"Walking on Broken Glass" is a song written and performed by Scottish singer

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

, included on her debut solo studio album, ''

Diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is clo ...

'' (1992). Released on 10 August 1992, the single peaked at number one in Canada, number eight in the United Kingdom and Ireland and number 14 in the United States.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Thom Jurek viewed the song as a "ubiquitous" hit. Jennifer Bowles from ''Associated Press'' described it as a "more upbeat, mocking tune". Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' wrote that it is a "study in stylistic contrasts; retro-soul vocal musing glides atop a pristine, keyboard-and string-anchored modern-pop environment." He also deemed it a "sophisticated, complex respite from the color-by-numbers fare that crowds radio airwaves." Randy Clark from ''Cashbox'' stated that the song "is pretty much straight up, but mature pop, and contains more shattered relationship lyrics (I wonder "why") backed by light percussion, piano, strings and an elaborate background vocal arrangement." Stephanie Zacharek from ''Entertainment Weekly'' noted that "the jaunty, Caribbean-flavored "Walking on Broken Glass" (faintly reminiscent of

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...

' " Right by Your Side") is laden with sharp-edged metaphors for broken love affairs." Mike Ragogna from ''HuffPost'' wrote that Lennox "rolls out its words

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She received ...

-style, proclaiming 'Every one of us is made to suffer, every one of us is made to weep.' Then, almost to prove the opposite point, she happily gavottes with the groove." Dennis Hunt from ''Los Angeles Times'' picked it as "the highlight of this solo debut album and one of the best tunes she’s ever had." A reviewer from ''Music Week'' called it "immediately and extremely commercial, with Annie's voice reaching up from a sea of strings. Polished and superior". Kjell Moe from Norwegian newspaper ''Nordly'' stated that the song has "clear

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

-references". Pop Rescue said it is a "pretty catchy track", adding that Lennox' vocals and the backing vocals all "shine perfectly".

Music video

Directed by British director

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

, the music video for "Walking on Broken Glass" is based in part on the 1988 film ''

Dangerous Liaisons ''Dangerous Liaisons'' is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play ''Les liaisons dangereuses'', itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the sam ...

'', and on period films dealing with the late 18th century, such as ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...

''.

John Malkovich John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

, who starred in the former film, is joined by

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...

, in garb similar to the 18th-century dress he wore to play the

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

in ''

Blackadder the Third ''Blackadder the Third'' is the third series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal character, ...

.''Billboard 7 Dec 2002
Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2011 The setting of the video is that of a ''salon'' evening at the Prince Regent's

Carlton House Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James' ...

. It presents an assembly of nobles and notables for an evening of society, gambling and dancing, the highlight of which is the arrival and feting of the newlyweds. The groom is played by Malkovich. Lennox's character wears a royal red in an environment dominated by white, a costuming technique designed to draw attention to her, and sports a 'Turkish' headdress in an environment dominated by wigs of the period. She displays significant pique as she is emotionally wounded by the appearance of her former lover on the arm of his new bride. Throughout the video, Lennox's character communicates conflicting emotions of jealousy, continued desire, and anger towards the man who still holds her heart. In the process, she spurns the previously welcome advances of the Prince Regent, much to his embarrassment, consumes glass after glass of champagne and grows ever more agitated, until she finally throws herself at Malkovich's character, to the shock and amusement of the partygoers. Lennox's character, realizing that she has made a fool of herself, flees the party in a fury, only to be swept into Malkovich's arms when she reaches the foot of the stairs.

Track listings

CD single Tracks 2 to 5 were recorded for ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' in July 1992. UK CD single

Personnel

* Engineer – Heff Moraes * Producer – Stephen Lipson * Written by –

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walking on Broken Glass 1992 singles 1992 songs Annie Lennox songs Arista Records singles Music videos directed by Sophie Muller RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Stephen Lipson Songs about heartache Songs written by Annie Lennox