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Broken (Seether song)

"Broken"
Single by Seether featuring Amy Lee
from the album The Punisher: The Album and Disclaimer II
B-side
  • "69 Tea"
  • "Something in the Way" (live)
  • "Out of My Way"
  • "Got It Made"
Released19 April 2004 (2004-04-19)
StudioHenson (Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length4:21
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bob Marlette
Seether singles chronology
"Gasoline"
(2003) 		"Broken"
(2004) 		"Remedy"
(2005)
Amy Lee singles chronology
"Broken"
(2004) 		"Freak on a Leash"
(2007)
Music video
"Broken" on YouTube

"Broken" is a song by South African rock band Seether, first appearing on their debut album, Disclaimer (2002). It was reworked and recorded again in 2004, this time featuring American singer Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence and then-girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan. It was included on the soundtrack to the 2004 Marvel Comics superhero film The Punisher, and was also on Seether's second studio album, Disclaimer II.

Released as a single on 19 April 2004, "Broken" peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number three in Australia, and number two in New Zealand. It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It is the band's only song to appear on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was frequently played on rock radio, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Morgan wrote the song about the breakup of his marriage and family, after his wife chose to remain in South Africa with their daughter rather than accompany him to live in the United States.[3]

Critical reception

[edit]

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."[4] The song earned Seether a Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award in 2004, when it was voted "Best Song from a Movie Soundtrack".[5]

Music video

[edit]

Directed by Nigel Dick, the video features Morgan sitting in an abandoned car playing an acoustic guitar while Amy Lee, wearing black angel wings, appears behind him as her vocals fade in. For the rest 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 that was burned to ashes 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 looking for but will never find each other. Lee knows that Morgan is there and where he is throughout the video but Morgan is unaware of her presence around him, which explains the lyrics "you've gone away... you don't feel me here anymore".

Track listings

[edit]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are taken from the Disclaimer II liner notes.[10]

Studios

Personnel

  • Shaun Morgan – writing (as Shaun Welgemoed), vocals, guitar
  • Dale Stewart – writing, bass, vocals
  • Amy Lee – featured vocals, string arrangement
  • Pat Callahan – additional guitars
  • John Humphrey – drums
  • Double G – string arrangement
  • Bob Marlette – production, mixing, engineering
  • Dan "I Love the Metric System!" Certa – recording engineer
  • Alex Gibson – recording engineer (strings)
  • Jeremy Parker – assistant recording engineer
  • Jeff Moses – assistant recording engineer
  • Sid Riggs – Pro Tools recording and mix engineering
  • Jon Berkowitz – assistant mix engineering
  • Emily Lazar – mastering

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Platinum 70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[45] Gold 30,000‡
United States (RIAA)[46] Platinum 1,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 19 April 2004
Wind-up [47]
Australia 9 August 2004 CD
[48]
United States
Wind-up [49]
United Kingdom 4 October 2004 CD
  • Wind-up
  • Epic
 [50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Disclaimer II - Seether | Album
  2. ^ Lara Parker; Pablo Valdivia (2 December 2015). "29 Emo Songs You Haven't Though About Since 2007". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  3. ^ [1], VH1, 12 May 2017. Accessed 12 January 2018.
  4. ^ Taylor, Jason D. "allmusic ((( Disclaimer > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  5. ^ Metal Edge, June 2005
  6. ^ Broken (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Seether. Wind-up Records. 2004. 875007 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Broken (European & Australian maxi-CD single liner notes). Seether. Wind-up Records, Epic Records. 2004. WIN 675007 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Broken (European CD single liner notes). Seether. Wind-up Records, Epic Records. 2004. WIN 675007 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Broken (European mini-CD single liner notes). Seether. Wind-up Records. 2004. WIN 675007 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Disclaimer II (US CD album liner notes). Seether. Wind-up Records, Musketeer Records. 2004. 88725444912.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  13. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Canadian Radio Airplay". Cross Canada Countdown. Archived from the original on 12 August 2004. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  15. ^ "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1566. 30 July 2004. p. 28. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  16. ^ "R&R Canada Hot AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1566. 6 August 2004. p. 28. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  17. ^ "R&R Canada – Rock Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1566. 30 July 2004. p. 75. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Seether – Broken" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Top 50 Singles Εβδομάδα 30/1–5/2" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2020. See Best Position column.
  21. ^ "Íslenski Listinn (15.10. 2004)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 15 October 2004. p. 10. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  22. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  23. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 32, 2004" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  25. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  26. ^ "Lista Przebojów Programu 3" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  27. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  28. ^ "Seether feat. Amy Lee – Broken". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  29. ^ "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 DJ S – The System of Life". Zobbel. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  30. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  32. ^ "Seether Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  33. ^ "Seether Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  34. ^ "Seether Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  35. ^ "Seether Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Seether Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  37. ^ "Seether Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  38. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2004". ARIA. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  39. ^ "End of Year 2004". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  40. ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. 17 December 2004. p. 26.
  41. ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Modern Rock Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. 17 December 2004. p. 29.
  42. ^ "2005 The Year in Charts: Top Adult Top 40 Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 13, no. 50. 16 December 2005. p. 31.
  43. ^ "2005 The Year in Charts: Top Mainstream Top 40 Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 13, no. 50. 16 December 2005. p. 26.
  44. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  45. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Seether – Broken" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  46. ^ "American single certifications – Seether – Broken". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  47. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1551. 16 April 2004. p. 26. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  48. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 9th August 2004" (PDF). ARIA. 9 August 2004. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  49. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1567. 6 August 2004. p. 23. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  50. ^ "Broken". Amazon. Retrieved 8 July 2021.