| "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Britney Spears | ||||
| from the album ...Baby One More Time | ||||
| B-side | "Thinkin' About You" | |||
| Released | December 15, 1999 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Teen pop | |||
| Length | 5:10 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Writer(s) | Eric Foster White | |||
| Producer | Eric Foster White | |||
| Britney Spears singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, taken from her debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). It was released on December 15, 1999, by Jive Records as the fifth and final single from the album. After Spears recorded an unused song from Toni Braxton and sent it through Larry Rudolph to several labels, executives from Jive Records commented that it was very rare to hear someone so young who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal, appointing the singer to work with producer Eric Foster White. The teen pop ballad was written and produced by White, and features Spears singing about the loss of a first love and how breaking up can be hard.
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" received mixed reviews from music critics, who noted the song as a classic hit and competent single, despite considering it as a unremarkable song that only refers to kissing and nothing else. "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" achieved moderate success, peaking at number thirty-seven in Australia, and twenty-three in New Zealand. Through imports, the song managed to peak at number one hundred seventy-four in the United Kingdom. In the United States, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" reached number fourteen on Billboard Hot 100, and seventeen on Pop Songs, being later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 28, 2000, for selling over 1,000,000 physical units of the single.
An accompanying music video, directed by Gregory Dark, was released on December 17, 1999. It portrayed Spears packing her belongings as she readies herself to move away from home, and feeling upset because she knows that she is going to miss her first love. Spears has performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" in a few live appearances, including at the 42nd Grammy Awards, in a medley with "...Baby One More Time", and in three of her concert tours. It was first performed on ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999), being later added to Crazy 2K Tour (2000), where her dancers picked a boy from the audience and invited him onstage, and on Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour (2000), in an acoustic version of the song with her guitarist Skip.
Contents |
In June 1997, Spears was in talks with manager Lou Pearlman to join female pop group Innosense. Lynne asked family friend and entertainment lawyer Larry Rudolph for his opinion and submitted a tape of Spears singing over a Whitney Houston karaoke song along with some pictures. Rudolph decided he wanted to pitch her to record labels, therefore she needed a professional demo. He sent Spears an unused song from Toni Braxton; she rehearsed for a week and recorded her vocals in a studio with a sound engineer. Spears traveled to New York with the demo and met with executives from four labels, returning to Kentwood the same day. Three of the labels rejected her, arguing audiences wanted pop bands such as the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls, and "there wasn't going to be another Madonna, another Debbie Gibson, or another Tiffany." Two weeks later, executives from Jive Records returned calls to Rudolph.[1] Senior vice president of A&R Jeff Fenster stated about Spears's audition that "It's very rare to hear someone that age who can deliver emotional content and commercial appeal. [...] For any artist, the motivation—the 'eye of the tiger'— is extremely important. And Britney had that."[2] They appointed her to work with producer Eric Foster White for a month, who reportedly shaped her voice from "lower and less poppy" delivery to "distinctively, unmistakably Britney."[3] After hearing the recorded material, president Clive Calder ordered a full album.[2][4] "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was written and produced by Eric Foster White, for Spears' debut studio album, ...Baby One More Time (1999). Spears recorded the vocals for the song in 1997 at 4MW East Studios in New Jersey and at Battery Studios in New York City, New York. Dan Petty played the guitar, while the bass guitar was done by Andy Hess. The song was later mixed by White and Chris Trevett, while background vocals were provided by Spears, Angie Simmons, Don Philip and Andrew Fromm.[5] It was released on December 15, 1999 as the final single from ...Baby One More Time.[6]
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" is a sentimental teen pop ballad that lasts for five minutes and ten seconds.[7][8] The song is composed in the key of G major and is set in time signature of common time with a slowly tempo of 76 beats per minute. Spears vocal range spans from B2 to D5.[9] The song's lyrics talk about the loss of a first love and how breaking up can be hard, with Spears declaring, "'Never look back', we said/How was I to know I'd miss you so?/Loneliness up ahead, emptyness behind/Where do I go?"[9] "Thinkin' About You" is a teen pop song that was released as a b-side to "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart".[10][11] The song is composed in the key of G major and is set in time signature of common time with a moderate tempo of 96 beats per minute. Spears vocal range spans from G3 to C5.[11] Craig McDennis of The Hamilton Spectator said the lyrics of "Thinkin' About You", along with "Born to Make You Happy", "verge on the sort of boy-worshipping dreck that even Tiffany would have sniffedat",[12] while Jane Stevenson of Toronto Sun noted Spears "puts some rather grownup heartfelt soul into [it]".[13]
"From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" received mixed reviews from music critics. Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic considered the song a competent, but unremarkable single.[14] Kyle Anderson of MTV said the song "is another rejection ballad that references kissing but nothing else."[15] Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone called "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" a "further hit" from ...Baby One More Time, along with "Sometimes" and "(You Drive Me) Crazy".[16] The song was a Track Pick from the Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who praised it along with the other singles from the album, saying, "...Baby One More Time has its share of well-crafted filler, but the singles, combined with Britney's burgeoning charisma, make this a pretty great piece of fluff".[17]
On the dated week of February 19, 2000, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" debuted at number fifty-two on United States' Billboard Hot 100.[18] The following week, the song peaked at number fourteen, after selling seventy-eight thousand physical units of the single.[18] The song also peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales, number twenty-four on Top 40 Tracks,[18] number seventeen on Pop Songs, and number fifty-three on Radio Songs.[19] On March 28, 2000, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[20] By the end of 2000, the song peaked at number seventy-seven on Billboard Hot 100 Year-End chart.[21] In Australia, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" peaked at number thirty-seven, and at number twenty-three in New Zealand.[22] Through imports, "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" did managed to peak at number one hundred seventy-four in the United Kingdom,[23] while in Canada, after staying for five weeks on the RPM Singles Chart, the song peaked at number twenty-five on the dated week of February 28, 2000.[24]
The music video for "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was directed by Gregory Dark and produced by FM Rocks Production Company.[25] The video premiered on MTV's Total Request Live on December 17, 1999.[26] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dark revealed he was hired to tone down Spears' image at time from the naughty schoolgirl of "...Baby One More Time", commenting, "They wanted to re-image her a bit. [...] They wanted a much more story-oriented video without dance, one that was serious and emotional. [...] I'd joke with her so that she would loosen up and feel comfortable acting, as opposed to being Britney Spears at that moment".[27]
The music video portrays Spears packing her belongings, as she readies herself to move away from home, and feeling upset because she knows that she is going to miss her first love. Throughout the video, scenes of the couple's past are also seen, including one where they climb up onto a windmill, with Spears singing the song. Before the end of the video, Spears is waiting at a bus stop while, at the same time, her first love is driving quickly to come see her one last time. However, by the time he finally gets there, Spears already had left him behind and taken the bus, with an unknown destination.[28]
Alec Hanley Bemis of LA Weekly criticized the music video due to the fact that it "puts [Spears] on the fast track to adulthood. The clip finds her leaving her old boyfriend behind and taking a bus to somewhere . . . But where? Who's in bed with Britney now? While a TV tabloid recently reported that an old bayou beau in Louisiana has mother Spears’ approval, fantasizing fans want to believe Britney‘s dallying with that braided moppet from N’Sync or a member of the Backstreet Boys. But the only verifiable fact we have to work with is that Spears has started running with a darker L.A. crowd."[28] The music video was also added to MTV's 2000 Yearbook, a list with the "biggest, best, most memorable music videos of every year since the beginning of MTV",[29] while Chris Ryan also of MTV considered it "a suitably soft-focus affair".[8]
"From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" was performed for the first time on Spears first tour, ...Baby One More Time Tour.[30] After its release as a single, Spears performed the song in a medley with "...Baby One More Time" at the 42nd Grammy Awards. Spears was wearing a turtleneck and a full tulle skirt at the beginning of the performance, while dancers surrounded her with enormous hand fans. After singing a shortened version of the song, she then took a few moments to shuffle into a form-fitting red rhinestone outfit (with side cutouts) and emerged onto a stage to perform "...Baby One More Time."[31] Jocelyn Vena of MTV included the performance on her list of Spears' Top 10 Best TV Performances.[32] Spears also performed the song on her 2000s Crazy 2k Tour, where her dancers picked a boy from the audience and invited him onstage,[33] while Spears dedicated the performance of "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" to the boy.[34] The same year, the song was performed on Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour. Wearing glittery jeans and an orange halter top,[35] she performed an acoustic version of the song with her guitarist Skip.[36] Spears also performed "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" and "Born to Make You Happy" on Disney Channel in Concert in 1999. The performances were recorded and included on Spears' first home video release, Time Out with Britney Spears.[37]
|
|
Credits for "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" are adapted from ...Baby One More Time's liner notes.[5]
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Certifications
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||