Wikipedia

Breaking the Girl

"Breaking the Girl"is a song by American rock bandRed Hot Chili Peppersfrom their fifth studio album,Blood Sugar Sex Magik(1991). It was released as the fourth single from their studio album in August 1992 and is a melodic ballad that refers to a turbulent relationship between frontmanAnthony Kiedisand his former girlfriend, Carmen Hawk.[3]

"Breaking the Girl"
SinglebyRed Hot Chili Peppers
from the albumBlood Sugar Sex Magik
B-side"Fela's Cock"
ReleasedAugust 3, 1992(1992-08-03)[1]
StudioThe Mansion(Los Angeles, California)
GenreAlternative rock,psychedelic rock,folk rock[2]
Length
  • 4:55(album version)
  • 4:27 (single edit)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Flea,Frusciante,Kiedis,Smith
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
Red Hot Chili Pepperssingles chronology
"Suck My Kiss"
(1992) 		"Breaking the Girl"
(1992) 		"Behind the Sun"
(1992)
Music video
"Breaking the Girl"onYouTube

Composition

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"Breaking the Girl" 's bridge is marked by a percussion break that builds through the use of increasingly complex rhythms. Thepercussion instrumentsconsisted of junkyard debris found by drummerChad Smith,guitaristJohn Frusciante,and bassistFlea.Frusciante's mainriffwas inspired byLed Zeppelin's ballads, such as "The Battle of Evermore"and"Friends".[4]The song also makes use of a12-string guitar,tuned a half step down, and aMellotron,using theflutepatch. It is in the6/8 time signature.[3]Chad Smith said inThe Chad & Flea Showthat his drumming in the song was inspired byMitch Mitchell's work in theJimi Hendrix Experiencesong "Manic Depression".[5]

Music video

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Themusic videowas released on July 30, 1992, and was directed byStéphane Sednaoui,who had previously made a video for the song "Give It Away".[6]It makes heavy, experimental use of vibrant colors, with the background and costumes changing constantly. The band members adopt surreal appearances and behavior, with Kiedis for example having an overallPrincess Leia-esque look, complete with robes and a "donut" hairstyle. The "Breaking the Girl" video is one of only two videos to featureArik Marshall(who briefly acted as a replacement for guitaristJohn Frusciante) the other video being for "If You Have to Ask"– though he did not play on either track. The video also features a brief cameo byRiver Phoenix,who was good friends with members of the band. The woman in the video is model/actressPatricia Velásquez.

Live performances

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The song was performed once on theBlood Sugar Sex Magik Touropening date in 1991, and later reappeared in the band's setlist once in 2000 but not again until 2003. After an eight-year hiatus from being performed, the band added the song to a few setlists on theirI'm with You Tour.Kiedis also briefly performed the song withThe Rootsduring his appearance onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonin November 2014. The song returned after a five-year hiatus from the band's setlist in January 2017 onThe Getaway World Tour.

Track listings

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CD and 12-inch single (1992)

  1. "Breaking the Girl" (edit)
  2. "Fela's Cock" (previously unreleased)
  3. "Suck My Kiss" (live)
  4. "I Could Have Lied" (live)

CD single version 2 (1992)

  1. "Breaking the Girl" (edit)
  2. "Suck My Kiss" (live)
  3. "I Could Have Lied" (live)

7-inch single (1992)

  1. "Breaking the Girl" (edit)
  2. "Fela's Cock" (unreleased)

Cassette single (1992)

  1. "Breaking the Girl" (edit)
  2. "The Power of Equality" (album version)

Personnel

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Red Hot Chili Peppers

Additional musicians

Charts

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Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 30
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 45
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 94
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 20
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 48
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 12
UK Singles(OCC)[14] 41
USAlternative Airplay(Billboard)[15] 19
USMainstream Rock(Billboard)[16] 15

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^"New Releases: Singles".Music Week.August 1, 1992. p. 19.
  2. ^Tyler Golsen."Watch Red Hot Chili Peppers record 'Breaking the Girl'".faroutmagazine.co.uk.psychedelic acoustic number
  3. ^ab"10 Best Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs".Diffuser.fm. October 25, 2012.RetrievedApril 30,2013.
  4. ^"Tonal Telepathy | John Frusciante unofficial – Invisible Movement | Page 2".Invisible-movement.net. Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2008.RetrievedNovember 21,2012.
  5. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers Admit They Copied Jimi Hendrix on" Breaking the Girl "".www.guitarworld.com.Guitar World.RetrievedFebruary 15,2017.
  6. ^"RHCP Timeline".Redhotchilipeppers.com.March 28, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon February 6, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 2,2016.
  7. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers – Breaking the Girl ".ARIA Top 50 Singles.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  8. ^"Top RPM Singles: Issue 1933."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  9. ^"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 9, no. 35. August 29, 1992. p. 17.RetrievedJanuary 15,2021.
  10. ^Nyman, Jake (2005).Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja(in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi.ISBN951-31-2503-3.
  11. ^"The Irish Charts – Search Results – Breaking the Girl ".Irish Singles Chart.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  12. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers – Breaking the Girl "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  13. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers – Breaking the Girl ".Top 40 Singles.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  14. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers: Artist Chart History".Official Charts Company.Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  15. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".Billboard.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  16. ^"Red Hot Chili Peppers Chart History (Mainstream Rock)".Billboard.Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  17. ^"American single certifications – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Breaking the Girl".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedSeptember 23,2021.
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