"Breaking Down" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

I Prevail I Prevail is an American rock band formed in Southfield, Michigan, in 2013. They released their debut EP '' Heart vs. Mind'' (2014) and rose to popularity from releasing a metal cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" as a single, which eventuall ...

, released as the second single from their second studio album ''

Trauma Trauma most often refers to: * Major trauma, in physical medicine, severe physical injury caused by an external source * Psychological trauma, a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event *Traumatic i ...

''. In July 2019, it peaked at number three on the ''

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Mainstream Rock Songs 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 ...

chart.

Background

The song was first released on February 26, 2019, a month before the release of its respective album, ''

''. It was released within twelve hours of the first single released from the album, "

Bow Down ''Bow Down'' is the debut studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on October 22, 1996, through Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Ice Cube's house studio, Westsiiiiide Studios, i ...

". A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

accompanied the release, which contained lead singer Brian Burkheiser covered in a black sludge, said to be "lyrical and visual representation of depression". It was later debuted in a live setting on March 11, 2019, at the

Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...

Themes and composition

Thematically, the song's lyrics are self-referential to the band's recent struggles with their rising fame, depression, and

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

. After working hard to establish themselves as a band, and succeeding in gaining popularity with their cover of

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

's "

Blank Space "Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...

" and their first album, ''

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'', a doctor diagnosed Burkheiser with polyp on his

vocal cords In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech ...

that required surgery. The experience caused him to suffer from depression and almost give up on the band. Burkheiser explained of the song: Burkheiser states that writing the song was therapeutic, and that it "given ima breath of life that ehonestly never thought ewould feel again."

Personnel

Band * Brian Burkheiser – clean vocals * Eric Vanlerberghe –

screamed vocals Screaming is an extended vocal technique that is popular in "aggressive" music genres such as heavy metal, punk rock, and noise music and others. It is common in the more extreme subgenres of heavy metal, such as death and black metal as wel ...

* Steve Menoian – lead guitar, bass * Dylan Bowman – rhythm guitar * Gabe Helguera – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2019 songs 2019 singles I Prevail songs Fearless Records singles Songs written by David Pramik Songs about depression