"Breakdown" is the debut single by American post-grunge band Tantric and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It is the band's most successful song, having reached number one on ''Billboard''s

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

and helped the album achieve gold status in 2001. Lyrically, "Breakdown" describes a high school student filled with resentment and self-disgust. The music video found substantial airplay on

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...

. In combination with the band's acoustic-heavy sound, "Breakdown" also utilizes a digital effect at the end of the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. The tightly produced arrangement makes for a well balanced ratio of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and pop. Guitarist Todd Whitener came up with the song while sitting in an

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

hotel. He described the meaning behind "Breakdown" in an interview with MTV: :"That song's pretty much about being pooped on and realizing that life is going to move on and you just have to keep your head high. Things will work out in the end, as long as you stay positive."7 Questions With Tantric

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

.com (2001). Retrieved on 12-15-10.

Appearances

The song was included on the soundtrack to the 2001 film '' Driven'' and '' The Shield: Music from the Streets'' in 2005. It was also featured on the ''Spin This'', ''Monitor This!'', and ''Noize'' compilations. The song also appears in an episode of The Shield (Partners, Season 2, episode 3).

Charts

References

2001 debut singles 2001 songs Tantric (band) songs Maverick Records singles Music videos directed by Marcos Siega Songs written by Hugo Ferreira Songs written by Jesse Vest Songs written by Todd Whitener Songs written by Matt Taul {{2000s-rock-song-stub