Broken (Seether song)
Encyclopedia
"Broken" is a song by post-grunge
/alternative metal
South-African
band Seether
featuring American singer Amy Lee
. The original acoustic version is the twelfth track on Seether's debut album Disclaimer
. It was re-recorded with Amy Lee, the future girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan
, for The Punisher: The Album in March 2004. This version includes electric guitar
and violin
s. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100
and at No. 3 on the ARIA
singles chart. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) and Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA).
's trailers and the heavy airplay at the time of its release made it one of the most popular songs by Seether. This led to the Disclaimer II
re-release in June which includes both versions of "Broken". Although it was recorded with Lee, the song had been written long before Morgan and Lee were dating.
-directed music video
features Morgan sitting in an abandoned car playing an acoustic guitar while Lee appears behind him as her vocals fade in. For the remainder of the video, Lee and Morgan wander through a dilapidated landscape that was revealed on the Disclaimer II
DVD to be a real-life trailer park incinerated by a crystal meth
lab explosion. Although there are shots of the band and Lee performing together in a clearing, the underlying theme of the video is that Lee and Morgan are searching for but never will never find each other. Lee knows that Morgan is there and where he is at through the video but Morgan does not see her or sense her presence around him, which is the meaning of the lyrics "you've gone away... you don't feel me here anymore." The song is mainly about Morgan's loss of Lee and Lee trying to make him see that she is there with him.
Some UK versions have "Got It Made" (5:10) on it.
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
/alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
South-African
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
band Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
featuring American singer Amy Lee
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
. The original acoustic version is the twelfth track on Seether's debut album Disclaimer
Disclaimer (album)
Disclaimer is the major label debut album by post-grunge band Seether, released in 2002. It features three successful singles which would remain some of the band's most well known songs...
. It was re-recorded with Amy Lee, the future girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan
Shaun Morgan
Shaun Morgan Welgemoed is a South African musician known as the lead singer and the lead/rhythm guitarist of the post-grunge rock/alternative metal band Seether.-Early life:...
, for The Punisher: The Album in March 2004. This version includes electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and at No. 3 on the ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
singles chart. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) and Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA).
Re-release
The re-recorded version's inclusion in the filmThe Punisher (2004 film)
The Punisher is a 2004 American comic book action film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family...
's trailers and the heavy airplay at the time of its release made it one of the most popular songs by Seether. This led to the Disclaimer II
Disclaimer II
Disclaimer II is the second album released by the post-grunge rock band Seether. This disc is a recompilation of the band's first album, Disclaimer, from 2002. Although the 12 tracks from the original album are present, they have been slightly remixed and differ from the original...
re-release in June which includes both versions of "Broken". Although it was recorded with Lee, the song had been written long before Morgan and Lee were dating.
Critical reception
While reviewing Disclaimer, Jason D. Taylor of the website Allmusic noted, "The album closes with the one successful laid-back song: 'Broken' is mellow yet confident, as vocalist Shaun Morgan finds the courage to open himself up without releasing a scream every few seconds."Music video
The Nigel DickNigel Dick
Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", as well as over 300 other music videos.Nigel Dick should not be confused with the Australian Dr...
-directed music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
features Morgan sitting in an abandoned car playing an acoustic guitar while Lee appears behind him as her vocals fade in. For the remainder of the video, Lee and Morgan wander through a dilapidated landscape that was revealed on the Disclaimer II
Disclaimer II
Disclaimer II is the second album released by the post-grunge rock band Seether. This disc is a recompilation of the band's first album, Disclaimer, from 2002. Although the 12 tracks from the original album are present, they have been slightly remixed and differ from the original...
DVD to be a real-life trailer park incinerated by a crystal meth
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
lab explosion. Although there are shots of the band and Lee performing together in a clearing, the underlying theme of the video is that Lee and Morgan are searching for but never will never find each other. Lee knows that Morgan is there and where he is at through the video but Morgan does not see her or sense her presence around him, which is the meaning of the lyrics "you've gone away... you don't feel me here anymore." The song is mainly about Morgan's loss of Lee and Lee trying to make him see that she is there with him.
Track listing
- "Broken" (ft. Amy LeeAmy LeeAmy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
) – 4:21 - "69 Tea" – 3:31
- "Something in the Way" (Live X Session at 99X, Atlanta) – 3:09
- "Out of My Way" – 3:51
Some UK versions have "Got It Made" (5:10) on it.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... (The Official Charts Company) |
106 |
| US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 9 |
| US Hot Adult Top 40 | 12 |
| US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
40 |
Certifications
| Country (provider) | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| United States (RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... ) |
Gold |
| Australia (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
Platinum |