"Breathe" feat. Colbie Caillat is the seventh track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's second studio album, Fearless, released on October 21, 2008, through Big Machine Records. It is also the seventh track from her debut re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor's Version), released on April 9, 2021, through Republic Records.
Background[]
American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat co-wrote and sang backup vocals for "Breathe".
Swift was very fond of Caillat's 2007 debut album, Coco. Swift explained, "When it came out, I fell in love with the way that she makes music." Swift later contacted her management and asked if she could write a song with Caillat. They confirmed Caillat would be available due to a then upcoming concert in Nashville, Tennessee, and, coincidentally, on the same day, Swift had a vacation day. According to Swift, "Breathe" is about having to depart from a someone, however, not blaming anyone. Swift believed the scenario was one of the most difficult goodbyes, "when it's nobody's fault. It just has to end." Swift explained, "It was total therapy because I came in and I was like look, 'One of my best friends, I'm gonna have to not see anymore and it's not gonna be part of what I do. It's the hardest thing to go through. It's crazy listening to the song because you would think it's about a relationship and it's really about losing a friend and having a fallout." Caillat and Swift said one of the beauties of the song was that many people would be able to relate to it because it is never specific as why the departure is occurring or whose fault it was.
Swift desired for Caillat to sing background vocals but in a loud manner, enough for audiences to recognize who sang backup. Originally Swift and Caillat were only to harmonize in the chorus, but as Caillat recorded, Swift decided to include her voice more throughout the track because of how impressed she was. Swift first recorded the entire song, and Caillat then recorded background vocals separately. Swift was very pleased with the finished product: "I think she sounds beautiful on it. I'm so excited to have her voice on my album." "Breathe" was released on October 21, 2008, as a promotional single from Fearless, exclusively through Rhapsody. The artwork for the release was the same as the album's. The two released a video documenting the making of the song.
Composition[]
"Breathe" is a country pop song with a length of four minutes and twenty-one seconds. The song has soft rock and adult contemporary elements in it. It was written in common time and has a ballad tempo of 72 beats per minute. It is written in the key of D flat major, and Swift and Caillat's vocals span one octave, from G3 to B4. "Breathe" follows the chord progression D5āAāG. The song's instrumentation relies mainly on acoustic guitar, which are often plucked, while, on occasion, violins provide the accompaniment.
The lyrics for "Breathe" are about heartbreak and the loss of a person the narrator spent much time with. In the song's verses, the narrator acknowledges that people change and grow apart, though she is upset because she knows the person "like the back of her hand." In the song's refrains, she realizes the need to remain strong and breathe in order to live without the person. Ken Tucker of Billboard believed "Breathe" was a "love-gone-wrong song."
Critical reception[]
The song received favorable responses from contemporary music critics. Ken Tucker of Billboard said the song was suited for women of different age groups. James Read of The Boston Globe implied "Breathe" was not one of Fearless' most interesting tracks.[1] Gary Trust, also from Billboard wrote, "this ballad, perhaps along with fellow potential singles such as 'You're Not Sorry' and 'Forever & Always,' could keep Swift's string of smashes stretching into 2011."[2] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine thought Swift should have chosen another collaborator as he believed Caillat was inert.[3]
"Breathe" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, but lost to Jason Mraz and Caillat's "Lucky".[4] About the song not winning the award, Caillat said, "I love 'Breathe' with Taylor, but I've been performing 'Lucky' with Jason all around the world the last year, so I'm happy it won."[5]
Chart performance[]
On the week ending November 29, 2008, "Breathe" debuted and peaked at number eighty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Its appearance, along with six other songs, on the chart tied Swift with Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) for the female act to have the most songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week,[6] a record later surpassed by Swift herself when she charted eleven songs at once in 2010.[7] It was also one of six songs to debut that tied her with Cyrus, again, for the most debuts on the chart in the same week.[6] The song spent one week on the chart.[8]
Hidden message[]
Hidden message: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
I see your face in my mind as I drive away
'Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way
People are people and sometimes, we change our minds
But it's killing me to see you go after all this time
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Music starts playin' like the end of a sad movie
It's the kinda ending you don't really wanna see
'Cause it's tragedy and it'll only bring you down
Now, I don't know what to be without you around
[Pre-Chorus]
And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
[Chorus]
And I can't breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
[Verse 2]
Never wanted this, never want to see you hurt
Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve
People are people and sometimes, it doesn't work out
Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out
[Pre-Chorus]
And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
[Chorus]
And I can't breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
[Bridge]
It's 2 AM, feelin' like I just lost a friend
Hope you know it's not easy, easy for me
It's 2AM, feelin' like I just lost a friend
Hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me
[Pre-Chorus]
And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me, oh
[Chorus]
I can't breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
Breathe
Without you, but I have to
[Outro]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
I'm sorry
Lyric video[]
Live performances[]
On August 18, 2018, Swift performed "Breathe" as the surprise song at the Miami Gardens stop of the Reputation Stadium Tour. "Breathe" was performed as the piano surprise song in Detroit, Michigan, on June 10, 2023, on The Eras Tour
References[]
- ā Read, James (November 10, 2008). "On 'Fearless,' Taylor Swift proves she's just and that, and more". The Boston Globe (The New York Times Company). http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2008/11/10/rise_and_shine/. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ā Trust, Gary (January 5, 2010). "Taking Peaks, Part 1: Nos. 100-76". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 3. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/taking-peaks-part-1-nos-100-76-1004056627.story?page=3. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ā Keefe, Jonathan (November 16, 2008). "Taylor Swift: Fearless". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/taylor-swift-fearless/1574. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ā "First GRAMMY Performers Announced". Grammy.com. Grammy Awards. December 22, 2009. Archived from the original on January 3, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5mWI4VX4B. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ā Keveney, Bill (January 31, 2010). "Colbie Caillat beats herself". USA Today (Gannett Company). http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/01/colbie-caillat/1. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ā 6.0 6.1 Cohen, Jonathan (November 20, 2008). "Taylor Swift Notches Six Hot 100 Debuts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/taylor-swift-notches-six-hot-100-debuts-1003895337.story#/news/taylor-swift-notches-six-hot-100-debuts-1003895268.story. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
- ā Pietroluongo, Silvio (November 4, 2010). "Taylor Swift Debuts 10 'Speak Now' Songs on Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/taylor-swift-debuts-10-speak-now-songs-on-1004125431.story. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
- ā "Breathe - Taylor Swift". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/song/taylor-swift/breathe/12052735. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
| Fearless | ||
|---|---|---|
| "Fearless" ā¢ "Fifteen" ā¢ "Love Story" ā¢ "Hey Stephen" ā¢ "White Horse" ā¢ "You Belong with Me" ā¢ "Breathe" ā¢ "Tell Me Why" ā¢ "You're Not Sorry" ā¢ "The Way I Loved You" ā¢ "Forever & Always" ā¢ "The Best Day" ā¢ "Change" | ||
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