"Broken Arrow" is a song by English recording artist

Pixie Lott Victoria Louise Lott (born 12 January 1991), better known by her stage name Pixie Lott, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut album, '' Turn It Up'', released in September 2009, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and sold ov ...

from the re-release of her debut album, '' Turn It Up Louder'' (2010). Written by Lott,

Ruth-Anne Cunningham Ruth-Anne Cunningham (born 2 April 1986), known professionally as RuthAnne, is an Irish singer-songwriter. She is best known for co-writing "Too Little Too Late", performed by the US singer JoJo, " In the Name of Love" performed by Martin Garr ...

and

Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and produ ...

, the track was released on 10 October 2010 as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the re-release, reaching number 12 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 ...

. An acoustic version of the song, available as a

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 single, was uploaded onto

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

a week prior to the single's release. "Broken Arrow" was used in the trailer for the 2011 film '' Beastly'', as well as in its end credits.

Background and release

"Broken Arrow" is the lead single from the re-released version of her debut album, '' Turn It Up''. The song was premiered on 24 August 2010 on

BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. It was written by Lott,

and co-written and produced by New York based

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

/ producer

, who also penned Beyoncé's "

If I Were a Boy "If I Were a Boy" is a song written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and originally performed by Jean in 2008. The song gained international attention the same year in a version by the American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album '' I Am... Sa ...

" and Fergie's "

Big Girls Don't Cry Big Girls Don't Cry may refer to: Music * ''Big Girls Don't Cry'' (Lynn Anderson album), 1968 * ''Big Girls Don't Cry'' (The Weather Girls album), 1986 * "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Fergie song), 2007 * "Big Girls Don't Cry" (The Four Seasons song), ...

." It is a pop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, with elements of R&B and it talks about not getting over an ex-boyfriend, even with another person, because she still has feelings for him.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Nina Baniamer from

Contact Music Contactmusic.com is an online magazine of cultural criticism based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, and ...

called it "a beautiful and tragic song. Haunting and yeaning, it is great to see unique emotion conveyed within the lyrics, rather than generic pop romantic clichés." In a review for Digital Spy, Robert Copsey referred to "Broken Arrow" as "an autumnal midtempo number on which Pix sings about struggling to get over an ex", but felt that the lyrics "make for a predictably slushy affair, and the chorus doesn't quite have the instant impact of her best tunes." '' Newsround'' noted that the song "isn't the catchiest of tunes but it will definitely grow on you". It also described the track as a "stormy heart-wrenching song", complemented by Lott's "powerful" vocals. Gerard McGarry from Unreality Shout agreed, calling the song " ormously radio-friendly but with muted hooks that aren't immediately catchy, but they add up over time." Priya Elan of

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

commented that "On Broken Arrow she's

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

but without, you know, the keys."

Music video

The

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by Gregg Masuak and filmed in North East London. Masuak described the shoot as "mental but fun: one single day for a bunch of different performances that included several costume and makeup changes, a narrative with Pixie and two different guys, a series of dance routines, and a cluster of different scenarios." The video features product placement in the form of the Citroën DS3, marking the first instance of vehicle product placement in a music video in the United Kingdom. It premiered on Lott's official

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

account on 16 September 2010. Model Alex Watson, brother of '' Harry Potter'' star

Emma Watson Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and activist. Known for her roles in both blockbusters and independent films, as well as for her women's rights work, she has received a selection of accolades, includi ...

, plays one of Lott's love interests in the video.

Track listings

*UK CD single #"Broken Arrow" #"Broken Arrow" (Acoustic Version) *iTunes EP #"Broken Arrow" – 3:39 #"Broken Arrow" (Paul Harris Vocal) – 6:37 #"Broken Arrow" (Paul Harris Dub) – 6:24 #"Broken Arrow" (Acoustic Version) – 3:48 #"Broken Arrow" (

Shapeshifters In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...

Remix) – 6:07

Personnel

* Pixie Lott –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

– producer,

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

, arranger,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

* Mark Pusey – drums * Jay Reynolds – additional producer, programming, mixing *

Oliver Weeks Oliver Weeks (born in Gloucester, Gloucestershire) is an English composer, arranger, and guitarist. Education Weeks grew up in Frome, Somerset, and developed an early interest in classical music and '50s and '60s rock 'n' roll. He attended Frome ...

–

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2009 songs 2010 singles Contemporary R&B ballads Mercury Records singles Music videos shot in London Pixie Lott songs Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Toby Gad Songs written by Pixie Lott Songs written by RuthAnne Songs written by Toby Gad