Break Up Song (Little Mix song)

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"Break Up Song"
Little Mix - Break Up Song.png
Single by Little Mix
from the album Confetti
Released27 March 2020 (2020-03-27)
GenreSynth-pop[1]
Length3:20
LabelRCA UK
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Little Mix singles chronology
"One I've Been Missing"
(2019) 		"Break Up Song"
(2020) 		"Holiday"
(2020)
Music video
"Break Up Song" on YouTube

"Break Up Song" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released by RCA UK on 27 March 2020 as the lead single off their sixth studio album, Confetti (2020).[2][3] The song was co written by group members Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards with Frank Nobel, and producers Kamille and Goldfingers.[4][5] The song peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart. It was later certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and by Pro-Música Brasil (PMB).

Background[]

Little Mix members Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall wrote "Break Up Song" with Frank Nobel, and producers Kamille and Goldfingers.[5] According to Thirlwall, they wrote the song more than a year prior to its release with 1980s pop music and an element of nostalgia in mind, similar to that of their 2015 single "Black Magic".[6][7] Edwards, Pinnock and Thirlwall composed it during a whirl of creativity where they wrote seven songs with Kamille in one day, after having only one melody from a frustrating previous session.[8][9] The track's 1980s sound stemmed from a synthesiser they dabbled with in the studio.[6]

A different song was initially chosen as their sixth album's lead single with an accompanying music video already filmed. However, the group opted for "Break Up Song" at the last minute after hearing the demo again during a playback session.[6] The demo had only one verse and main line. Edwards described it as "very basic at the time. The beat was all over the place and it was really, really rough - but it just had something about it."[8] Thirlwall recalled, "We got that jittery feeling that we had with "Shout Out to My Ex" and "Black Magic" where it just felt special."[6]

Composition[]

Thirlwall described the track as "a very feel-good kind of empowerment song about going out and just forgetting about all your woes and troubles".[2] It was also called an "80s-synth pop anthem" about "getting over the end of a relationship".[1]

Promotion[]

A Little Mix-themed filter on Instagram was made available to the group's followers to promote the track.[4] The song received a Spotify vertical video and a lyric video, both released on 27 March 2020.[10][11] The latter was made by Kayleigh, a fan of the band from the Netherlands.[12]

Music video[]

Little Mix announced the official music video for the song on 7 May 2020 on their social media, and it was released a day later at 9am BST.[13] The music video for the song was semi-animated, as the planned video shoot for the song had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] The group filmed portions of the video at home using the original concept.[15] The animation of the video displayed felt fabric texture to depict the band. In the video, the animated part was focused on the group hosting a Good Morning Britain-style breakfast show on a television channel called LM TV. Leigh- Anne Pinnock is presented as a news reporter, while Jesy Nelson presents the weather forecast. Perrie Edwards is presented as a fitness mentor, while Jade Thirlwall tackles the latest fashion, with each of them having their own segment in their respective verses of the song. The video also includes real-life clips of the band dancing to the song while dressed in different styles of 80's clothing.[16][17]

Live performances[]

On 21 August 2020, Little Mix performed "Break Up Song" for the first time as part of the set list for their Little Mix Uncancelled concert.[18][19] The song was later performed on the eighteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in December 2020,[20] with member Jesy Nelson absent from the performance.[21]

Track listing[]

Digital download and streaming[22]

  1. "Break Up Song" – 3:20

Digital download and streaming – acoustic[23]

  1. "Break Up Song" (acoustic version) – 3:22

Digital download and streaming – Nathan Dawe remix[24]

  1. "Break Up Song" (Nathan Dawe remix) – 3:21

Digital download and streaming – Steve Void remix[25]

  1. "Break Up Song" (Steve Void remix) – 2:57

Streaming – Break Up Song – EP[26]

  1. "Break Up Song" – 3:20
  2. "Break Up Song" (acoustic version) – 3:22
  3. "Break Up Song" (Nathan Dawe remix) – 3:21
  4. "Break Up Song" (Steve Void remix) – 2:57

Personnel[]

Credits adapted from Qobuz.[5]

  • Jesy Nelson - vocals
  • Leigh-Anne Pinnock - vocals, songwriting
  • Jade Thirlwall - vocals, songwriting
  • Perrie Edwards - vocals, songwriting
  • Kamille – production, keyboards, vocal production, bass, background vocals
  • Goldfingers – production, drums, keyboards, programming
  • Raphaella Mazaheri-Asadi – vocal production
  • Frank Nobel – drums, keyboards, programming
  • Phil Tan – mixing
  • Paul Norris – engineering
  • Bill Zimmerman – engineering assistance
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[46] Gold 20,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Gold 446,000[47]

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Release dates and formats for "Break Up Song"
Region Date Format Version Label(s) Ref.
Various 27 March 2020
Original RCA UK [22]
Nathan Dawe remix [24]
Steve Void remix [25]
Streaming Remix EP [26]
Australia Contemporary hit radio Original Sony [49]
Various 10 April 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Acoustic RCA UK [23]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Little Mix to drop new single Break Up Song this week". The List. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Wass, Mike (24 March 2020). "Let Their New Era Begin! Little Mix Announces "Break Up Song"". Idolator. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. ^ @LittleMix (16 September 2020). "CONFETTI