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We Break the Dawn

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"We Break the Dawn"
Single by Michelle Williams
from the album Unexpected
ReleasedMarch 31, 2008 (2008-03-31)
Recorded2007
Waveview Studios
Chalice Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length3:54
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Wayne Wilkins
  • Andrew Frampton[1]
Michelle Williams singles chronology
"Let's Stay Together"
(2005) 		"We Break the Dawn"
(2008) 		"The Greatest'"
(2008)
Music video
"We Break The Dawn" on YouTube

"We Break the Dawn" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Michelle Williams. It was written by Solange Knowles, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins and produced by Wilkins and Frampton for Williams' third studio album Unexpected (2008).[1][2] Officially premiering as the album's lead single on the People.com website on March 31, 2008,[3] the single received critical acclaim for its "terrific fusion of European disco and dance-pop as well as its "irresistible" chorus.

"We Break the Dawn" dominated the US Billboard Dance charts, topping the Hot Dance Airplay chart and peaking at number four on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Despite being promoted by Williams with various live performances, TV appearances, interviews and with the release of a Phil Griffin directed music video,[4] the song failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. In Europe however, despite minimal promotion, the single became Williams' first song to chart on the UK Singles Chart – where it debuted and peaked within the top 50 at number forty-seven, the single also charted at number twenty-six on the Billboard Global Dance Tracks chart, and also peaked within the top 40 of the Hungarian Radio Top 40 in 2009. The song was nominated for "Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Female Artist" in the 2008 NewNowNext Awards.

Background

"Stop This Car", was originally rumored to be the lead single from Unexpected,[5] however it was later confirmed as the second single – only to be later changed in favor of "The Greatest".[6] "We Break the Dawn" was the first solo original release by Williams that was not distinctly Gospel in style or genre, causing the song to gain much media attention online. In describing Williams's new artistic direction, Hillary Crosley wrote, "there's a clear move away from the gospel."[6] When the song premiered on People.com, Brian Orloff posted, "It's a hot new look and new sound."[3] Meanwhile, noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul stated: "Williams' first solo pop/R&B LP 'Unexpected' is pioneered by the electro-club grooves of its melodically-soulful offshoot single 'We Break The Dawn'."[7]

Writing and composition

"We Break The Dawn" (2008)
Williams's most successful and lead single from Unexpected
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"We Break the Dawn" was written by Solange Knowles, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins. Produced by Frampton and Wilkins, it is a fairly up-tempo electro-R&B song which incorporates various other genres such as synthpop, Europop and dance-pop.[8] The song is composed in common time and Williams' vocal range in the song spans just over two octaves from the note G3 to A5. Though an array of official remixes were produced and released, the most notable is the "DJ Montay Remix", which is also featured on Unexpected (titled "We Break the Dawn (Part 2)") along with the original version."Part 2" features Florida rapper Flo Rida – who raps in the intro and performs a verse towards the end of the song.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Digital Spy[8]

Critical response to the song was universally positive. Nick Levine of Digital Spy described the song as "A terrific fusion of European disco and American R&B", awarding it four stars out of five and even comparing it to "Work" by Michelle's former band-mate Kelly Rowland after describing the chorus as growing "more irresistible with every listen".[8] Nick Levine of the Billboard listed the song as being one of the "shiny electro-R&B gems...that make Williams' journey from church to club as enjoyable as it was inevitable" while Ben Norman of About.com hailed the song as an "immensely catchy mid-tempo jam" that is "carefree" and "has a certain amount of memorability in the synth riff and the laid-back party lyrics".[9] Meanwhile, Robin Carolan of Slant Magazine described Williams' "embracing" of "au courant euro-pop sounds" as "a move that works well for her", going on to state that it "boasts a chorus wrapped up in some awesome swirling synth-pop majestics" and despite doing "relatively well on the dance charts" it "deserved to cross over".[10]

Release and promotion

On April 15, 2008, "We Break the Dawn" was released digitally in the US and physically on July 8, 2008.[11][12] In the UK, the single was only released digitally on September 22, 2008.[13] In the US, Williams promoted the song (most notably) via live performances on The Wendy Williams Show,[14] The Early Show[15] and appearances on Good Day LA[16] and TRL.[17] In the UK, Williams promoted the song on the television show Loose Women, but aside from that it received minimal promotion and was largely ignored by TV and radio. Despite this however, the song peaked within the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.[18] "We Break The Dawn" was featured on the season premiere of The City as well as, the season finale of America's Best Dance Crew and the film Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom – along with Unexpected's second single "The Greatest". Williams appeared as a guest judge in the episode "Girl Groups" of RuPaul's Drag Race, which featured a lip-sync to the song between contestants Akashia and Tammie Brown.[19]

Chart performance

The single became Williams's most successful single when it topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart and climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[20] In the UK, the single debuted and peaked at number forty-seven – becoming Michelle's first song or album to chart in the UK – before dropping to number eighty-two in its second week, amassing a total of only two weeks on the UK Singles Chart. The single also received airplay in Hungary, debuting and peaking at number thirty-eight on the Hungarian Radio Top 40 on January 12, 2009 and was later listed at number one-hundred-and-seventy-four on the 2009-year-end chart.[21][22]

Music video

The video, directed by Phil Griffin, was shot on April 23, 2008 in downtown Los Angeles and premiered on May 20, 2008. It features Williams dancing in the empty streets of a city with her background dancers. The video was also used for the "DJ Montay Remix" featuring Flo-Rida and the "Karmatronic Remix" with alternate scenes. The video reached number on the MTV Base chart video countdown chart. In the UK, the video premiered on 4music on August 23, 2008.

Formats and track listing

Credits and personnel

Source: Liner notes[1]

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format
United States April 15, 2008[11] Digital download
July 8, 2008
United Kingdom September 22, 2008[13] Digital download

References

  1. ^ a b c Music World Entertainment (2008) Michelle Williams – Unexpected (Liner Notes) Columbia Records.
  2. ^ "Music World/Columbia Records Set to Release 'Unexpected'". EarthTimes. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  3. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN: A New Sound for Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams". People.com. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  4. ^ "Michelle's #1!!! - 'We Break The Dawn,' The First Hit Single From Superstar Michelle William's Forthcoming Solo Album, Unexpected, Rockets to #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay Chart". SONY (Press release). Sony Music Entertainment. October 7, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ^ G., Franc (March 10, 2008). "Michelle Williams "Stop This Car"". RnB Music Blog. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Williams in a Dance Mood On Third Solo Disc". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  7. ^ Lewis, Pete (2008). "MICHELLE WILLIAMS: Destiny's offspring". Blues & Soul. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Levine, Nick (September 22, 2008). "Music – Singles Review – Michelle Williams: 'We Break The Dawn'". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  9. ^ Norman, Ben. "Michelle Williams – 'Unexpected'". About.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  10. ^ Carolan, Robin (October 6, 2008). "Michelle Williams: Unexpected". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  11. ^ a b "We Break The Dawn: Michelle Williams: Amazon.com: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  12. ^ a b "WE BREAK THE DAWN: MICHELLE WILLIAMS: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  13. ^ a b "We Break The Dawn: Michelle Williams: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  14. ^ "Michelle Williams on The Wendy Williams Show Part 1". The Wendy Williams Show. YouTube. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  15. ^ "Michelle Williams – We Break The Dawn live @ The Early Show". The Early Show. YouTube. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  16. ^ "Michelle Williams – Good Day LA Interview – 16th Sept. 2008". Good Day LA. YouTube. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  17. ^ "Michelle Williams TRL – "They Know My Song"". TRL. YouTube. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  18. ^ "Michelle Williams – Loose Women – 30th July 2008". Loose Women. YouTube. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  19. ^ Collins, Dan (April 17, 2009). "Interview: Tammie Brown of RuPaul's Drag Race". laist. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  20. ^ Joszor, Njai (July 11, 2008). "Michelle Williams Dances Straight To No. 1 With 'We Break The Dawn'". Singersroom.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2009". Association of Hungarian Record Companies. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "Éves összesített listák – Rádiós Top 40 játszási listá". Mahasz. Mahasz.
  23. ^ "iTunes – Music – We Break the Dawn – Single by Michelle Williams". iTunes. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  24. ^ "iTunes – Music – We Break the Dawn – Single by Michelle Williams". iTunes. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  25. ^ "iTunes – Music – We Break the Dawn (The Remixes) – EP by Michelle Williams". iTunes. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  26. ^ "iTunes – Music – We Break the Dawn (The Remixes) – The Mixes, Pt. 2 by Michelle Williams". iTunes. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  27. ^ "iTunes – Music – We Break the Dawn – Single by Michelle Williams". iTunes. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  28. ^ "Michelle Williams – We Break the Dawn MP3 Downloads – 7digital". 7digital. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2011.
  29. ^ "Michelle Williams – We Break the Dawn (CDr)". Discogs. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  30. ^ "Michelle Williams – We Break the Dawn/Hello Heartbreak LP". Discogs. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  31. ^ "Michelle Williams – Chart History". Billboardaccessdate=9 Feb 2013.
  32. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  33. ^ "Michelle Williams: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  34. ^ "Hot Single Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  35. ^ "Michelle Williams Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  36. ^ "Dance Hit Heralds Michelle Williams Album". Billboard.
  37. ^ "Dance/Mix Show Songs (Year end)". Billboard.
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