Break The Rules (Charli XCX Song)
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"Break the Rules" is a song by English singer
Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...
from her second studio album, ''
Sucker Sucker may refer to: General use * Lollipop or sucker, a type of confection * Sucker (slang), a slang term for a very gullible person * Hard candy ** Cough drop ** Mint (candy) Biology * Sucker (botany), a term for a shoot that arises undergro ...
'' (2014). It was released on 19 August 2014 as the album's second single. In a 2020 interview with
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...
, XCX stated that she regrets recording the track.


Composition

"Break the Rules" is an
electro-rock Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrum ...
and
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
song, set against a "propulsive"
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
groove. The song is written in the key of
E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...
in common time with a tempo of 124 beats per minute. "Break the Rules" follows a chord progression of C5–B5–A5–E5–F5, and Charli's vocals span from B3 to C5.


Critical reception

''
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
'' listed "Break the Rules" at number five on its 2014 best songs list. Ahead of the release of her 2022 album ''
Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...
'', ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' ranked the song as Charli's best, which she disagreed with.


Music video

The music video for "Break the Rules" was directed by
Marc Klasfeld Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Slipknot, Sum 41, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Michael Bublé, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Kelly ...
and premiered on 25 August 2014. The video was filmed at
Birmingham High School Birmingham Community Charter High School (formerly Birmingham High School) is a charter coeducational high school in the neighborhood/district of Lake Balboa in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was fo ...
while class was in session, so the lyrics "getting high and getting wrecked" had to be muted during playbacks. According to Charli, the video draws inspiration from films such as ''
Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...
'' (1976), '' The Craft'' (1996) and ''
Jawbreaker Jawbreaker may refer to: * Gobstopper, a hard candy with multiple layers Arts and entertainment * ''Jawbreakers'' (album), an album by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Harry "Sweets" Edison * Jawbreaker (band), an American rock band * Jawbreakers (duo) ...
'' (1999). It features a cameo from actress
Rose McGowan Rósa Arianna "Rose" McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress. After her film debut in a brief role in the comedy ''Encino Man'' (1992), McGowan achieved wider recognition for her performance in the dark comedy ''The Doom Generati ...
, the star of ''Jawbreaker'', as a school chaperone.


Usage in media

The song was used in trailers for the 2015 film ''
Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually i ...
''. The song was also used in a 2016
Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...
commercial and as the theme song of season 7 of ''
Vietnam's Next Top Model ''Vietnam's Next Top Model'' (''Người mẫu Việt Nam'', or VNTM) is a Vietnamese reality television show in which contestants compete for the title of "Vietnam's Next Top Model." Contestants are given the opportunity to begin a career in th ...
''. It is also used in both trailers for the 2020 film ''
My Spy ''My Spy'' is a 2020 American spy comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Jon and Erich Hoeber, and starring Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Kristen Schaal, Parisa Fitz-Henley, and Ken Jeong. It follows a CIA agent who finds himself at the ...
''.


Track listings

*Digital download #"Break the Rules" – 3:23 *Digital download – Remixes #"Break the Rules" (
Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was ...
Remix) – 4:25 #"Break the Rules" (
Odesza Odesza (; stylized as ODESZA) is an American electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington. It consists of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, known individually as Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches. They formed in 2012, shortly bef ...
Remix) – 4:00 #"Break the Rules" (Broods Remix) – 2:52 *German CD single #"Break the Rules" – 3:23 #"Break the Rules" (Tiësto Remix) – 4:25 *Australian CD single – Schoolies Edition #"Break the Rules" – 3:23 #"Break the Rules" (Tiësto Remix) – 4:25 #"Break the Rules" (ODESZA Remix) – 4:00 #"Break the Rules" (Broods Remix) – 2:52 #"
Boom Clap "Boom Clap" is a song by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released as the first single from the soundtrack album of ''The Fault in Our Stars'' (2014) and is also featured on XCX's second studio album, ''Sucker''. There are two existing ...
" – 2:49


Credits and personnel

Credits for "Break the Rules" are adapted from CD liner notes ;Recording locations * Recorded at Rokstone Studios, London * Recorded at
Westlake Audio Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio in West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name Westlake Audio. Hidley was experien ...
, Los Angeles * Mixed at Hot Rock Studios ;Personnel * Songwriting –
Charlotte Aitchison Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...
, Dan Omelio, Magnus August Høiberg,
Tor Erik Hermansen Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...
,
Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British ...
* Mixing – Rob Orton *
Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
– Chris Laws, Dann Pursey, Tony Lake * Producing – Cashmere Cat, Stargate, Steve Mac * Programming – Cashmere Cat *
Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...
– Steve Pearce * Drums – Chris Laws * Guitar – Dan "Robopop" Omelio * Keyboards – Steve Mac * Percussion – Daniel Pursey * Vocals – Bea Rexstrew, Charli XCX, Katie Littlewood, Kirstin Hume, Macy McCutcheon


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References


External links

* {{authority control 2014 singles 2014 songs Atlantic Records singles Charli XCX songs Music videos directed by Marc Klasfeld Songs about drugs Songs about school Songs written by Charli XCX Songs written by Robopop Songs written by Steve Mac Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Songs written by Cashmere Cat Song recordings produced by Cashmere Cat Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Song recordings produced by Steve Mac