"Brokenhearted" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. It was written and produced by Kipper Jones and Keith Crouch for her self-titled debut studio album, Brandy (1994). Requested by then Atlantic Records head Sylvia Rhone, the song was developed late into the production of the album. Pressured to meet Rhone's deadline for Brandy, Kipper suffered from a case of writer's block during the early writing process but eventually came up with the idea for a sweet, morose R&B ballad that deals with the aches of a teenager's first heartbreak.
A re-recorded duet version of the song featuring additional vocals from Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris and produced by Danish production duo Soulshock and Karlin, was released as the album's fourth and final single in August 1995. Music critics were divided on whether the remix improved on the album version. On the charts, "Brokenhearted" peaked inside the top 10 in New Zealand and on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Norwood's third domestic top ten hit. It has since been certified Gold in United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Brokenhearted" was written and produced by Keith Crouch and Kipper Jones.[2] Requested by then Atlantic Records head Sylvia Rhone after hearing their work on "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby,"[3] Kipper suffered from a case of writer's block during the early writing process.[4] Crouch used a Roland TD-77 unit to simulate the wind and harpsichord-type sounds as well as a Yamaha TG77 synthesizer workstation to produce the upright bass sounds on the balad.[5] Inspired by singer Prince's song "Condition of the Heart" (1985) with its "little nuances and the little sounds and effects," he blended the bass with a lead synth line, playing it an octave lower than what had initially planned to craft a sound that he described as "like outer space a little bit."[5] The album version of "Brokenhearted" was recorded in a single take;[3] Norwood remembered during the release of The Best of Brandy in 2005: "There's a funny story behind the recording of that song! I really wanted to go to Six Flags but the producers kept saying, ‘only after you finish recording!' I sang my heart out [...] I wanted to go to Six Flags so bad! You can hear the passion in my voice!"[6]
The idea for a duet version of "Brokenhearted" originally came up while Norwood was on a two-month stint as the opening act on all-male vocal harmony group Boyz II Men's national tour in early 1995.[7] Both artists were on the airplane on the way to another city, when band member Wanya Morris got his hands on a copy of Brandy's debut album: "I was listening to her album on the plane and I was like, 'Yo, we should do a duet of 'Brokenhearted'," Wanya told MTV News the following year.[7]Atlantic Records consulted Danish record producers Soulshock and Karlin to record a new version of the song with both singers at Boyz II Men's studio in Philadelphia.[8] In a 2020 interview, Carsten Schack commented on the process: "Wanya and Brandy went into the studio together and they had a good connection. We just caught that moment when she was singing. She was another one with an amazing tone. I think our approach was to take the remixes very seriously and trying to make it better than the original."[8]
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard remarked that the song "drops the tempo to a spare ballad pace, giving the tempo ingenue the space to stretch and explore the soulful parameters of her voice." He found that the duet version with Morris "adds muscle to its already considerable programming power. Will waft over several formats like a cool, refreshing breeze."[9] Flick's Billboard colleague Chris Williams felt that "the album rendition has more of a thump to it, though it's still stripped down and minimalist. This is a teenager singing about how life goes on post-breakup. But the lyrics are so grown, they could've easily been sung by artists like Tamia or Deborah Cox."[10] Steve Baltin from Cash Box stated that "this has “smash” written all over it." He added that Brandy and Morris "could make it to the top of the charts by accident. But this single’s inevitable success will be no accident, as one should expect a major push behind this soulful ballad. A straight ahead R&B number, the song features some nice harmonies as well as impressive singing on the part of the two superstars. One can’t help but be impressed by the way they work together."[11]
In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Dimitri Ehrlich wrote, "Featuring saccharine sentiments set to turgid arrangements, the seamlessly produced, soulless ballad "Brokenhearted" is something like Lawrence Welk meets Mary J. Blige. If you ”wanna be down,” as Brandy's first hit proclaimed, a teaming with Milquetoast crooner Wanya Morris [...] is the wrong way to go."[12] Rylee Jackson, writing for The Nevada Sagebrush, called it another "example of a song with an excellent remix that has continued to be more relevant than the original. Featuring Boyz II Men lead singer Wanya Morris, the track is the typical somber R&B slow jam, but also depicts the positive side of heartbreak [...]."[13]Oprah Daily's Grant Rindnerfelt wrote that "Brandy said that she wasn't feeling particularly inspired the day she recorded "Brokenhearted," but you'd have a hard time telling as she stretches into her upper and lower registers with conviction and bounces off the booming, soulful piano."[14] A review for Vibe, Lela Olds wrote that "whether listening to the album version or the remix featuring then-boyfriend and Boyz II Men member Wanya Morris, you have no choice but to get your fingers snapping when listening to "Brokenhearted"."[15]
Norwood reunited with Hype Williams, director of her previous videos for "I Wanna Be Down (Human Rhythm Hip Hop Remix)" and "Baby," to film a visual for "Brokenhearted."[16] Filming took place inside the Oheka Castle, a mansion located on the North Shore of Long Island, in West Hills, New York.[16] Much of the scenes were filmed on the estate's third and fourth floor before their restoration several years later.[16] Norwood and Morris who each shot their scenes separately, do not appear in any sequence together in the video though "Brokenhearted" blends several of their scenes.[16]
The music video begins with shots of a large tree and Norwood laying on a blanket in a field.[16] When asked about the treatment of the video, Norwood told MTV News during the shooting: "It's basically a dream, because of course this is not reality. I can't afford a mansion right now, so it's like I fall asleep and I dream about doing a duet with Wanya and I'm in this big mansion wearing these grown clothes, big beautiful Whitney Houston–type clothes."[7] At the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, "Brokenhearted"'s director of photography Martin Coppen was nominated for Best Cinematography in a Video but lost to Declan Quinn for his work on the video for The Smashing Pumpkins's "Tonight, Tonight" (1995).[17]
^ abHardy, James Earl (8 October 2019). "A 25th Anniversary for Brandy...and a Kipper Jones classic". SoulTracks. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
^Aaron, Darian (Jun 21, 2021). "Songwriter Kipper Jones On Penning Hits For Brandy, Vanessa Williams, and His Journey to Liberation". thereckoningmag.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
^ abWilliams, Chris (2019). "The Making of Brandy's Timeless Self-Titled Debut Album, According to Producer Keith Crouch". okayplayer.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^"Brandy's Biography". SoulTracks. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
^ abcd"Shaggy The 'Humna Kid,' Brandy And Wanya, Mariah's 'Fantasy': This Week in 1995". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
^ ab"Soulshock Talks Producing Hits With His Partner Karlin For 2Pac, Whitney Houston & Monica (Exclusive)". youknowigotsoul.com. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
^Williams, Chris (September 26, 2014). "Brandy, 'Brandy' at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Review". billboard.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^Baltin, Steve (August 12, 1995). "Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
^Ehrlich, Dimitri (September 29, 1995). "Brokenhearted". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^Jackson, Rylee (October 8, 2019). "Brandy's debut album at 25". The Nevada Sagebrush. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
^Rindner, Grant (August 26, 2020). "Brandy's 20 Best Songs". oprahdaily.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
^Olds, Lela (March 25, 2020). "From Teen Sensation To Vocal Bible: Brandy's 15 Best Songs". Vibe. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
^ abcde"(1995) Entertainment Tonight - Brandy and Wanya Morris". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via YouTube.
brokenhearted, brandy, song, brokenhearted, song, american, recording, artist, brandy, norwood, written, produced, kipper, jones, keith, crouch, self, titled, debut, studio, album, brandy, 1994, requested, then, atlantic, records, head, sylvia, rhone, song, de. Brokenhearted is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood It was written and produced by Kipper Jones and Keith Crouch for her self titled debut studio album Brandy 1994 Requested by then Atlantic Records head Sylvia Rhone the song was developed late into the production of the album Pressured to meet Rhone s deadline for Brandy Kipper suffered from a case of writer s block during the early writing process but eventually came up with the idea for a sweet morose R amp B ballad that deals with the aches of a teenager s first heartbreak Brokenhearted Single by Brandyfrom the album BrandyReleasedAugust 22 1995 1995 08 22 Recorded1993 1 Length5 52 album version 4 47 Soulpower Mix LabelAtlanticSongwriter s Keith Crouch Kipper JonesProducer s Keith Crouch Kipper JonesBrandy singles chronology Best Friend 1995 Brokenhearted 1995 Sittin Up in My Room 1995 Boyz II Men singles chronology Vibin 1995 Brokenhearted 1995 Hey Lover 1995 A re recorded duet version of the song featuring additional vocals from Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris and produced by Danish production duo Soulshock and Karlin was released as the album s fourth and final single in August 1995 Music critics were divided on whether the remix improved on the album version On the charts Brokenhearted peaked inside the top 10 in New Zealand and on the US Billboard Hot 100 becoming Norwood s third domestic top ten hit It has since been certified Gold in United States by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA A music video depicting Norwood daydreaming about doing a duet with Morris inside a big mansion was directed by Hype Williams and filmed inside the Oheka Castle on the North Shore of Long Island in July 1995 At the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards Brokenhearted received a nomination in the Best Cinematography in a Video category Norwood and Morris performed their version on numerous occasions including the 1996 Billboard Music Awards The Oprah Winfrey Show and on several other televised appearances Contents 1 Background 2 Critical reception 3 Music video 4 Track listings 5 Credits and personnel 6 Charts 6 1 Weekly charts 6 2 Year end charts 7 Certifications 8 Release history 9 References 10 External linksBackground Edit Brokenhearted was written and produced by Keith Crouch and Kipper Jones 2 Requested by then Atlantic Records head Sylvia Rhone after hearing their work on I Wanna Be Down and Baby 3 Kipper suffered from a case of writer s block during the early writing process 4 Crouch used a Roland TD 77 unit to simulate the wind and harpsichord type sounds as well as a Yamaha TG77 synthesizer workstation to produce the upright bass sounds on the balad 5 Inspired by singer Prince s song Condition of the Heart 1985 with its little nuances and the little sounds and effects he blended the bass with a lead synth line playing it an octave lower than what had initially planned to craft a sound that he described as like outer space a little bit 5 The album version of Brokenhearted was recorded in a single take 3 Norwood remembered during the release of The Best of Brandy in 2005 There s a funny story behind the recording of that song I really wanted to go to Six Flags but the producers kept saying only after you finish recording I sang my heart out I wanted to go to Six Flags so bad You can hear the passion in my voice 6 The idea for a duet version of Brokenhearted originally came up while Norwood was on a two month stint as the opening act on all male vocal harmony group Boyz II Men s national tour in early 1995 7 Both artists were on the airplane on the way to another city when band member Wanya Morris got his hands on a copy of Brandy s debut album I was listening to her album on the plane and I was like Yo we should do a duet of Brokenhearted Wanya told MTV News the following year 7 Atlantic Records consulted Danish record producers Soulshock and Karlin to record a new version of the song with both singers at Boyz II Men s studio in Philadelphia 8 In a 2020 interview Carsten Schack commented on the process Wanya and Brandy went into the studio together and they had a good connection We just caught that moment when she was singing She was another one with an amazing tone I think our approach was to take the remixes very seriously and trying to make it better than the original 8 Critical reception EditLarry Flick from Billboard remarked that the song drops the tempo to a spare ballad pace giving the tempo ingenue the space to stretch and explore the soulful parameters of her voice He found that the duet version with Morris adds muscle to its already considerable programming power Will waft over several formats like a cool refreshing breeze 9 Flick s Billboard colleague Chris Williams felt that the album rendition has more of a thump to it though it s still stripped down and minimalist This is a teenager singing about how life goes on post breakup But the lyrics are so grown they could ve easily been sung by artists like Tamia or Deborah Cox 10 Steve Baltin from Cash Box stated that this has smash written all over it He added that Brandy and Morris could make it to the top of the charts by accident But this single s inevitable success will be no accident as one should expect a major push behind this soulful ballad A straight ahead R amp B number the song features some nice harmonies as well as impressive singing on the part of the two superstars One can t help but be impressed by the way they work together 11 In his review for Entertainment Weekly Dimitri Ehrlich wrote Featuring saccharine sentiments set to turgid arrangements the seamlessly produced soulless ballad Brokenhearted is something like Lawrence Welk meets Mary J Blige If you wanna be down as Brandy s first hit proclaimed a teaming with Milquetoast crooner Wanya Morris is the wrong way to go 12 Rylee Jackson writing for The Nevada Sagebrush called it another example of a song with an excellent remix that has continued to be more relevant than the original Featuring Boyz II Men lead singer Wanya Morris the track is the typical somber R amp B slow jam but also depicts the positive side of heartbreak 13 Oprah Daily s Grant Rindnerfelt wrote that Brandy said that she wasn t feeling particularly inspired the day she recorded Brokenhearted but you d have a hard time telling as she stretches into her upper and lower registers with conviction and bounces off the booming soulful piano 14 A review for Vibe Lela Olds wrote that whether listening to the album version or the remix featuring then boyfriend and Boyz II Men member Wanya Morris you have no choice but to get your fingers snapping when listening to Brokenhearted 15 Music video Edit Brokenhearted was filmed at the Oheka Castle on Long Island 7 Norwood reunited with Hype Williams director of her previous videos for I Wanna Be Down Human Rhythm Hip Hop Remix and Baby to film a visual for Brokenhearted 16 Filming took place inside the Oheka Castle a mansion located on the North Shore of Long Island in West Hills New York 16 Much of the scenes were filmed on the estate s third and fourth floor before their restoration several years later 16 Norwood and Morris who each shot their scenes separately do not appear in any sequence together in the video though Brokenhearted blends several of their scenes 16 The music video begins with shots of a large tree and Norwood laying on a blanket in a field 16 When asked about the treatment of the video Norwood told MTV News during the shooting It s basically a dream because of course this is not reality I can t afford a mansion right now so it s like I fall asleep and I dream about doing a duet with Wanya and I m in this big mansion wearing these grown clothes big beautiful Whitney Houston type clothes 7 At the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards Brokenhearted s director of photography Martin Coppen was nominated for Best Cinematography in a Video but lost to Declan Quinn for his work on the video for The Smashing Pumpkins s Tonight Tonight 1995 17 Track listings EditAll tracks written by Keith Crouch and Kipper Jones 2 Cassette singleNo TitleProducer s Length1 Brokenhearted Soulpower Mix CrouchSoulshock amp Karlin a 4 492 Brokenhearted LP Version Crouch5 52 CD singleNo TitleProducer s Length1 Brokenhearted Soulpower Mix CrouchSoulshock amp Karlin a 4 492 Brokenhearted Soulpower Groove Mix CrouchSoulshock amp Karlin a 4 473 Brokenhearted Acoustic Mix Crouch5 184 Brokenhearted LP Version Crouch5 52 Notes a denotes additional producerCredits and personnel EditCredits adapted from the liner notes of Brandy 2 Keith Crouch producer recording writer Sherree Ford Payne backing vocals Brian Gardner mastering Kipper Jones writer Booker T Jones mixing Brandy Norwood backing vocals lead vocalsCharts EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1995 PeakpositionCanada Retail Singles The Record 18 22New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 19 6US Billboard Hot 100 20 9US Dance Singles Sales Billboard 21 11US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard 22 2US Rhythmic Billboard 23 5 Year end charts Edit Chart 1995 PositionUS Billboard Hot 100 24 77US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard 25 40Certifications EditRegion Certification Certified units salesUnited States RIAA 26 Gold 500 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history EditList of release dates showing region release format label and reference Region Date Format Label Ref United States August 22 1995 CDcassette Atlantic 27 References Edit Golden Anna Louise 2014 06 10 Brandy ISBN 9781466873629 a b c Brandy Media notes Brandy Atlantic Records 1994 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b Hardy James Earl 8 October 2019 A 25th Anniversary for Brandy and a Kipper Jones classic SoulTracks Retrieved August 11 2021 Aaron Darian Jun 21 2021 Songwriter Kipper Jones On Penning Hits For Brandy Vanessa Williams and His Journey to Liberation thereckoningmag com Retrieved August 11 2021 a b Williams Chris 2019 The Making of Brandy s Timeless Self Titled Debut Album According to Producer Keith Crouch okayplayer com Retrieved August 9 2021 Brandy s Biography SoulTracks 8 May 2007 Retrieved 2008 04 21 a b c d Shaggy The Humna Kid Brandy And Wanya Mariah s Fantasy This Week in 1995 MTV News Retrieved 2008 04 24 a b Soulshock Talks Producing Hits With His Partner Karlin For 2Pac Whitney Houston amp Monica Exclusive youknowigotsoul com Retrieved August 9 2020 Flick Larry August 5 1995 Single Reviews Billboard Retrieved August 9 2021 Williams Chris September 26 2014 Brandy Brandy at 20 Classic Track by Track Review billboard com Retrieved August 9 2021 Baltin Steve August 12 1995 Pop Singles PDF Cash Box p 7 Retrieved November 14 2022 Ehrlich Dimitri September 29 1995 Brokenhearted Entertainment Weekly Retrieved August 9 2021 Jackson Rylee October 8 2019 Brandy s debut album at 25 The Nevada Sagebrush Retrieved August 11 2021 Rindner Grant August 26 2020 Brandy s 20 Best Songs oprahdaily com Retrieved August 9 2021 Olds Lela March 25 2020 From Teen Sensation To Vocal Bible Brandy s 15 Best Songs Vibe Retrieved August 11 2021 a b c d e 1995 Entertainment Tonight Brandy and Wanya Morris Entertainment Tonight Archived from the original on 2021 12 14 Retrieved August 9 2021 via YouTube Brandy Feat Wanya Morris Brokenhearted 1995 Video AWARDS IMDb Retrieved August 9 2021 Lwin Nanda 2000 Top 40 Hits The Essential Chart Guide Music Data Canada p 50 ISBN 1 896594 13 1 Brandy Brokenhearted Top 40 Singles Retrieved 2011 05 23 Brandy Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved 2011 05 23 Brandy Chart History Dance Singles Sales Billboard Retrieved April 29 2022 Brandy Chart History Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Retrieved 2011 05 23 Brandy Chart History Rhythmic Billboard Retrieved November 30 2017 Billboard Top 100 1995 Archived from the original on 2009 08 15 Retrieved 2010 08 27 1995 Year End Chart R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Retrieved 2012 01 27 American single certifications Brandy Broken Hearted Recording Industry Association of America Brokenhearted feat Wanya Morris Single Version Amazon com Retrieved August 9 2021 External links EditForeverBrandy com official site Brokenhearted music video on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Brokenhearted Brandy song amp oldid 1122398120, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
