| "Breaking Point" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Keri Hilson | ||||
| from the album No Boys Allowed | ||||
| Released | September 7, 2010 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul | |||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Writer(s) | Timothy Clayton, Jerome "JRoc" Harmon, Keri Hilson, Timothy Mosley | |||
| Producer | Timbaland, JRoc | |||
| Keri Hilson singles chronology | ||||
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"Breaking Point" is song by American recording artist Keri Hilson. It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed on September 7, 2010 in the United States. The song was written by Timbaland, Jerome "JRoc" Harmon, Keri Hilson and Timothy Clayton, with both Timbaland and JRoc producing the track. The mid-tempo R&B song sees Hilson singing about "moving on from relationships that are not working and expecting men to step up to the plate and show women more respect and love." It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, and managed to reach a peak of number forty-four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
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"Breaking Point" was written by Timbaland, Jerome "JRoc" Harmon, Keri Hilson and Timothy Clayton, with Timbaland and JRoc producing the track.[1] Lyrically, the track is about "moving on from relationships that are not working and expecting men to step up to the plate and show women more respect and love."[2] "Breaking Point" premiered online on August 18, 2010.[3] Prior to this, it was made available for download in the United States on September 7, 2010.[4]
"Breaking Point" is a mid-tempo R&B[5] ballad,[6] featuring huge kick-drum sounds, cooing backup vocals and organ chords.[7] The song also features doo-wop-tinged beats enhanced by a looping piano, finger snaps and sporadic "oohs".[8] It incorporates influences from pop and soul music.[9] Sara Anderson of AOL Radio wrote, "over a strutting, mid-tempo Timbaland-produced back beat, Keri soars vocally, incorporating an improvisational gospel style".[10] Chris Ryan of MTV Buzzworthy wrote, "while the music has all the squiggly, burping and buzzing percussion sound effects of your typical Timb[aland] track, it also has a lovely Prince-like melody. Keri goes all in on the vocals, recalling Mary J. Blige, circa "I'm Going Down".[5] This was echoed by Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe, who said "halfway through "Breaking Point", Hilson does a Mary J. Blige-ish talk about the need for each woman to reclaim her life."[11]
"Breaking Point" received mostly positive reviews from critics. James Cole of UAB Kaleidoscope, said "the song is a good anthem for women and even some men, making it a strong lead single that showcases the direction of the album."[12] Luke Gibson of Hip-Hop DX said it was "some of her best work to date" and "No Boys Allowed doesn’t have enough of those moments."[13] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote, "the deceptively sugary, trilling "Breaking Point" does observe that some women "tolerate too damn much", but it's easily missed."[14] Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News called it "perky-but-slow", and said "on the track, Hilson is feisty and voices the frustration of women who are neglected and taken advantage of by men."[15] Rap-Up called the song a "vintage-sounding",[3] while Margaret Wappler of Los Angeles Times described it as "sticky and finessed".[16] Karen Tye of Adelaide Now called it a "Motown-inspired ballad", and said on the single, Hilson "invokes Beyoncé."[6] Mariel Concepcion of Billboard noted it as a "reminiscent of Melanie Fiona's "Give It to Me Right" and Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me", and said it "is an empowering wake-up call encouraging women to stop putting up with the abuse."[8]
On September 25, 2010, "Breaking Point" entered the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number eighty-seven.[17] The next week it rose fifteen places to number seventy-two[18] and rose to its peak position of number forty-four on November 20, 2010.[19]
The music video for "Breaking Point" was directed by Bryan Barber[20] and was shot in Hilson's hometown of Atlanta. The video leaked online on September 23, 2010.[21] In the video, Hilson is lounging in bed cursing the name of an unnamed man who’s wronged her. She then heads over to the salon to gossip with her girlfriends and gets a new hairdo, switching up her hair from black to blonde. Hilson then takes a page out of Kelis' "Caught Out There" book, marching down the street, defiantly fist pumping with her girls behind her. The girls later head home for some payback, throwing their men’s clothes off of the balcony.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[19] | 44 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States[4][22] | September 7, 2010 | Digital download | Interscope records |
| October 12, 2010 | Urban airplay |
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