Bringin' On the Heartbreak

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“Bringin' On the Heartbreak”
Single by Def Leppard from the album High 'n' Dry
Released	November 13, 1981 (U.S. – original) 1984 (remix)
Format	Vinyl single
Recorded	Battery Studios, North London; 1981
Genre	Hard rock Heavy metal Glam metal
Length	4:34
Label	Mercury
Writer(s)	Joe Elliott, Pete Willis, Steve Clark
Producer	Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Def Leppard singles chronology
"Let It Go" (1981) "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (1981) "Photograph" (1983)
Def Leppard singles chronology
"Too Late For Love" (1983)	"Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (remix) (1984)	"Women" (1987)
Remix U.S. cover

"Bringin' On the Heartbreak" is a song originally recorded by British hard rock band Def Leppard. It was the second single from their 1981 album High 'n' Dry. The song was written by three of the band's members: Steve Clark, Pete Willis, and Joe Elliott. In 2002, it was covered by American pop/R&B singer Mariah Carey for her album Charmbracelet. Many reviews of the R&B cover were positive, as was the reaction from Def Leppard's Joe Elliott.

[edit] Def Leppard version

Def Leppard recorded the song for their second album, High 'n' Dry. Its working title had been "A Certain Heartache", and the track (along with the others on the album) was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Lange said he thought the band was intending to make the song's verse "jangley" and "a kind of 'Stairway to Heaven' thing; Steve [Clark] likes that long wrangled guitar jangle". Cliff Bernstein, the manager of Def Leppard and an A&R representative for Mercury Records, later said that Peter Willis was embarrassed to play the song for him because it was a ballad. Bernstein originally thought it only had potential to be a hit single if it was recorded by an artist such as Bonnie Tyler.

High 'n' Dry was released in the U.S. in summer 1981. Though its lead single, "Let It Go", had become a minor top forty hit on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart, the album itself had not been commercially successful. "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" was commercially released in the U.S. on November 13 (see 1981 in music), with "Me and My Wine" (a non-album track) and "You Got Me Runnin'" included as B-sides. It did not appear on the U.S. charts, but its music video was picked up by the recently launched television channel MTV and received heavy rotation. The popularity of the video and the exposure the band received caused a resurgence in sales of High 'n' Dry, which subsequently sold over two million copies. It was released in Mexico as "Llevarlo en la Desilución" with "Yo y mi Vino" ("Me and My Wine") featuring the cover art from the single of "Too Late for Love".

High 'n' Dry was re-issued in May 1984 with two new tracks, one of which was a synthesizer-heavy remix of "Bringin' On the Heartbreak". Featuring Phil Collen on guitar, the remix was released as a single with a newly filmed video (see 1984 in music) and peaked at sixty-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The original version of the song is considered one of Def Leppard's signature power ballads and was later included on three of their compilation albums: Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits (1995) Best of Def Leppard (2004) and Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005). The latter compilation ends with the instrumental "Switch 625," as it does in High 'n' Dry. Steve Huey of All Music Guide has characterised the song as an "unabashedly dramatic rock ballad".^[1]

[edit] Music video

The first music video was directed by Doug Smith, and is a live recording of Def Leppard performing the song at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, England on July 22, 1981. It was originally filmed (along with clips for "Let It Go" and "High 'n' Dry") as part of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert television series on the U.S. network ABC.^[2] The second music video, directed by David Mallet, was shot on February 1984 in Jacob's Biscuit Factory in Lake, Dublin, Ireland.^[3]

[edit] Track listing

7" Mercury / 818 779-7 (U.S.)

1. "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (remix)
2. "Me & My Wine" (remix)

[edit] Mariah Carey version

“Bringin' On the Heartbreak”
Single by Mariah Carey from the album Charmbracelet
B-side	"Miss You"
Released	November 25, 2003
Format	Airplay only (U.S.)
Genre	Pop, soul rock
Length	4:30
Label	Island
Producer	Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"I Know What You Want" (2003) "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (2003) "U Make Me Wanna" (2004)
Charmbracelet track listing
"Subtle Invitation" (12) "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" (13) "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy" (14)
Alternate cover

Mariah Carey co-produced her cover of the song with Randy Jackson for her twelfth album, Charmbracelet (2002). Carey cites the original song as one of her favorites when she was growing up, and she said that she first came up with the idea of covering it when listening to Def Leppard's album Vault during the album photo shoot for Charmbracelet—"I just put on the music and started listening to it, and I said, 'You know what? I could do this my own way'", she said.^[4] The song was produced in a rock ballad style and features guitar-playing by Rob Bacon.^[5] (the single version also featured a newly recorded solo and extra guitar overdubs performed by Dave Navarro). One of Carey's few songs with a heavy rock influence,^{[citation needed]} it was released as the album's third single in 2003 (see 2003 in music).

Like "Boy (I Need You)", the album's second single, "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" failed to enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[6] or the Hot 100 Bubbling Under Singles chart. It reached the top forty in Switzerland but peaked outside the top forty in Austria. Junior Vasquez, Mike Rizzo and Ruanne produced club remixes of the song, which received a wider release on promotional singles than commercial singles and received airplay in nightclubs worldwide—the song reached the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play and World Dance/Trance Top 30 Singles charts.^[6][7] The single's video is based on the 1979 film The Rose,^{[citation needed]} which features a rock star (played by Bette Midler) who struggles to find happiness as she goes from her rough "rock and roll" lifestyle to her final high profile concert. The video was shot in Los Angeles, California on March 8, 2003 by director Sanaa Hamri, and features cameo appearances by Randy Jackson, Dave Navarro, Evan Marriott (as a helicopter pilot/bodyguard) and Guess? model Damon Willis.^[8][9]

A scene from the music video for Mariah Carey's version of the song.

When asked about Carey's cover version, Joe Elliott told the Las Vegas Sun, "I think she's done a very good job. It's faithful to the arrangement, but not done like a rock song". Referring to Carey's whistle register vocals at the end, Elliot commented that her "astonishing vocal gymnastics toward the end...make Minnie Riperton sound like Tom Waits".^[10] A number of reviews were positive,^[11] with Rolling Stone describing the song as "the catchiest cut [on Charmbracelet]...a fascinatingly overblown orchestral remake".^[12] Phil Collen praised Carey's cover as a "genuine version of our song"^[13] and defended it from Def Leppard's more critical fans: "The fans really get it wrong sometimes. She's on our side and it's an honour she's done it. Really, that's the only way we're getting played".^[14] Carey's version was number twenty-four on VH1's "Least Metal Moments"^[15]—in a segment subtitled "Bringin' On the Headache"—because many metal fans and musicians didn't like the remake. Bill Lamb of About.com ranked it at number two on his list of "Top 5 R&B/Pop Crossover Cover Songs" and said Carey's version is "superior to the original".^[16]

[edit] Credits

[edit] Def Leppard version

• Lead vocals by Joe Elliott
• Background vocals by Steve Clark, Rick Savage, Pete Willis
• Lead guitars by Steve Clark, Pete Willis
• Bass by Rick Savage
• Drums by Rick Allen

[edit] Mariah Carey version

• Lead vocals by Mariah Carey
• Guitars by Dave Navarro, Rob Bacon

[edit] Charts

[edit] Def Leppard version

¹ Remix.

[edit] Mariah Carey version

¹ Remixes.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ High 'N' Dry review. allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
2. ^ Def Video 1 - High 'N' Dirty 1981 Era. Def Leppard UK.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
3. ^ Def Video 2 - Pyromania 1983/High 'N' Dirty 1984 Era. Def Leppard UK.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15.
4. ^ LAUNCH Radio Networks. "Mariah Carey Says She Loves Def Leppard Cover". LAUNCHcast. June 30, 2003. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
5. ^ Armstrong, Mark and Morden, Darryl. "Mariah Carey Covers Def Leppard On New Album". LAUNCHcast. October 24, 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Mariah Carey: Artist Chart History — Singles". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
7. ^ "Mariah Carey — Bringin' On The Heartbreak". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
8. ^ Johnson Jr., Billy and Holland, Margy. "Mariah Carey Video Features 'Joe Millionaire,' Dave Navarro". LAUNCHcast. March 18, 2003. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
9. ^ Staff report. "For The Record: Quick News On Mariah Carey, Russell Simmons And George W. Bush, Da Brat, Meshuggah, Eels & More". MTV.com. March 12, 2003. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
10. ^ Patterson, Spencer. "Leppard's spots". Las Vegas Sun. December 6, 2002 (weekend edition: December 8, 2002). Retrieved January 26, 2006.
11. ^ Friedman, Roger (2004-03-15). Mariah's Rich Leppard, Barbra's New Job. Fox News. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
12. ^ Walters, Barry. Mariah Carey — Charmbracelet. Rolling Stone. November 19, 2002 (date of publication: December 12, 2002). RS 911. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
13. ^ We don't Carey...she'll have to book. Mariah Daily (2003-08-31). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
14. ^ Mariah’s A Knock Out In Russia. Mariah Daily (2003-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
15. ^ 40 Least Metal Moments (40-21). The Greatest. VH1. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
16. ^ Nero, Mark Edward. Best R&B Versions of Rock/Pop Songs. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
17. ^ MARIAH CAREY - BRINGIN' ON THE HEARTBREAK (SONG). AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
18. ^ MARIAH CAREY - BRINGIN' ON THE HEARTBREAK (SONG). SwissCharts.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.

[edit] References

• "Def Leppard: High 'N' Dry". Sleaze Roxx. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• Rao, Sunil. "Def Leppard - the Band". bbc.co.uk. September 18, 2000. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• "Biography". DefLeppard.com — official website. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• Huey, Steve. "High 'N' Dry — Review". All Music Guide. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• "Timeline Part 2". The Def Leppard Frequency. September 18, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• "Def Leppard — Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• "Rumoriah: The Mariah Rumor Mill". Mariah Daily. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
• Gibson, Darren. "Def Video 1 — High 'N' Dry Era". Def Leppard UK. Retrieved January 26, 2006.