"The Diary of Jane" is a song by American rock band Breaking Benjamin. It was released in June 2006 as the lead single from their third album, ''

Phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avo ...

''. The song, one of their most notable and successful, is the fastest-added single ever in the history of

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...

. It gained a massive amount of radio play throughout the United States and reached number one under three rock charts. The single was certified 4× Platinum in the United States on February 3, 2021, Silver in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2020, and Gold in Germany on April 3, 2023, making it their most successful single in terms of sales internationally.

Inspiration

In 2019, singer Ben Burnley said:

Background

The single moved rapidly up the charts in its first week of official release. It debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 55 before reaching number 50 and spending 15 weeks on chart. It was the number one most-added track at three formats: Rock, Modern Rock and Active Rock. This success propelled the song to number two on the

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart and number four on the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. "The Diary of Jane", as of June 2006, could be heard on over 100 radio stations in America. "The Diary of Jane" was the fastest added single in

history, topping such artists as Queen. The success of the song led it to be featured in the video game '' NASCAR 07'' and as downloadable content for ''

Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

'' and '' Rock Band 2''. The song was also featured in the 2008 dance film '' Step Up 2: The Streets''.

Alternative versions

In total, the song has three different versions: the original version, the album version and the acoustic version, with the original being the only one that is not featured on ''Phobia''. The original version was released with the single and was the track used for the video and radio airplay. It maintains almost no difference from the album version, with an exception of the ending fading out on a lower note along with other minor differences. The album version is included on ''Phobia'' as the second track, it features the usual Breaking Benjamin sound of heavy percussion, down-tuned guitars, and the powering vocals of Benjamin Burnley, as well as the use of death growl vocals during two vocal passages. It is essentially a re-recording of the original. The song overall is notable for featuring a musical style closer to

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

, as opposed to the band's overall alternative metal sound. The acoustic version is featured as a bonus track on the first pressing of ''Phobia''. It features softer vocals by Burnley and harmonized softly by Sebastian Davin (of Dropping Daylight) as well as a shift of instruments: from drums, bass and guitar to piano (played by Burnley). Orchestral string instruments such as a violin and cello are also used.

Music video

The video for "The Diary of Jane", directed by Ryan Smith, made its world premiere on Yahoo! Music on June 21, 2006, after originally being scheduled for release on June 16. The video features a woman named Jane Bryan, played by Sarah Mather from season four of '' American Idol''. Jane wakes up suddenly in a bathtub, getting out and getting dressed. However, her vanity mirror is gone, and only the frame remains. Jane runs around her house, with similar results wherever there should be a mirror. It also shows scenes of the band playing in a room filled with mirrors. She eventually stumbles across the same room where all the mirrors are, and she cannot see her reflection in any of them. The video ends as Benjamin Burnley (the band's frontman) places a rose in a book atop her tombstone, explaining the story of the video: she fell asleep and drowned in the bathtub. At the end of the video where Burnley closes the diary on Jane's tombstone, the last name was obscured. However, in the second episode of the band's podcast, the name can be clearly seen as "Bryan" during a shot of the tombstone. A Breaking Benjamin Celtic knot can also be seen on the tombstone in a brief shot before he closes the diary. Jane Bryan was a female film star in the 1930s and 1940s. She was in many films, including '' We Are Not Alone'', which is also the title for Breaking Benjamin's second album. As of December 2021, the music video on YouTube has over 200 million views,Archived a
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Wayback Machine
making it the band's most viewed video on the site.

Track listing

Personnel

;Breaking Benjamin * Benjamin Burnley –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Aaron Fink – lead guitar * Mark Klepaski –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Chad Szeliga –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

;Production *Produced by David Bendeth *Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge *Mastered by Ted Jensen *Music video directed by Ryan Smith

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diary Of Jane, The Breaking Benjamin songs 2006 singles 2006 songs Hollywood Records singles Songs written by Aaron Fincke Songs written by Benjamin Burnley