"Breaking the Chains" is a song by American heavy metal/

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam r ...

band

Dokken Dokken is an American glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and " Burn ...

, appearing on the band's debut album of the same name. The song was originally released as a single "Breakin' the Chains" in 1981 through

Carrere Records Carrere Records (french: Disques Carrère, link=no, ) was a French record label which specialized in Euro disco and rock music. The record company was sold to Warner Music Group in the early 1990s. Early days Claude Carrere started working with ...

exclusively in Europe, appearing as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the "I Can't See You" single. "Breaking the Chains" was released as a single in 1983 through

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

, being the band's first American single. The song was a modest success, peaking at #32 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

chart. The song remained on the chart for 13 weeks.

Reception

In a mixed review of the album,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Whitney Z. Gomes praised the track and picked it as an AllMusic reviewer's pick.

Music video

A video was produced for the song. It begins cutting between the band performing the song in a house and performing on a black stage. In the second verse we see Don with a letter from his girlfriend who lip syncs some words The band is later chained up in a dungeon before George Lynch breaks free and performs the song's solo. As Lynch performs the solo the other band members break free one by one. After the solo,

Don Dokken Donald Maynard Dokken (born June 29, 1953) is an American singer and musician. He's best known for being the lead singer, occasional guitarist, and founder of the glam metal band Dokken. He is known for his vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style whi ...

wakes up chained to a bed, alone, before breaking free. The video ends with shots of the band performing in the house, in the dungeon, and against a backdrop of chains that explode as the video ends.

Jeff Pilson Jeffrey Steven Pilson (born January 19, 1959) is an American musician best known for being the bass player in the glam metal band Dokken and currently classic rock band Foreigner. He has also had an extended stint with Dio in the 1990s. He is ...

appears in the video on bass as

Juan Croucier Juan Croucier (born August 22, 1959) is a Cuban-born American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the hard rock/glam metal band Ratt. Career Croucier attended Torrance High School in Torrance, California, and played in various ban ...

had left the band before filming began.

Track listing

;7" single ;12" single

Personnel

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * George Lynch – lead guitar *

– bass, backing vocals * "Wild" Mick Brown – drums

Charts

References

1981 songs 1983 singles Dokken songs Elektra Records singles {{metal-song-stub