jamieson of The Observer labeled "Break It Off" as one of the album's highlights.[6]
[edit] Chart performance
It debuted at number eight on the U.S. Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 75,316 downloads. This release to the digital market prompted the song to jump from number 52 to number ten in one week on the Billboard Hot 100 later reaching its peak of number nine.[7] The song has sold 1,000,000 paid digital downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
[edit] Promotion
"Break It Off" was performed in many different places and arenas all over the world. She performed it for New Year's Eve 2007 and in lots of concerts such as BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend and Live Earth. She also performed the song in her first and second concert tours Rihanna: Live in Concert Tour (2006) and Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007-09). It is performed for only one minute and a half at concerts as a medley because Sean Paul performs more words than Rihanna.
[edit] Music video
A video for the song was expected to premiere sometime in December 2006. However, both Def Jam Recordings and Atlantic Records said there will be no music video for the song. About that, Sean Paul stated:
| “ |
... I'm saying to Atlantic, you strip dis pon my Europe album... Put it on there, write a re-release. So, shoot a video for it, it bad. No we don't have no plans for that. That tune come out and reach a number nine on the Billboard charts. That means something to me, that shows me that I can have my own record label.[8] |
” |
The performance from New Year's Eve 2007 is sometimes used as a music video for the single.
[edit] Charts
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sanneh, Kelefa. "Critic's Choice: New CD's". New York Times. New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E2DD123FF937A15757C0A9609C8B63. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Huff, Quentin B.. "Review: A Girl Like Me". PopMatters. PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/rihanna-a-girl-like-me/. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ "Quick Spin". The Washington Post. The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/25/AR2006042501896.html. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ "Digital Sheet Music – Rihanna – Break It Off". EMI Music Publishing.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Review: A Girl Like Me". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-girl-like-me-r828728/review. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ Jamieson, Ruth. "Rihanna, A Girl Like Me". The Obsefver. Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/apr/23/34. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Mims Puts The 'Hot' In The Hot 100 At No. 1", Billboard.com, March 1, 2007
- ^ "Sean Paul Explains Reason for No 'Break It Off' Video", Letssingit.com, April 20, 2007
- ^ "Rihanna Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Rihanna. Prometheus Global Media.
- ^ "Rihanna Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Rihanna. Prometheus Global Media.
- ^ "Rihanna Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Rihanna. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
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