"Broken"
Single by Lovelytheband
from the album Finding It Hard to Smile
ReleasedApril 13, 2017 (2017-04-13) (Billboard)
August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03) (Digital Download)
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Mitchell Collins
  • Samantha Derosa
  • Christian Medice
Producer(s)Christian Medice
Lovelytheband singles chronology
"Broken"
(2017)		 "These Are My Friends"
(2018)
Music video
"Broken" on YouTube

"Broken" (stylized in all lowercase) is the debut single by the American indie pop band Lovelytheband, released exclusively to Billboard on April 13, 2017.[1][2] The song was later included on the band's debut album, Finding It Hard to Smile (2018).

"Broken" was the band's breakout hit, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending nine weeks at number one on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. The song held the record for longest running entry on the latter chart, at 76 weeks, eclipsing the 65 week run of "Savior" by Rise Against, until it was passed by the chart run of "Monsters" by All Time Low.[3][4][5] In late 2023, Billboard ranked the song as the second most successful in the chart's history.[6][7]

Background

Vocalist Mitchy Collins described the background of the song saying: "We all have our demons we fight every day. It's about finding someone whose problems complement yours. Perfectly imperfect. Everyone is a little broken inside, trying to find their band aid".[8] He also explained the song by saying "This song is about finding someone who is just as fucked up and lost as you are, but somehow you make it work together. Everyone is a little bit broken inside, nobody's perfect. This song is an ode to the broken ones".[2] Collins wrote the song when he was undergoing a difficult point in his life, soon after he split with Danielle Bouchard in his former band Oh Honey and after a heartbreak.[9]

Song description

The song takes place in "some trust fund baby's Brooklyn loft".[10] It describes a narrator who meets an unknown woman at a party, and both discover they are broken, which opens them up emotionally.[8]

Music video

The music video, released in September 2017, opens with Mitchy Collins saying: "Life is funny like that, when the dust settles at the end of the day–and we've said all we can, we'll realize every part of us, even the loving ones, were a little broken".[11] The video shows Collins meeting a blonde woman (played by Skylar Benton) at a party and cuts away to fantasies in which he imagines his life with her.[11]

Critical reception

The song was given positive reviews. Atwood magazine said, "For all its theatrics, lovely.the.band's debut satisfies an essential part of our complex emotional diet".[8] Music Existence wrote, "'broken' is a bouncy, synth-pop dream of song that winds melancholy lyrics with an infectiously cheerful tune. The song has everything to make it a hit..."[1] Stereogum described the song as a "chirpy tune about the prospect of love between two deeply damaged people. Replete with gang vocals, a rhythm fit for drunken swaying, and a keyboard riff that echoes back to MGMT's "Kids"..."[10]

The song is featured in the season 4 preview video for television series ‘Catastrophe’ starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan.

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[32] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[34] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Jacobs, Dana (April 25, 2018). ""It's okay to not be okay" – An Interview with lovelytheband". Music Existence. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "lovely.the.band's Debut Single 'Broken': Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Lovelytheband Is No 4 On The Emerging Artists Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  4. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (February 26, 2019). "lovelytheband's 'Broken' Breaks Alternative Songs Longevity Record". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Chart History All Time Low". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  6. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (September 7, 2023). "Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Mosk, Mitch (April 20, 2017). "Connection & Perfect Imperfection in lovely.the.band's Debut "broken"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Writing Their Hit "broken"". lovelytheband Interview. May 30, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Alt-Pop Hit-Makers lovelytheband Are Not That Lovely If We're Being Honest". Stereogum. July 5, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "LovelyTheBand Debuts Music Video For "Broken"". Verge Campus. September 6, 2017. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100: January 19, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Vika 36 – 2018". Plötutíðindi (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Mexico Ingles Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  15. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Hot 100: November 10, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Adult Contemporary, March 9, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs, November 17, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Top Rock Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Pop Songs, November 24, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Lovelytheband's 'Broken' Rules Rock Airplay Chart". www.billboard.com. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  22. ↑ "TÓNLISTINN – LÖG – 2018". Plötutíóindi (in Icelandic). Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Radio Songs - Year-End". Billboard. 2018. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Lovelytheband – Broken". Music Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  33. ↑ "British single certifications – Lovelytheband – Broken". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  34. ↑ "American single certifications – Lovelytheband – Broken". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
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