"How Do I Breathe" is a song recorded by American singer
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
. It is the first single from his third studio
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''
Go''. The single was released on May 15, 2007. It was produced by Norwegian production team
Stargate
''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...
. On the issue date of July 7, 2007, the single debuted on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 91. "How Do I Breathe" also debuted 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 ...
at number 30 on download sales alone, the day before the physical release of the song. It also became Mario's last charting single in the UK. The song also peaked at number 18 on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart. The official remix of the song features
Fabolous
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
and the second official remix features
Cassidy
Cassidy may refer to:
Personal names
* Cassidy (given name)
* Cassidy (surname)
People
* Cassidy (musician) (born 1979), lead singer of Antigone Rising
* Cassidy (rapper) (born 1982), American rapper
* DJ Cassidy (born 1981), New York DJ
* Jame ...
. A rare third one features both artists and switches between beats. The song was co-written by
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
.
Writing and recording
Mario met Stargate, the
producers
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
from Norway. They met when Mario was overseas touring, and they talked about producing. They were up-and-coming at the time. Mario frequently heard their music on the radio and would later say he thought, "Wow, I really like their music. These guys are classic." Mario and Stargate made two songs, which they collaborated on with
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...
, but they did not make the cut. Then they did two more songs, which Mario co-wrote, one of which was "How Do I Breathe". Mario said: "The truth is that I felt like the track already had a story to tell; but that there had to be a certain flow over the record. I had to show some vulnerability, and that is what the record is about. It's about being vulnerable and knowing that you lost something that so essential to your life. I'd say it's about 75% true to life, and the rest is just creative writing."
Critical reception
Mark Edward Nero of
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
says "The track isn't particularly groundbreaking, but it has a simple charm, in a sort of
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...
meets
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...
kind of way".
Aaron Fields of
KSTW.com stated: "First single off the album, yet didn't have the success like "Let me love you" did. I remember thinking he was definitely back when I heard this song. I'm not sure why this song didn't get more attention as it is one of the better songs done by him, nevertheless I probably would have picked this for the first single as well. I still bump this one in the car."
Music video
The video was directed by
Melina and premiered on
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
's
Access Granted
''Access Granted'' is an American television series that features an in depth look at the planning, filming and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video pre ...
on May 23, 2007. One scene where Mario is dressed in a white t-shirt while singing in smoke, is similar to the scene in
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
's video "
Touch the Sky". After its premiere, "How Do I Breathe" received heavy airplay on BET's music video countdown show ''
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...
''. It also appeared at number 87 on BET's ''Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007'' countdown.
Track listings
UK CD:
# "How Do I Breathe" (radio edit)
# "How Do I Breathe" (Full Phat remix featuring
Rhymefest)
How Do I Breathe, Pt. 2:
# "How Do I Breathe" (radio edit)
# "How Do I Breathe" (Full Phat Remix featuring
Rhymefest)
# "How Do I Breathe" (Allister Whitehead Remix)
# "How Do I Breathe" (video)
CD single
# "How Do I Breathe" (radio edit) – 3:38
# "How Do I Breathe" (instrumental) – 3:38
# "How Do I Breathe" (call out hook) – 0:10
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2006 songs
2007 singles
Mario (singer) songs
J Records singles
Music videos directed by Melina Matsoukas
Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers)
Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen
Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen