"Breakaway", by Australian band

Big Pig Big Pig was an Australian funk, rock and pop band that existed from 1985 to 1991. An early line-up was Sherine Abeyratne on lead vocals and percussion (ex-Editions, Bang); Tony Antoniades on vocals and harmonica; Neil Baker on drums; Nick Disb ...

, is a cover of American R&B singer

Chuck Jackson Chuck Jackson (born July 22, 1937) is an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961. His hits include "I Don't Want to ...

's song "I Can't Break Away". Originally released on November 2, 1987, in the United Kingdom, it was released on February 15, 1988, in Australia as the third single from their debut album ''

Bonk Bonk may refer to: People * Bonk (surname) Arts and entertainment * ''Bonk'' (video game series), a caveman character and video game series *Bonk!, a soft drink company in the first-person shooting game ''Team Fortress 2'' * ''Bonk'' (al ...

''. The song, written by Mitchell Bottler and

Gary Zekley Alan Gary Zekley (also known as Brandon Chase; January 4, 1943 – June 19, 1996) was an American West Coast record producer and songwriter associated with 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s bands and songs in the bubblegum, rock and roll, sunshine pop, and ...

, is about freedom and fighting against destiny. Like many other Big Pig songs, "Breakaway" features plentiful drums and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

but no guitars. The song became the band's most successful single, reaching number one in New Zealand in May 1988. It also reached number eight in their native Australia and managed to chart in North America, reaching number 60 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 10 on Canada's ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart. Its earlier UK release saw the song peak at number 89 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In 1989, the song appeared on the soundtrack to the

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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winte ...

'', also appearing in the film's opening credits.

Track listing

White Label Records 7-inch single # "Breakaway" – 3:45 # "Hellbent Heaven" – 3:33 White Label Records 12-inch maxi-single # "Breakaway" (Popper Mix) – 6:02 # "The Bald Dwarf" # "Breakaway" – 3:30 A&M Records 12-inch maxi single promo # "Breakaway" (extended version) – 5:43 # "Breakaway" (dub mix) – 5:13 # "Breakaway" (12-inch Popper Mix) – 6:02 # "Breakaway" (new edit) – 3:45

Charts

Chuck Jackson version

Big Pig version

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{authority control 1973 songs 1987 singles 1988 singles A&M Records singles ABC Records singles Chuck Jackson songs Mushroom Records singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Song recordings produced by Nick Launay Songs written by Gary Zekley