Break You

"Break You"
Single by Marion Raven
from the album Here I Am
B-side	Surfing The Sun There I Said It
Released	2005 2007 (U.S)
Format	CD single
Recorded	2004
Genre	Pop rock, post-grunge
Length	3:11
Label	Atlantic Records
Writer(s)	Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald
Producer(s)	Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald
Marion Raven singles chronology
"End of Me" (2005) "Break You" (2005) "Here I Am" (2005)

"Break You" is a pop rock song recorded by Marion Raven and written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz Gottwald, a.k.a. "Dr. Luke", for Raven's international debut studio album Here I Am (2005). The track was released as the lead single in Japan and Norway and was the second single from the album that was released in Southeast Asia in 2005. The single was highly successful and was well received by critics.

Raven performed an acoustic folk-rock version of Break You during her 2013 Songs from a Blackbird Norwegian tour.

Content

The song's angsty post-grunge vibe and lyrics about bad relationships makes it similar to other artists such as Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson. It represents Raven's scorn and anger towards her ex-boyfriend.

Music video

The music video for the song, shot in Los Angeles between a Dogsprison and a strip club, was recorded in March 2005 by director Brett Simon. It shows scenes of Raven trashing her ex-boyfriend's apartment, slicing furniture into half and burning the other half at an alley, signifying that she is getting rid of the half that belongs to her ex-boyfriend. There are also instances where Raven lashes out at hands (most likely to be those of her ex-boyfriend) that try to stop her while she continues ruining the house.

Singles and track listings

Norway and Japan single

1. "Break You" (Album version)
2. "Surfing The Sun" (Japanese Here I Am release version)

Swedish single

1. "Break You" (Album version)
2. "There I Said It" (Unreleased B-side single)

Mexican single

1. "Break You" (Album version)

• Japan promo single

1. "Break You" (Album version)
2. Exclusive picture sleeve" (CD-Rom Bonus content)
3. Different front cover

Reception

• "Break You" is Raven's most successful solo single to date. It anchored Raven as a pop-rock staple in Japan, where it managed to claim the top spot on the Oricon International Charts.
• "Break You" was at #69 on MTV Asia's end of year (2005) top 100 countdown.^[1]
• "Break You" peaked at #5 on Capital Disney's "The Top 10" music charts.

Chart performance

Controversy

• The song was re-recorded by American singer-songwriter Megan McCauley in late 2006 that sparked rumours that Raven was not including "Break You" in her U.S./Canada/Europe 2007 debut album, Set Me Free, but the song was finally included in the album and came out as a re-release single in Europe and Canada.
• This came after Raven left Atlantic Records, due to "artistic differences", and joined Eleven Seven Music.
• McCauley's version of "Break You" could be found on her MySpace page. It was offered up as a free download though it was cut to two minutes.^[3]

2007 re-release

"Break You" was released to U.K. radio stations on March 28, 2007 and is her U.K. debut single from Set Me Free. The track was also part of a rumored EP that served as a teaser, alongside "Falling Away" and "Here I Am", tracks also found on Set Me Free.^[4]

Break You EP

1. "Break You" (Album version)
2. "Falling Away" (Album version)
3. "Here I Am" (Album version)

References