Jar of Hearts

"Jar of Hearts"
Single by Christina Perri
from the album Lovestrong
Released July 27, 2010[1]
Format Digital download
Recorded 2010
Genre Pop [2]
Length 4:06 (album version)
3:34 (radio edit)
Label Atlantic
Writer(s)
  • Christina Perri
  • Drew Lawrence
  • Barrett Yeretsian
Producer(s) Barrett Yeretsian[3]
Christina Perri singles chronology
"Jar of Hearts"
(2010)		 "Arms"
(2011)

"Jar of Hearts" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Christina Perri. The song was released onto iTunes July 27, 2010, a week after its debut on So You Think You Can Dance. The song was included on Perri's debut EP, The Ocean Way Sessions, and appeared on Perri's debut album, Lovestrong.

The song was co-written by Christina Perri, Drew Lawrence, and Barrett Yeretsian. Perri drew inspiration for the song from a real-life experience with a love interest who wanted to rekindle a broken relationship. After its debut, the song was released onto iTunes where it later rose to the Top 20 spot in one week.

Perri was unsigned at the time of the song release, which created a lot of discussion between critics who favored the song. The song charted on multiple charts in both the United States and Canada at numbers 17 and 21 respectively. The song sold a total of 47,500 downloads in its opening week. The song has sold 3.8 million digital copies in the US.

In 2011, it was released in the UK and peaked at number 4 in the Singles Chart. It spent 31 weeks in the Top 40 and an impressive 48 weeks in the Top 75. It was later certified Platinum after shipping 600,000 copies. By mid October 2014 its UK sales were 980,000.

In 2011, it was the 11th best selling single in the United Kingdom.

Background and release

The song is so vulnerable, but she was stomping on the piano in our lobby with her combat boots. She was so confident and poised — you could visualize her at Madison Square Garden
—Julie Greenwald, chairman and COO of Atlantic Records [4]

After teaching herself to play five chords on the guitar, Perri wrote "The Perfect Man" about the same person about whom "Jar of Hearts" was written.[4] "Jar of Hearts" premiered on So You Think You Can Dance in June, before Perri even had a record deal.[4] Perri's best friend, Keltie Colleen (a Rockette), passed it on to one of the show's choreographer's, Stacey Tookey, who later choreographed a contemporary dance routine for All-Star Kathryn McCormick and contestant Billy Bell.[4]

Perri wrote the song in December 2009, only to begin working with her production and management team in February 2010.[3] While recording for an EP, "Jar of Hearts" was additionally going to be recorded with a full band, however Perri later decided against it stating that "I imagined people dancing to it. It was all a big 'just in case.'"[3]

The song was first added to Perri's YouTube channel on June 30, 2010 and was later released on iTunes on July 27, 2010.[5] A karaoke-version of the song was also officially released onto iTunes February 1, 2011.[6] The song was featured on the singer's first EP titled The Ocean Way Sessions,[7] and has additionally appeared on Perri's debut album, lovestrong.[8]

Theme and composition

"Jar of Hearts" has been described as an autobiographical song for Perri, recalling an ex-boyfriend who wanted to reconnect after a tough breakup.[9] Seeing writing duties by the song's performer Christina Perri, additional writing is seen by Drew Lawrence and Barrett Yeretsian; production by the song's writers Barrett Yeretsian and Christina Perri. "Jar of Hearts" is a rock-oriented tune that is about shunning the continued advances of a former flame who was ungrateful while together, yet now wants to rekindle a failed romance.[10]
"Jar of Hearts"
A 24-second sample of "Jar of Hearts", which features the simple piano-rock beat and voice of Perri.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Lyrically the ballad revolves around an ex of Perri's, who sings personal lyrics.[7] In a blog by the artist,[7] Perri described that the song came from true experiences, stating "I wrote the song after I went home to Philadelphia for the holiday last December. I sat in my childhood bedroom and hid from the boy (with the jar of hearts) who wanted to see me. My heart wanted to see him, my head knew better. I couldn't take one more break so I wrote the song instead."[11]

According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, "Jar of Hearts" is a moderate piano-rock song pacing in common time, written in the key of C minor.[12] Perri's vocals range from the notes Eb3-C5 as she sings to the score of pianos and chords.[12] The song consists simply of a piano melody and delicate strings.[7] Additionally described as a wrenching, string-drenched ballad, the song features "angsty, unvarnished piano rock."[4] Perri stated that she does not know how to read or write music, but knew how to perform certain piano chords, which were used in the song. In the singer's personal blog she released the piano chords of the entire song. The verse of the song is played in the chords Cm Eb Bb Fm; the pre-chorus in Fm Ab Eb Bb Fm Ab Bbsus; the chorus in Eb Bb Cm Ab (Abm) end with: Eb; the bridge in the chords Cm (right hand) Walk down C, B, Bb, A (bass note) Ab G; and the outro finishes the song in the chords Ab B F.[11]

Reception

Critical reception

Kyle Anderson of MTV News positively reviewed the song as a "hook-heavy ballad," while reviewing Perri's rise to fame.[13] Gavin Edwards of Rolling Stone described the song as "a wrenching, string-drenched ballad in which she delivers a kiss-off to an ex who won't stop hanging around."[4] Megan Vick of Billboard gave the song a positive review stating that the simple piano chords of the song complement Perri's voice, which was additionally described as "A Fine Frenzy-esque."[14] Vick went on to say that the song prepares for eager anticipation of Perri's album release.[14] The Leeds UK based entertainment magazine/webzine, Contactmusic.com named the song a raw, defiant break-up song.[15] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone described the song as both insipid and bombastic.[16]

John Hill of About.com broke the song down to understand the "instant hit" within the song.[9] Hill stated that the song begins with weariness from the opening verse and builds up strength leading to the chorus of the song.[9] Hill continued stating "There have been countless 'you did me wrong' songs through the history of pop music, but identifying a serial dater as a collector of broken hearts is one of the more unique ways of displaying both hurt and frustration," only to later conclude that the song is a bona fide hit and contains longevity making it an "impactful introduction" for Perri.[9] San Francisco-based non-profit organization, Common Sense Media gave the song a rating of three-out-of-five stars, positively reviewing that although Perri is a "newcomer" to music, she proves that she can "hang with the big girls" with "Jar of Hearts".[10] Common Sense Media continued to compliment Perri by comparing her as vocally-superior to Selena Gomez and Hayley Williams of Paramore.[10] While reviewing the album, Chad Grischow of IGN described the song as a tender ballad which contains a certain "magic" that is failed to be recaptured throughout the album.[17]

Chart performance

"Jar of Hearts" debuted at No. 28 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart, No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 54 on the Canadian Hot 100, clocking 48,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[18] After landing at No. 25 on the Hot 100, the track sold 200,000 downloads in three weeks.[15] Spending twenty-three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number seventeen.[19] Peaking at number nineteen after eleven weeks on the Pop Songs Chart, the ringtone version of the song has peaked at number twenty-one on the Ringtones chart after seven weeks.[19] The song spent 72 weeks on the Hot Digital Songs chart, despite missing the top fifteen of the Hot 100. As of June 2014, the song has sold over 3,798,000 digital copies in the US alone,[20]

Elsewhere, "Jar of Hearts" peaked at No. 2 in Australia and the Republic of Ireland, No. 3 in the Czech Republic and No. 4 in the United Kingdom and Finland. The song has remained in the UK Singles Chart for 27 weeks.[21]

Music video

As a couple (Keltie Colleen) share an intimate moment in the car, her jar empties (below) as he collects the heart from it (above)

The music video for the song was directed by Jay Martin.[22] A "Behind the scenes..." look was given into the recording of the music video on August 25, 2010.[23] In the video, Perri states "I really hope that the video connects me to the song and entertains all of the fans of So You Think You Can Dance because it’s because of them that this even happened. I really hope that they love it. I hope that they love the dance…and that they just feel like we did this song justice with this video."[23] So You Think You Can Dance contestants Allison Holker and Kathryn McCormick appear as dancers in the music video, performing choreography by Stacey Tookey.[23]

The music video premiered on September 13, 2010 on Perri's YouTube channel.[24] The video begins with Perri on a stoop while black petals fall from the sky. As Perri begins walking, a smoke reflection is shown over her chest, showing that her "jar" is empty - her heart is missing. As the song continues, Perri walks through different scenarios of hearts being collected, all by the same man, whose "jar" is being filled. This includes an intimate moment in a car and another in a phone booth, both of which leave the women whose hearts are stolen (through their mouths) with empty jars. They fall unconscious away from the collector, a young man with dark hair. Towards the end of the video, Perri is watching as the collector, the love-interest, collects more hearts while performing choreography with different women. The video ends with Perri stealing a heart from him, leaving his "jar" empty. He falls to the ground, and she appears to recuperate with her heart newly intact.

The music video was added to a list of "VH1’s Top 40 Music Videos Of 2010," "Jar of Hearts" coming in at number seventeen.[25] During the premiere of Perri's "Daydream," VH1 compared it to the music video of "Jar of Hearts" stating that it took a more cinematic route that "relied heavily on slow motion to connote emotions."[26]

Live performances

Perri performing "Jar of Hearts" in the Lovestrong Tour at the Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

After premiering the song on So You Think You Can Dance, Perri returned to the stage on July 17, 2010, performing the song live for the first time.[27] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Perri discussed her thoughts on performing on the show after premiering it on the same show, stating "I am very nervous, but very excited. It’s almost like my first child is 'So You Think You Can Dance'. I will do whatever they want me to do. And if it’s perform in front of millions of people, I’ll do that too. I’m pretty certain this is gonna be the biggest audience I’ve ever performed for."[28] Perri has additionally performed the song live on and The Early Show on CBS and the Today Show on NBC in August 2012.[29] On July 29, 2010, Perri also performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, replacing Stone Temple Pilots who couldn't make it to the show on time.[30] On December 7, 2010, Perri performed the song on Conan O'Brien's new show, Conan, with many critics naming the performance a career peak and stellar.[31] On November 2, 2010, VH1 allowed Perri to perform the song, along with other tracks from her EP, in the elevator lobby as part of an ongoing "Live At VH1" series.[32] The performances were recorded and shown through VH1's video-hosting sites.[32] In October 2011, Perri performed the song live on The Late Late Show, an Irish chat show hosted by Ryan Tubridy. On November 13, 2011, Perri performed the song live on the Strictly Come Dancing Results Show. On January 29, 2012, Perri performed the song live on Dancing On Ice. On February 18, 2012, she performed the song before the world heavyweight boxing championship fight between Vitali Klitschko and Dereck Chisora in Munich. Also Perri performed the song as part of the encore for her first tour Lovestrong Tour in 2011/12.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2010–12) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[33] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[34] 3
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[35] 28
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[36] 21
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[37] 3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[38] 4
Germany (Media Control Charts)[39] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[40] 2
Israel (Media Forest)[41] 3
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[42] 99
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[43] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 52
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 28
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[46] 4
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[47] 26
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[49] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[50] 17
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[51] 11
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[52] 4
US Latin Pop Songs (Billboard)[53] 26
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[54] 15

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[55] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[56] Gold 15,000x
Canada (Music Canada)[57] 2× Platinum 160,000^
Germany (BVMI)[58] Platinum 300,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[59] 2× Platinum 30,000x
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] Platinum 15,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[61] Platinum 30,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[63] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
Australia (ARIA) 16
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[64] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[65] 55
Chart (2012) Position
Germany (Media Control Charts)[66] 28

In popular culture

References

  1. ↑ "Connecting to the iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  2. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/christina-perri/id378346343
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pastorek, Whitney (2010-07-15). "'Jar of Hearts' singer Christina Perri on getting her break from 'So You Think You Can Dance': A Music Mix Q&A! | The Music Mix | EW.com". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Gavin Edwards (2010-10-26). "Band of the Week: Christina Perri, Sudden Star | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  5. ↑ "Jar of Hearts - Single by Christina Perri - Download Jar of Hearts - Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  6. ↑ "Jar of Hearts (Karaoke Version) - Single by Christina Perri - Download Jar of Hearts (Karaoke Version) - Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Jan 7th 2011 1:40PM by Scott Shetler (2011-01-07). "Christina Perri, 'Jar of Hearts' - New Song". AOL Radio Blog. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  8. ↑ "Christina Perri Exits the Studio & Gets Ready to Release Debut Full-Length Album -- "lovestrong." -- May 10th on Atlantic Records" (Press release). Atlantic Records. March 2, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts - Review of Christina Perri's Jar Of Hearts". Top40.about.com. 2011-02-27. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 ""Jar of Hearts" (CD single) by Christina Perri - Music Review". Commonsensemedia.org. 2010-11-07. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Christina Perri Blogs | JAR OF HEARTS. piano chords". Christinaperriblogs.tumblr.com. 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Freakum Dress digital sheet music (Digital Download)". MusicNotes.com Hal Leonard Corporation.
  13. ↑ "Christina Perri Completes Her Elevation To Stardom On ‘Conan’ » MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com. 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Christina Perri - Biography, Photos, News, Videos and Tour Dates and Tickets". Contactmusic.com. 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  16. ↑ Jody Rosen (2011-05-10). "Lovestrong | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  17. ↑ Chad Grischow. "Christina Perri: lovestrong. Review - Music Review at IGN". Music.ign.com. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  18. ↑ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  20. ↑ Paul Grein (June 11, 2014). "Chart Watch: Sam Smith Zooms Into Top 10". Yahoo Music.
  21. ↑ "Radio 1 - Chart - The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart". BBC. 2012-01-08. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  22. ↑ "Videos : Christina Perri : Jar of Hearts". CMT. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 So You Think You Can Dance (2010-08-25). "So You Think You Can Dance – Behind the Scenes of "Jar of Hearts"". Dance.blogs.fox.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  24. ↑ "'Jar Of Hearts' Video Premiere". Christina Perri. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  25. ↑ "VH1 Top 40 Music Videos Of 2011 (Complete List) | Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  26. ↑ "Christina Perri Daydream Video | Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. 2010-11-16. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  27. ↑ "Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts (Live on So You Think You Can Dance) - PerezTV". Perezhilton.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  28. ↑ Pastorek, Whitney (2010-07-15). "'Jar of Hearts' singer Christina Perri on getting her break from 'So You Think You Can Dance': A Music Mix Q&A! | The Music Mix | EW.com". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  29. ↑ "Week Ending Jan. 23, 2011: Songs: Mars Attacks - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  30. ↑ "Christina Perri performs on Jay Leno show tonight : Beatweek Magazine". Beatweek.com. 2010-07-29. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  31. ↑ "Christina Perri Completes Her Elevation To Stardom On ‘Conan’ » MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Christina Perri Jar Of Hearts Live | Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  33. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  34. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  36. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Christina Perri. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  37. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201201 into search. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  38. ↑ "Christina Perri: Jar of Hearts" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  39. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". GfK Entertainment.
  40. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 32, 2011". Irish Singles Chart.
  41. ↑ "Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  42. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History - Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  43. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs - March 3, 2012". Billboard.
  44. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  45. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". Top 40 Singles.
  46. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-08-27". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  47. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201151_52 into search. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". Swiss Singles Chart.
  49. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-08-27" UK Singles Chart.
  50. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Christina Perri. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  51. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Christina Perri. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  52. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Christina Perri. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  53. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Latin Pop Songs for Christina Perri. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  54. ↑ "Christina Perri Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Christina Perri. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  55. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  56. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Christina Perri in the field Interpret. Enter Jar of Hearts in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  57. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". Music Canada.
  58. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Christina Perri; 'Jar of Hearts')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  59. ↑ "Irish single certifications – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  60. ↑ http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=2077
  61. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Christina Perri; 'Jar of Hearts')". Hung Medien.
  62. ↑ "British single certifications – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Jar of Hearts in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  63. ↑ "American single certifications – Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  64. ↑ "The Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of the Year". BBC. 2011-12-31.
  65. ↑ "Best of 2011 – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  66. ↑ "Jahrescharts 2012". VIVA. VIVA. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  67. ↑ Semigran, Aly (2011-05-11). "Christina Perri's 'Jar Of Hearts': Story Behind The 'Glee' Cover - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  68. ↑ "Pretty Little Liars "It's Alive" Episode Guide". TV Fanatic. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  69. ↑ ""Jar of Hearts" cover by Twenty One Pilots on SoundCloud". Retrieved March April 6, 2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  70. ↑ "Fitzy & Wippa's Song Parodies: Jar of Hoons - NovaFM Audios". Novafm.com.au. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  71. ↑ "Ronan Parke - Ronan Parke Sings: Jar of Hearts". YouTube. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2013-03-11.

External links