“Heartbreak Beat” is a song by the British new wave band

the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene ...

, originally released in 1986 as the lead single for their 1987 album '' Midnight to Midnight''. The song was written by band members Richard Butler,

John Ashton John Ashton may refer to: Entertainment * John Ashton (composer) (1830–1896), Welsh musician * Will Ashton (John William Ashton, 1881–1963), British-Australian artist and art director * John Rowland Ashton (1917–2008), English author * John ...

, and

Tim Butler Timothy George Butler (born 7 December 1958) is an English musician and songwriter. He is the bass player, and co-founder of the Psychedelic Furs. He is also the youngest of three brothers. Richard, the eldest, is the lead singer of the Psych ...

. The song also appeared on the UK music compilation ''

Hits 5 ''The Hits Album 5'' or Hits 5 is a compilation album released in November 1986 by RCA-Ariola, CBS and WEA. It was the fifth in the ''Hits'' series which would span over 20 years, with the first volume released in December 1984. This was also the ...

'' in November 1986. Issued as a single, "Heartbreak Beat" reached #26 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, and became the Psychedelic Furs' only Top 40 hit in the United States. Artist Chart History - Psychedelic FursBillboard.com. Retrieved on June 22, 2009. The song also reached the top 20 of both the ''Billboard''

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 ...

and

Dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

charts. Comparatively, the song was less successful in the United Kingdom, and peaked at #79 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 ...

Track listing

;7" Vinyl # "Heartbreak Beat" (4:03) # "New Dream" (4:54) ;12" Vinyl (UK) # "Heartbreak Beat" (New York Mix) (8:04) # "Heartbreak Beat" (Single Mix) (4:02) # "New Dream" (4:54) ;12" Vinyl (US) # "Heartbreak Beat" (Extended) (8:04) # "Heartbreak Beat" (Dub) (5:41) # "New Dream" (4:54) ;12" Vinyl (US Promo) # "Heartbreak Beat" (7" Version) (4:03) # "Heartbreak Beat" (Album Version) (5:10)

Chart performance

References

1986 singles The Psychedelic Furs songs Song recordings produced by Chris Kimsey 1986 songs Columbia Records singles Songs written by Tim Butler Songs written by John Ashton (musician) Songs written by Richard Butler (singer) {{1980s-single-stub