Breakdown (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song)
| "Breakdown" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "The Wild One, Forever" |
"Breakdown" is the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. It became a Top 40 hit in the United States and Canada.[2]
Played live, Petty sometimes incorporated "Breakdown" with Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack". A live recording of this variation appears on The Live Anthology.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers original
Track listings
- 7" Single (US, 1976)
- A. "Breakdown" – 2:39 = background vocals were sung by fellow Shelter Records artist Phil Seymour who also sang on American Girl.
- B. "The Wild One, Forever" – 3:01
- 7" Single (US, 1977)
- A. "Breakdown" – 2:39
- B. "Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)" – 3:54
- 7" Single (Germany, 1977)
- A. "Breakdown" – 2:42
- B. "Luna" – 3:59
- 7" Single (Spain, 1978)
- A. "Breakdown" – 2:42
- B. "Strangered in the Night" – 3:32
Chart performance
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States[3] | 40 |
| Canada[4] | 40 |
Album appearances
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)
- FM (1978)
- Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1985)
- Greatest Hits (1993)
- Playback (1995)
- Anthology: Through the Years (2000)
- Mojo Tour 2010 (2010)
Grace Jones version
| "Breakdown" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Warm Leatherette" |
Jamaican singer Grace Jones recorded a reggae re-imagining of the song on her 1980 album Warm Leatherette. For Grace Jones' recording, Petty wrote a third verse: "It's OK if you must go / I'll understand if you don't / You say goodbye right now / I'll still survive somehow / Why should we let this drag on?"[5] The song was edited from its full, 5:30 album version to a 3-minute-long track on single release. It was released as a US-only single in July 1980 but didn't chart.
Track listing
- 7" single
- A. "Breakdown" – 3:00
- B. "Warm Leatherette" – 4:24
- 12" single
- A. "Breakdown" – 5:30
- B1. "Breakdown" (edit) – 3:10
- B2. "Warm Leatherette" – 4:24
- 7" promotional single
- A. "Breakdown" (stereo edit) – 3:00
- B. "Breakdown" (mono edit) – 3:00
Other cover versions
- "Breakdown" was covered by Suzi Quatro on her album If You Knew Suzi... (1978).
- The Replacements on their 1985 live album The Shit Hits the Fans.
- A live acoustic version of "Breakdown" appeared on Missy Higgins' 2009 More Than This EP featuring Brett Dennen.[6]
- Flaw performed a live cover of "Breakdown" while touring 2010.[7]
- The song was performed live by Foo Fighters while on their 2011 Wasting Light World Tour.
- Christina Perri performed this song on her 2011-2012 Lovestrong Tour.
References
- ^ a b Ira A. Robbins (January 1983). The Trouser Press guide to new wave records. C. Scribner's Sons. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-684-17943-8.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2010, Record Research, 2011.
- ^ "Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Billboard Singles)". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada (Top Singles - Volume 28, No. 24, March 11, 1978)". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ Joey Michaels. "3349. "Breakdown" by Grace Jones". sadclownrep.com. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
- ^ "MISSY'S NEW EP "MORE THAN THIS" by Missy Higgins on Myspace". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ "FLAW @ TREES DALLAS 5/20/10". YouTube. 2010-06-07. Retrieved 2016-10-12.