Break Up (album)
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Break Up is a collaborative album between Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson. The first single, "Relator" was released as a digital download on May 25, 2009. The full album was released by Atco/Rhino on September 15, 2009. Pete's brother Rick Yorn is Scarlett's manager.[1]
Production
The album was recorded in 2006, thus preceding several albums that Yorn and Johansson have released as solo artists.[2] Johansson completed her vocals for the project in two afternoon sessions.[3]
Yorn said that the concept for the album was realized in a dream he had. The project was inspired by Serge Gainsbourg's 1967 and 1968 albums with Brigitte Bardot.[4]
Johansson spoke about the project at the time of the "Relator" single release; "The idea of two people vocalizing their relationship through duets...I always thought of it as just a small project between friends. It perfectly captured where I was in my life at the time".[5]
Promotion
During 2009, Yorn stated that he would like to do some live shows with Johansson to promote the album. By September 10 that year, Johansson and Yorn performed "Relator" on the French television show Le Grand Journal. It was Johansson's first live performance on television.
The duo were then interviewed by KCRW on October 7; they talked about past, present and future projects, and performed the single "Relator" along with "Blackie's Dead", "Search Your Heart", "Shampoo" and a cover of the Kinks' "Stop Your Sobbing". They also stated that they would like to tour, but because the short time the songs give them to perform (around 29 minutes), they would like to turn the concert into a dinner if there's the demand for them to tour.[6]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
The A.V. Club | C+[7] |
Allmusic | [8] |
BBC | (average)[9] |
CHARTattack | [10] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[11] |
The Independent | (positive)[12] |
Now Magazine | [13] |
Paste | (positive)[14] |
Pitchfork Media | (4.7/10)[15] |
Rolling Stone | [16] |
The album was rated a 52/100 among professional music critics on Metacritic, indicating mixed or average reviews.[17]
Track listing
Standard edition
All tracks are written by Pete Yorn, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Relator" | 2:33 |
2. | "Wear and Tear" | 3:22 |
3. | "I Don't Know What to Do" | 3:29 |
4. | "Search Your Heart" | 3:01 |
5. | "Blackie's Dead" | 2:37 |
6. | "I Am the Cosmos" (Chris Bell) | 2:47 |
7. | "Shampoo" | 3:05 |
8. | "Clean" | 3:48 |
9. | "Someday" | 4:17 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Blackie's Dead [Demo]" | 2:03 |
French special edition
CD 2 includes live versions recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles on October 7, 2009. Originally broadcast on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic with Jason Bentley. This CD was launched like the "Live At KCRW.Com EP" on Amazon.com, and after included in "Break Up (Deluxe Edition)".
This enhanced CD also includes Relator video.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Relator" | 2:36 |
2. | "Blackie's Dead" | 2:38 |
3. | "I Don't Know What to Do" | 3:30 |
4. | "Search Your Heart" | 3:03 |
5. | "Shampoo" | 3:08 |
6. | "Stop Your Sobbin'" | 2:38 |
7. | "Relator" (video) | 2:33 |
Personnel
- Robert Francis – banjo, bass guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, slide guitar
- Max Goldblatt – banjo, synthesizer bass, background vocals
- Scarlett Johansson – lead vocals, background vocals
- Sunny D. Levine – programming, synthesizer bass
- Giuseppe Patanè – bass guitar
- Amir Yaghmai – synthesizer strings, synthesizer
- Pete Yorn – banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, tambourine, lead vocals, background vocals
Chart positions
Album
Chart (2009) | Peak Position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 78 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] | 45 |
French Albums (SNEP)[21] | 18 |
Illegal chart entered Germany2 | 89 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] | 58 |
UK Albums Chart[23] | 160 |
US Billboard 200[24] | 41 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[24] | 6 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard[24] | 14 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | "Relator" | Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 10 |
German Singles Chart | 91 | ||
Swiss Singles Chart | 57 | ||
UK Singles Chart[23] | 189 |
References
- ^ Shprintz, Janet (16 October 2006). "Pact mentality". Variety.
- ^ "Scarlett Johansson, Pete Yorn album on the way". NME. 23 May 2009.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (21 May 2009). "Listen as Yorn, Johansson 'Break Up'". USA Today.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (26 May 2009). "Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn to Break Up". The Guardian.
- ^ Heldman, Breanne L. (26 May 2009) "Scarlett Johansson's New Hookup: Pete Yorn". E! (eonline.com).
- ^ "Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn". Morning Becomes Eclectic. KCRW. 7 October 2009.
- ^ Martins, Chris (September 15, 2009). "Break Up". A.V. Club.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Break Up at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ Diver, Mike (September 16, 2009). "Break Up review". BBC Music.
- ^ "Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up". ChartAttack. 5 October 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
- ^ Greenblatt, Leah (September 2, 2009). "Break Up (2009)". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Price, Simon (6 September 2009). "Album: Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson, Break Up (Atco/Rhino)". The Independent.
- ^ Gillis, Carla (23–30 September 2009). "Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson". NOW. 29 (4).
- ^ Labate, Steve (11 September 2009). "Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson: Break Up". Paste.
- ^ Hogan, Marc (11 September 2009). "Scarlett Johansson / Pete Yorn: Break Up". Pitchfork.
- ^ Maerz, Melissa (8 September 2009). "Pete Yorn: Break Up". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009.
- ^ "Break Up - Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ "Break Up (Amazon Exclusive) Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up" (in French). Hung Medien.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up". Hung Medien.
- ^ a b "Chart Log UK – 2009". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Pete Yorn - Awards". AllMusic.