Breakeven (song)

"Breakeven"
Single by The Script
from the album The Script
B-side	"None the Wiser"
Released	24 November 2008
Format	CD single, digital download, 7"
Recorded	2008
Genre	Pop rock
Length	4:21 (album version) 3:53 (radio edit)
Label	Sony Music
Writer(s)	Frampton, O'Donoghue, Sheehan, Kipner
Producer(s)	Frampton, Kipner
The Script singles chronology
"The Man Who Can't Be Moved" (2008) "Breakeven" (2008) "Talk You Down" (2009)

"Breakeven" is a song by Irish pop rock band The Script. It was released on 24 November 2008 as the third single from their eponymous debut album (2008). The song peaked at number 10 in Ireland, number 21 in the United Kingdom and number 3 in Australia.

Music video

The music video premiered on BBC Radio 1's website on 29 September 2008.^[1] It was recorded at the Great South Wall in Dublin. Before recording began, Dublin radio station FM104 had a competition for a listener to appear in the music video. The music video shows clips of the band's home city of Dublin, Ireland and the band performing. The video almost created minor controversy when Danny O'Donoghue's ex-girlfriend was supposed to be cast as an extra but this was avoided when the producers chose a different girl.^[2]

Live performances

The band performed "Breakeven" on an episode of The Paul O'Grady Show which aired on 30 October 2008. On 14 October 2009, they performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the United States.^[3] The video was number 2 on the 2010 VH1's Top 40 Videos of the Year.

Track listing

• CD single^[4]

1. "Breakeven"
2. "None The Wiser" (Guardian Demo)

• German CD single^[5]

1. "Breakeven"
2. "Lose Yourself" (Radio 1 Live Lounge Session)

• German Maxi single^[6]

1. "Breakeven"
2. "None The Wiser" (Guardian Demo)
3. "Lose Yourself" (Radio 1 Live Lounge Session)
4. "Breakeven" (Music Video)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2008–12) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[7] 3 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 75 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] 20 Germany (Official German Charts)[10] 71 Ireland (IRMA)[11] 10 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[12] 77 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 48 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[14] 97 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 66 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] 21 US Billboard Hot 100[17] 12 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[18] 12 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] 1 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[20] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[21] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2009) Position Australia (ARIA)[22] 24 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[23] 129 Chart (2010) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 62 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 27 US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard) 2 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 9 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 21 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[26] 2× Platinum 140,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Gold 400,000^^ United States (RIAA)[28] 2× Platinum 2,709,000[29] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

On 19 November 2012, Samantha Jade performed "Breakeven" during The X Factor Australia series four grand final performance show.^[30] Her performance of the song debuted at number 87 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.^[31] On 25 August 2013, Jade and The X Factor Indonesia series one runner-up Novita Dewi released a cover version of "Breakeven" on the iTunes Store through Sony Music Australia.^[32]

References

1. "The Script | GB | News & Diary | News | BreakEven - the video". Thescriptmusic.com. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
2. "Breakeven video shoot - Daily Star Influences". Daily Star. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
3. Archived 22 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
4. "Breakeven by The Script: Amazon.co.uk: Music". amazon.co.uk.
5. "Breakeven by The Script: Amazon.co.uk: Music". amazon.co.uk.
6. "Breakeven by the Script: Amazon.co.uk: Music". amazon.co.uk.
7. "Australian-charts.com – The Script – Breakeven". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
8. "Austriancharts.at – The Script – Breakeven" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
9. "The Script – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for The Script.
10. "Musicline.de – Script,The Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
11. "Chart Track: Week 1, 2009". Irish Singles Chart.
12. "The Script – Chart history" Japan Hot 100 for The Script.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Script – Breakeven" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
14. "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200911 into search.
15. "Swisscharts.com – The Script – Breakeven". Swiss Singles Chart.
16. "Archive Chart: 2009-01-10" UK Singles Chart.
17. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Script.
18. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Adult Alternative Songs for The Script.
19. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for The Script.
20. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for The Script.
21. "The Script – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for The Script.
22. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2009". ARIA. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
23. "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
24. "Charts Year End: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
25. "Hot 100 Songs: 2010 Year-End Charts - Billboard". Billboard.
26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
27. "British single certifications – Script – Breakeven". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 May 2016. Enter Breakeven in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
28. "American single certifications – The Script – Breakeven". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 October 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
29. Grein, Paul (17 July 2013). "Week Ending July 14, 2013. Albums: Jay-Z Back On The Throne". Yahoo Music. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
30. "The X Factor Grand Final Song List!". The X Factor Australia. Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012.
31. Ryan, Gavin (16 December 2012). "Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Spend Third Week Atop ARIA Chart". Noise11. Noise Network. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012.
32. "Breakeven – Single by Novita Dewi & Samantha Jade". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 23 November 2014.