"Breakout" | |
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Song |
"Breakout" is a pop song by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. It was released to Radio Disney as promotion for Cyrus' sophomore album of the same name. It was originally recorded by American pop singer Katy Perry as a demo track for her debut album One of the Boys but due to not being included in the album, the song was passed on to Cyrus. The song's instrumentation includes keyboard, guitar, and drums. "Breakout" is a dance-pop song with lyrics about growing up and being carefree.
"Breakout" was received well by contemporary critics, most which appreciated its lyrical content. Digital downloads began immediately after the soundtrack's release on July 22, 2008, and led to commercial success in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Its highest international peak was at number forty-five on the Canadian Hot 100. Cyrus performed the song in several venues; her first, in the 2008 Disney Channel Games was used as a promotional music video. Cyrus also performed the song as the opening number of her Wonder World Tour, her first worldwide tour.
Development
"Breakout" was written by Ted Bruner, in collaboration with Gina Schock of the Go-Go's and Trey Vittetoe. The song was first recorded by American pop recording artist Katy Perry recording the track as a demo for her debut album One of the Boys.[2] The song was never fully executed for the album and was therefore passed to Cyrus. On Cyrus' version, Perry sings backing vocals.[3] Perry discussed her appearance on the track with Bliss magazine.[2] She said, "My vocals are actually on Breakout. I thought, 'Yes, I'm singing on a Miley single'."[2]
Cyrus said "Breakout" was "one of [her] favorite songs" on the album because "it's kinda girly" but has appeals to different age groups: "Moms, dads, sisters, brothers can, you know, relate to it. And it's basically beacuse you just want to go out and have fun with your friends and sometimes, you know, go out dancing and let lose once in a while."[4]
Composition
"Breakout" is a dance-pop song with a strong use of pop rock elements[5] and lasts three minutes and twenty-six seconds.[1] The song begins with a fast beat composed of chiming electric guitar and drums.[6] As the song progresses "the snares skip and the keyboards shimmer".[7] The song is written in the key of G major.[8] The song has the following chord progression, G5—Dsus—Csus2—Dsus.[8]
According to Chris William of Entertainment Weekly, "Breakout"'s lyrics are "a harangue against life's cruelest inequities", drawing attention to the opening verse, "Every week's the same/Stuck in school's so lame/My parents say that I'm lazy/Getting up at 8 a.m.'s crazy/Tired of bein' told what to do/So unfair, so uncool."[6] William added that the song was a sign that the "little girl isn't growing up".[6] However, Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times said the song was indeed about growing up fast, referencing the lines "It feels so good to let go" and "Wish it would never end".[9] Jodi Rosen of Rolling Stone also believed "she's venting the frustrations of a teen who's too grown-up to submit to her parents, teachers or anyone else" with the lines "tired of bein' told what to do".[10]
Critical reception
"Breakout" received generally positive responses from contemporary critics. Chris William of Entertainment Weekly said that writer Gina Schock of The Go-Go's left influences from their hit single "Vacation" (1982).[6] William added that "Breakout" "just the right amount of maturing".[6] Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times called the song "a slightly tougher, more guitar-based sound than last year's Meet Miley Cyrus".[9] Bill Lamb of About.com said the song was one of the "top tracks on Breakout".[11] Heather Phares of Allmusic said the song's "school girl rebellion" was "designed to present the feisty, carefree Miley".[12]
Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe described "Breakout" as "a pure pop realm with the Go-Go's-style fizz".[7] Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called the song "a more self-possessed [...] sophisticated pop record under her own name".[10] Ash Dosanjh of Yahoo! Music said, "As opener 'Breakout' kicks in with the lyric 'Every week's the same / Stuck in school is so lame', you can forgive Cyrus's lack of poetic profundity because this is a dancefloor smash complete with ecstatic beats pummelling throughout."[13] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said "Breakout" was "noxious Avril Lavigne knockoff—an anti-education screed filled with declarations".[14] Along with "7 Things", Robert Christgau said the song was one of the best of Breakout.[15] Ben Ratliff of The New York Times believes "Breakout" "appeals to both age groups. He added, "It’s a girls-only call to fun, but it hints at a decadent, school-free future."[16]
Chart performance
"Breakout" received exclusive airplay on Radio Disney due to not being released as a single, so digital downloads were responsible for its chart appearances. On the week ending August 9, 2008 "Breakout" debuted and peaked at number fifty-six in the Billboard Hot 100 due to digital downloads that placed it at number twenty-seven on Hot Digital Songs.[17][18] The song spent a total of seven consecutive weeks on the chart.[17] Also on the week ending August 9, 2008, "Breakout" entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number forty-five, where it peaked.[17][18] It spent a total of three weeks on that chart.[17] The song also peaked and debuted at number ninety-four in the Australian Singles Chart.[19]
Live performances
Cyrus opened the 2008 Disney Channel Games with the premiere of "Breakout"; the event was held on May 4, 2008 in Orlando, Florida as part of Disney Channel's summer-season activities.[20][21] She was dressed in a short, sequined black dress with a red tee shirt and black leggings underneath.[21] The performance was aired promotional music video on Disney Channel.[21] On May 17, she performed the song and at the 2008 Zootopia.[22] "Breakout" was performed on July 25 in New York City at the Rockefeller Center, which was broadcast by The Today Show.[23] Cyrus was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with white skinny jeans in the performance.[23] On June 7, 2009, Cyrus performed the song at twentieth annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival, an outdoor carnival supporting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.[24]
"Breakout" is also in the set list of her 2009 Wonder World Tour, her first world tour; Cyrus performed the song as the opening number number at each venue while wearing an all black leather ensemble, completed with a white fur vest.[25] The performance begins with Cyrus trapped a huge crystal-like ice dome emerged from the bottom of the stage.[25] As she breaks out of the cocoon, Cyrus starts singing "Breakout", gradually switching from slow to upbeat tempo.[25] Towards the end of the performances, Cyrus and the backup dancers dance on several construction carts.[25] Melinda M. Thompson of The Oregonian reported that in the September 14 concert in Portland, Oregon at the Rose Garden Arena drew a large response, bringing "screaming tweens to their feet as she hit the stage ready to party".[25] Lael Loewenstein of Variety stated that the song's performance in the September 22 concert in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center touched "on the theme of self-reinvention", a theme which he thought was to "announce her image reboot".[26]
Charts
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
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Australian Singles Chart[19] | 94 |
Canadian Hot 100[17] | 45 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[17] | 56 |
References
- ^ a b "Amazon.com: Breakout: Miley Cyrus: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Katy Perry singing backing vocals for Miley Cyrus". Thaindian News. March 1, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ "allmusic {{{Breakout > Credits}}}". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ "Walmart Soundcheck: Interview - Part 2". Walmart Soundcheck. Wal-Mart. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ^ "allmusic {{{Breakout > Overview}}}". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e William, Chris (July 18, 2009). "Breakout (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner, Inc. Retrieved December 5 ,2009.
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(help) - ^ a b Rodman, Sarah (July 22, 2009). "With her new CD, Miley Cyrus breaks out -- a little". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ a b "Digital sheet music - Miley Cyrus - Breakout". Music notes.com. Alfred Publishing. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Wood, Mikael (July 21, 2009). "Miley Cyrus' 'Breakout': A long way from Montana". The Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Rosen, Jody (August 21, 2009). "Breakout: Miley Cyrus: Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Lamb, Bil. "Miley Cyrus Breaks Into Her Own Identity". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "allmusic {{{Breakout > Review}}}". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Dosanjh, Ash (September 4, 2008). "Miley Cyrus - Breakout". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (July 20, 2009). "Miley Cyrus - Breakout". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Breakout". RobertChristgau.com. Robert Christgau. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (July 21, 2009). ""Breakout" (Hollywood)". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Breakout". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ a b "Miley Cyrus - Breakout - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts" (PDF). Pandora Archive.com. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ Harris, Chris (May 5, 2008). "Miley Cyrus Thanks Fans For Their Support During Disney Games Set". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Miley Cyrus". Disney.com. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ Futterman, Erica (May 19, 2008). "Jonas Brothers, New Kids on the Block, Miley Cyrus Earn Fans' Shrieks at Zootopia". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Zfat, Natalie (July 25, 2008). "Miley Cyrus Headlines Biggest Concert in Today Show History". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ "Miley Cyrus - A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival". InStyle. IPC Media. June 8, 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Thompsen, Melinda M. (September 15, 2009). "Review: Miley Cyrus Rocks the Rose Garden as She Kicks off Tour in Portland". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ Loewenstein, Lael (September 23, 2009). "Concert Review: Miley Cyrus". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
External links
- The official website of Miley Cyrus
- "Breakout" lyrics on MTV