Breathe (Kylie Minogue song)

"Breathe" is about contemplation and holding back emotions. The lyrics were written by Minogue in Tokyo during her trips with her boyfriend, Stéphane Sednaoui, in late 1995.[1] She explained the idea came to mind when her friends were worried about her being silent: "My girlfriend told me 'You don't realize how loud you are when you are quiet'."[1] She felt that it was "typical" of her to be thinking and "deciding what was wrong" because she felt that things in her head "were not clear."[1]

Written by Minogue, Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk,[2] "Breathe" lasts a duration of four minutes and thirty-eight seconds in its original album version. The radio edit is not only notably shorter, at three minutes and thirty-nine seconds, it is also faster – at 105 beats per minute as opposed to the original's BPM of 90.[3] Minogue composed the bridge section using a synthesiser and keyboards.[2][4][upper-alpha 1] Livingston Brown played the bass guitar, and Steve Sidelnyk played the drums on the track; other additional instruments were handled by Ball and Vauk.[2] This also marks Minogue's first song along with "Too Far" that she had co-produced.[2] "Breathe" was recorded in London, England at Ball and Vauk's home studio's while additional recording was handled at Mayfair Studios.[2] Minogue flew to Chicago, US, to re-record her vocals for the remix by American producer and disc jockey, Todd Terry.[2]

"Breathe" is an electronica song that was noted for its sonic comparison with album track, "Say Hey".[3] According to Tom Parker, who provided the special edition album notes for Impossible Princess, "['Breathe'] is a seductive electronic groove, with a hypnotic subtlety and timelessness befitting the theme inward contemplating and resolve."[2] Larry Flick from Billboard said that "Breathe" is a "user-friendly jam" which is "largely due to its big-beat electronic groove and ear-tickling pop chorus."[5]

"Breathe" was released on 16 March 1998 as the third single from Impossible Princess.[6] It was the last commercial single for her international labels, Deconstruction and BMG.[7] Like "Did It Again", "Breathe" appeared as a double-set of CD singles.[8] The CD set features remixes and the album version, where the first set includes an interactive music video of "Did It Again".[9] The artwork for the singles was shot by Sednaoui, who had photographed the album cover and photo shoot for Impossible Princess. Both CD sets feature close-up shots of Minogue's face, individually taken from different directions. The song was released as a promotional CD and cassette single in the UK and in vinyl format in Spain, Australia and the UK.[10][11][12]

"Breathe" debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart on the week end of 21 March 1998.[13] It was the fourth highest debut single from that week, the highest being Spice Girls' single "Stop" at number 2.[13] The song lasted four weeks in the chart.[14] This became Minogue's twenty-eighth consecutive top forty single.[14] "Breathe" and "Did It Again" were equally Minogue's highest charting singles from Impossible Princess.[14] "Breathe" debuted and peaked at number twenty-three on the Australian Singles Chart on the week end of 26 April 1998.[15] The song lasted thirteen weeks in the top fifty, one of her longest spanning singles in the chart.[15]

A remixed version of "Breathe" was used as an introduction for Minogue's 2014 Kiss Me Once Tour.

"Breathe" received mostly positive commentary from music critics. Michael R. Smith from Daily Vault said "Breathe" and "Did It Again" are "most notable for the videos that went along with them and are fair representations of the album at large (which should be the purpose of singles), though there are many more undiscovered gems here."[16] Nick Levine from Digital Spy selected the song as the album's best track by writing "Truth be told, this album lacks an absolute classic to match 'Confide in Me', but 'Breathe' – subtle but sneakily catchy with it – could be one of [Minogue]'s most underrated singles."[3] A reviewer from Music Week gave it three out of five, vieweing it as a "soothing dance track which, despite gently working its magic, is too subtle to return her to the big league."[17] While reviewing Minogue's 2004 compilation, Ultimate Kylie, Jaime Gill from Yahoo! Music gave it a mixed review by writing "Beginning in 1994 with the gorgeously glacial, slinkily synthetic 'Confide In Me', Kylie enjoyed brief success before fans fled in droves from awkward faux-rock like 'Some Kind of Bliss' (not included) and flimsy house like 'Breathe'."[18] Reviewing her 2002 compilation, Hits+, Mackenzie Wilson from AllMusic commended Minogue's "seductive vocals" on "Breathe", "Automatic Love" and "Confide in Me".[19]

Chris True, also from AllMusic, selected the song as a standout track on her Greatest Hits 87-97 album.[20] Jason Lipshutz from Billboard listed "Breathe" at four on their "Kylie Minogue Primer: The Top 10 Past Hits You Need to Know" stating "'Breathe' is the obvious stand out, sounding almost like a Nine Inch Nails throwaway in its opening seconds and morphing into a silky, sexy defence of Minogue's experimental side."[21] Louis Virtel from The Backlot listed "Breathe" at number 14 on their "Kylie Minogue's 50 Best Songs, in Honor of Her Birthday" and said "'Breathe' would be a meditative masterpiece if it weren't so confrontational, deadpan, and sexually domineering. Impossible Princess unassuming heart stopper trips into unexpected carnality in its choruses, assuring you 'It won't be long now' as you try to time your hyperventilation."[22]

Personnel are adapted from both maxi-single liner notes.[2]