"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American singer

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American 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. Braxton has won seven ...

for her second studio album, '' Secrets'' (1996). The song was written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

and produced by

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...

. It was released as the second single from the album on October 7, 1996, through

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

. The song is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

about a "blistering heartbreak" in which the singer begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. It won

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

at the

39th Annual Grammy Awards The 39th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 26, 1997, at Madison Square Garden, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Babyface and the Beatles were the night's biggest winners, with 3 awards ...

in 1997. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and nearly 3 million in the United States alone, making it one of the best selling singles of all time. "Un-Break My Heart" attained commercial success worldwide. In the United States, the song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it stayed a total of eleven weeks, while reaching the same position on the

Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

and

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

component charts. When ''

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 advertis ...

'' celebrated their 40 years charting from 1958 to 1998, the song was declared as the most successful song by a solo artist in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 history. In Europe, the song reached the top-five in more than ten countries while peaking at number one in Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Bille Woodruff Bille Woodruff is a director of film, television and music videos, noted for directing many videos for a number of R&B and hip-hop artists since the mid-1990s. These artists include Joe, for whom Woodruff has directed 9 music videos since 1994, ...

directed the accompanying video for the single. It portrays Braxton mourning the death of her lover, while remembering the good times they had together. Braxton performed the song on the opening ceremony of the 1996

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

. "Un-Break My Heart" has been covered by several artists, including 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 Wale ...

band

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

on the album ''

Death to False Metal ''Death to False Metal'' is a compilation album by American rock band Weezer, the final compilation album released on November 2, 2010 by Geffen Records. The album comprises several previously unreleased tracks from throughout Weezer's career, w ...

''.

Background

wrote "Un-Break My Heart" in 1995. When asked about her songwriting process, she said that songs usually come to her from a title, a chorus, or a drum beat. "Un-Break My Heart" was conceived from its title, and, according to Warren, "it popped into my head, and I thought, 'I don't think I've heard that before, that's kind of interesting.' I started playing around on the piano with these chords and did a key change, and then I knew, 'OK, this is magic.'" Warren further explained that she wrote "Un-Break My Heart" as a ballad and dance song, because that was the way she heard it. She said: "some people only know it as a – gay – dance song!" When Warren played the finished song to

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

' future president (2000-2004)

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...

, he thought it would fit Braxton's then upcoming album. When "Un-Break My Heart" was sent to Braxton, she expressed dislike for the song. According to Warren, "Toni hated the song. She didn't want to do it." Reid was able to convince Braxton to record it, and it later became her

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

. Following the recording sessions of the song, Braxton approached Warren and explained why she was skeptical about recording it, further explaining that she didn't want another "heartbreak track". Recording sessions occurred at

The Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...

and Chartmaker Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the same year.'' Secrets'' liner notes.

(1996) "Un-Break My Heart" was released as the second single from '' Secrets'' on November 11, 1996.

Composition

Produced by

, "Un-Break My Heart" is a four minute-25 second

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and R&B

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

. The song's theme alludes to a "blistering heartbreak" in which the singer begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. David Willoughby, author of ''The World of Music'' (2009), said a few phrases such as "Don't leave me in all this pain" are sufficient to reveal the "sadness and the longing" in the song. Warren showcased Braxton's

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

voice with a low vocal range. The song's sheet music shows the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: Changes need ...

, with the chorus in

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed ...

. It is set in a

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

with a moderately slow

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 55

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. Braxton's vocal range spans from the low note of D₃ to the high note of D₅. The song was remixed by several DJs such as

Hex Hector Hex Hector (born Héctor Ortiz) is an American music producer and remixer. Early life Hector was born Héctor Ortiz in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. Career Hex Hector's interest in music began at an early ...

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...

and

Soul Solution Soul Solution is a house/electronic dance music production duo from New York City formed by Bobby Guy and Ernie Lake. Biography As artists they made six appearances on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Five times under the Sou ...

. As noted by Jose F. Promis of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, the song

in its original form, was a massive adult contemporary and pop hit, and, with its larger-than-life chorus, worked equally well as an unstoppable dance number, even if the vocals were never re-recorded.

The "Soul-Hex Vocal Anthem" remix, with a length over nine minutes, was influenced by

tribal house Tribal house is a subgenre of house music combined with world music rhythms. It is broadly characterized by elements of indigenous musical percussions (typically conga drums or its synthesized derivative). History By the late 1980s, house w ...

music; while the "Classic Radio Mix" is a

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

-driven

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

edit. A Spanish version of "Un-Break My Heart", titled "Regresa a Mi", was included as a bonus track on ''Secrets''. The CD-single of "Un-Break My Heart" also contained that version, titled "Un-Break My Heart (Spanish Version)". It was adapted to Spanish by Marco Flores and sung by Braxton herself.

MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

contributor Laura McKee considered it "an easy listen" version "that encapsulates the passion and meaning of the original but opens it up to a wider audience."

Reception

Critical response

In 1997, "Un-Break My Heart" won a

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) 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, hom ...

reviewer Mark Edward Nero named it one of the best R&B break-up songs and considered it Braxton's "finest moment". He further commented, "damn, this song is so sad it can make people cry for hours at a time."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' described it as "a pop/R&B ballad that casts her in the role she plays best—as the forlorn heroine in a romance on the rocks." He added, "She maximizes the melodrama of

's savvy blend of stately strings and soulful rhythms, móving from a dewy-eyed whisper to a diva-like belt with theatrical ease. Hit-machine tunesmith

has not written a song this lyrically potent and heartfelt in a long time." Bob McCann, author of ''Encyclopedia of African American actresses in film and television'' (2010), considered it "simply one of the most haunting R&B records ever made", while

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

named it "miraculous" and explained "the miracle being that it's by Diane Warren and you want to hear it again." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'' commented: "Most who hear this Diane Warren composition, which was produced with skillful guidance by David Foster, will need to take a few seconds before breathing normally again." ''

Insider Insider(s) or The Insider(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Insiders'', a comic series by Mark Millar and Paul Grist, published in ''Crisis'' * The Insiders, a team of DC Comics characters in the Brainiac stories * ''I ...

'' said that the song "showcased her show-stopping voice". In a 2015 retrospective review, Pop Rescue wrote that Braxton's vocals "really shine and she's given a real range from very low to powerful highs." The reviewer added that "the music here, aside from the acoustic guitar, is absolutely secondary behind Toni's vocal prowess and the tender lyrics." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' journalist

Charles Aaron Charles Aaron is an American music journalist and editor, formerly for ''Spin'' magazine, where he worked for 23 years. Personal life Charles Aaron was born in Rockingham, North Carolina, and raised in Asheboro, North Carolina and Rome, Georgia ...

positively reviewed the song and joked: "this exquisitely crafted, heart-pumping l-u-v song has been droning in the produce department of my grocery store for about a year now, but I'd just like to go on record as saying that if it ever stops, I'll really be heartbroken." Richard Harrington from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' felt it's "less sung than confessed as Braxton slips into whispered regrets and second thoughts. This beautiful song becomes a bit cinematic as it goes along and, sure enough, it turns out to be a Warren composition with a Foster production." While reviewing the album,

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

said the songs produced by David Foster are too predictable due to their "slick commercial appeal". However, Erlewine noted that Braxton "manages to infuse the songs with life and passion that elevates them beyond their generic confines" due to her vocal ability. Ken Tucker of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' considered the track "a tearjerker so grandiose and yet so intrinsically, assuredly hit-bound, it's the kind of mass-appeal grabber that's probably already sent a jealous

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

diving for a comfort gallon of

Häagen-Dazs Häagen-Dazs ( , ) is an American ice cream brand, established by Reuben and Rose Mattus in the Bronx, New York, in 1960, owned by Froneri, a joint venture between Nestlé and PAI Partners. Starting with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolat ...

." Tucker also named it the worst track on ''Secrets'', and further stated: "Un-Break My Heart" is "one of those the-verses-exist-only-for-the-swelling-chorus showstoppers that allude to emotions without ever actually embodying them. Braxton does her darnedest to plug some life into the song, to no avail". J. D. Considine of ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' described "Un-Break My Heart" as "overblown".

Chart performance

In the United States, "Un-Break My Heart" managed to peak at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eleven weeks, from the week of December 7, 1996 to the week of February 15, 1997, and stayed in the same position on the

chart for fourteen weeks. The song was later ranked as the fourth-most popular song of the decade on the 1990-1999 Decade-End Hot 100 chart. In July 2008, "Un-Break My Heart" was listed as the tenth most popular song of all time by Billboard. Despite its success on the Hot 100, the song would not reach the number-one position of the

Hot R&B Singles 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 po ...

chart, remaining at number two for four weeks behind "

I Believe I Can Fly "I Believe I Can Fly" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer R. Kelly from the soundtrack to the 1996 film '' Space Jam''. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 album '' R ...

" by

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known as R. Kelly, is an American former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with prolific commercial success in R&B, hip hop, and pop music recordings, earning nicknames suc ...

. It sold 2.4 million copies domestically and was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). "Un-Break My Heart" also achieved commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), the European Hot 100 Singles, Sweden, and Switzerland, while reaching the top five in several European countries. In the week of November 4, 1996, the song debuted at number four in the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak at number two after seven weeks on the chart. According to the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI), it has sold and streamed over 1,200,000 units there, being certified double platinum. In Australia, the song peaked at number six, and was later certified platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA), for shipments of more than 70,000 units of the single.

Music video

Background

LaFace Records commissioned a

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

to be directed by

. The concept is a melodramatic tearjerker that evolves around Braxton grieving the sudden death of her lover, played by model

Tyson Beckford Tyson Beckford (born December 19, 1970) is a Jamaican Americans, Jamaican-American model and actor best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo (American TV network), Bravo program ''Make Me a Superm ...

Synopsis

As the video begins, Beckford is seen leaving their home in a motorbike, with Braxton giving him a goodbye wave, then going to check the mailbox. After he leaves the garage, a car suddenly appears and the careless driver causes an accident, killing him on impact. A shocked Braxton runs to his side, trying to revive him and then cradles his lifeless body while tearfully crying over him. She then walks around the house, remembering the happy times she had with him, such as swimming in the pool, having passionate sex with him in the shower, shaving his beard and playing ''

Twister Twister most commonly refers to a tornado. Twister or Twisters may also refer to: Aviation * Pipistrel Twister, a Slovenian ultralight trike * Silence Twister, a German homebuilt aircraft design * Wings of Change Twister, an Austrian paragli ...

''. During the bridge and final chorus, Braxton is seen singing the song during a live concert, an allusion to the film '' A Star Is Born''. As applause rises, the video fades to black. The music video premiered on September 10, 1996, on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. The video received nominations for

Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the ...

and Best R&B Video at the

1997 MTV Video Music Awards The 1997 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 4, 1997, honoring the best music videos from June 17, 1996, to June 16, 1997. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. American singer Beck took home the ...

Live performances

"Un-Break My Heart" was performed during the opening of the 1996

. During the up-tempo rendition of the track, Braxton sported an outfit similar to the ones of theatrical productions

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

. She also performed it as the closing number of the Libra Tour (2006).

Track listings

*US CD single #"Un-Break My Heart" (Album Version) – 4:30 #"Un-Break My Heart" (Spanish Version) – 4:32 * US CD maxi single # "Un-Break My Heart" (Album Version) – 4:30 # "Un-Break My Heart" (

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

Hex Hex usually refers to: * A curse or supposed real and potentially supernaturally realized malicious wish * Hexadecimal, a base-16 number system often used in computer nomenclature Hex, HEX, or The Hex may also refer to: Magic * Hex sign, a b ...

Anthem Vocal) – 9:36 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Classic Radio Mix) – 4:26 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Album Instrumental) – 4:44 * US 12-inch single :A1. "Un-Break My Heart" (Soul-Hex Anthem Vocal) – 9:38 :A2. "Un-Break My Heart" (Soul-Hex No Sleep Beats) – 3:56 :A3. "Un-Break My Heart" (Acappella) – 3:50 :B1. "Un-Break My Heart" (

- Franktidrama Club Mix) – 8:40 :B2. "Un-Break My Heart" (Frankie Knuckles - Classic Radio Mix) – 4:26 * European CD single # "Un-Break My Heart" (Album Version) – 4:30 # "

You're Makin' Me High "You're Makin' Me High" is the lead single from American singer Toni Braxton's second studio album, '' Secrets'' (1996). The mid-tempo song represents a joint collaboration between the Grammy Award-winning producer Babyface and Bryce Wilson. T ...

" (Radio Edit) – 4:07 * UK CD single # "Un-Break My Heart" (Album Version) – 4:30 # "You're Makin' Me High" (Norfside Remix) – 4:19 # "

How Many Ways "How Many Ways" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Braxton, Vincent Herbert, Philip Field, Ben Garrison, Keith Miller, and Noel Goring for her Toni Braxton (album), self-titled debut album (1993), while production was he ...

" (

Remix) – 5:46 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Spanish Version) – 4:32 * European CD maxi single # "Un-Break My Heart" (Album Version) – 4:30 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Frankie Knuckles Radio Mix) – 4:29 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Frankie Knuckles Franktidrama Mix) – 8:38 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Soul-Hex Anthem Vocal) – 9:36 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Soul-Hex No Sleep Beats) – 3:56 * Australian CD maxi single # "Un-Break My Heart" (Album Version) – 4:30 # "You're Makin' Me High" (Norfside Remix) – 4:19 # "How Many Ways" (R. Kelly Remix) – 5:46 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Classic Radio Mix) – 4:26 # "Un-Break My Heart" (Soul-Hex Sleep Beats) – 3:56

Personnel

: lead and background vocals *

: songwriter *

: producer, arranger, keyboard programming * Felipe Elgueta: engineer *

Mick Guzauski Nathan "Mick" Guzauski is an American multi-platinum mixing engineer and sound engineer. He has nine Grammy Awards and eleven nominations. His work spans a wide range of styles, including jazz, R&B, Latin, rock, pop, easy listening, funk and ...

: mixing *

Simon Franglen Simon Franglen is an English composer of classical and film music. He is also a record producer and former musician. His credits include four of the list of top grossing films and six of the list of best-selling albums of all time. His film w ...

Synclavier The Synclavier is an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation manufactured by New England Digital Corporation of Norwich, Vermont. It was produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the ea ...

programming * Michael Thompson: electric guitar *

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los A ...

: acoustic guitar *

: background vocal arranger * Tim Thomas: background vocal arranger *

Shanice Wilson Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and dancer. She had the ''Billboard'' hit singles " I Love Your Smile" and " Silent Prayer" in 1991 and " Saving Forever f ...

: background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Italian group

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multinational classical crossover vocal group. Formed in the United Kingdom in 2003, it is a male quartet that was created and then promoted by British media magnate Simon Cowell for Syco Music, a record label that he had ...

's cover of the Spanish version of the track, "Regresa a mí", received positive appreciation from critics, who said the cover "has the potential to be a hit and to open doors for many of opera's most acclaimed stars." American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

also covered "Un-Break My Heart" in 2005. Their version was released on the album ''

'' in 2010. Lead vocalist

Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities in the northeaste ...

explained why the band covered the track:

"I loved that song. It was actually
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
's suggestion. We both loved that song and we both thought it would be great for Weezer, and for my voice, and it'd be great to do like a rock version of it with more of an alternative aesthetic. And you know, just the way I would sing it versus in the way Toni Braxton would sing it. And I love the way it came out, and I think probably the rest of the band really does not like it, and that's probably why it didn't make our fifth record, in 2005 when we were recording it."

Il Divo's ''Regresa a mí''

A cover version of Toni Braxton's Spanish-language version of the song, "''Regresa a mí''" (Come Back To Me) was recorded and published as a

by the multi-national UK-based quartet

. It was released in 2004 as the first single from their debut self-titled album. Il Divo manager Simon Cowell bought the rights of the song from Warren. The song was released as the first single from the group's first album ''

'', released in 2004. The song was recorded at the beginning of 2004 at the Studies Rokstone in London, under the production of the British producer

Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern Briti ...

. On April 5, 2005, Il Divo appeared on the American television program ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'' to perform the song.

Charts

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{Authority control 1990s ballads 1996 singles 1996 songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Columbia Records singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Il Divo songs LaFace Records singles Music videos directed by Bille Woodruff Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Song recordings produced by David Foster Songs about heartache Songs written by Diane Warren Syco Music singles Toni Braxton songs Torch songs Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical 2004 singles Breakup songs

Background

Composition

Reception

Critical response

Chart performance

Music video

Background

Synopsis

Live performances

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Il Divo's ''Regresa a mí''

Charts

See also

References

Bibliography

External links