Breath of Life (Erasure song)

"Breath of Life" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the fourth and final single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991), in March 1992. It was written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell with additional input from Pat O'Brien. An uptempo synth-pop song, its dance music elements were strongly accentuated for the club remixes. For the single release, it was remixed slightly, including a shortened intro. In the United States, it was the third single released from the album.

For other uses, see Breath of life.
"Breath of Life"
Single by Erasure
from the album Chorus
B-side
  • "Waiting for Sex"
  • "Carry On Clangers"
Released16 March 1992 (1992-03-16)[1]
GenreSynth-pop
Length
  • 3:56 (single mix)
  • 4:07 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Martyn Phillips
Erasure singles chronology
"Am I Right?"
(1991)		 "Breath of Life"
(1992)		 "Take a Chance on Me"
(1992)
Music video
"Breath of Life" on YouTube

Critical reception

Ned Raggett from AllMusic said the song is a "polite declaration of love and passion over a gently soaring dance arrangement—not as full out as other Erasure highlights, but pleasant enough."[2] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "pulsating techno/NRG workout", and complimented Bell's voice for being "on target, giving depth to the song's clever wordplay."[3] The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith noted that "Breath of Life" "has some great percolating synth work by Vince [Clarke], but is typical Erasure fare and nothing really much to write home about."[4] Chris Gerard from Metro Weekly wrote, "Driven by dueling keyboard riffs and a sparse, heavy beat", the song is "exciting electronic pop with brilliant melody and vocal by Andy Bell. The vocal arrangement (especially during the 2nd verse) is chilling."[5]

Chart performance

The track became Erasure's 11th top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight. Their string of top-40 singles in Germany was broken with this release when it peaked at number 44. "Breath of Life" was also a top-10 hit in Finland and Ireland, peaking at number nine and eight. It did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100 but did reach number 29 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. Unlike all of Erasure's prior single releases in the UK, all formats of "Breath of Life" contained only remixes and no new compositions as B-side tracks.

Track listings

Charts
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 25
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 26
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 9
Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 44
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 8
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 8
UK Dance (Music Week)[18] 36
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[19] 29

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 14 March 1992. p. 12. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  2. Raggett, Ned. "Erasure – Breath of Life". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  3. Flick, Larry (16 May 1992). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 72. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  4. Smith, Michael R. (10 June 2007). "Chorus – Erasure". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  5. Gerard, Chris (17 September 2014). "Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  6. Breath of Life (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Erasure. Mute Records. 1992. Mute 142.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. Breath of Life (UK cassette single sleeve). Erasure. Mute Records. 1992. C Mute 142.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. Breath of Life (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Erasure. Mute Records. 1992. 12 Mute 142.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Breath of Life (UK CD single liner notes). Erasure. Mute Records. 1992. CD Mute 142.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. Breath of Life (US maxi-CD single disc notes). Erasure. Sire Records, Reprise Records, Mute Records. 1992. 9 40344-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. Breath of Life (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Erasure. Sire Records, Reprise Records, Mute Records. 1992. 9 40344-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. "Erasure – Breath of Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 15. 11 April 1992. p. 22. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  14. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  15. "Erasure – Breath of Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  16. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Breath of Life". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  18. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 March 1992. p. 22. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  19. "Erasure Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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