Breaking Down 'Breaking Hearts'

In honor of the 40^th anniversary of Elton John’s 18^th studio album, we present Ten Facts About Breaking Hearts.

By John F. Higgins

Summer Album
Released in June 1984, Breaking Hearts reached No. 2 on the UK Album Chart, higher than any album since Captain Fantastic, and spent 34 weeks on the Billboard Top 200.

It was Elton’s 12^th Top 5 album in the UK and 14^th Top 20 LP in the US.The album was to be titled Restless until the 11^th hour. Pre-release print marketing, and even an Elton John interview on Australia’s Countdown in March, announced it as such.

Island Contentment & Continent
This was the third album in a row that Elton recorded at AIR Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Additional overdubs were done later in Sydney, Australia.
“Time For Tea”
Six of the album’s ten songs, including the Rolling Stones-esque Restless, were recorded in one take. This may well be the highest percentage of “oners” on any Elton album.
So. Many. Hits!
Five singles were released off of Breaking Hearts:
- Sad Songs (Say So Much) US No. 5, No. 2 AC/UK No. 7
- Who Wears These Shoes US No. 16, No. 11 AC/UK No. 50
- In Neon US No. 38, No. 11 AC
- Passengers UK No. 5
- Breaking Hearts (Ain’t What It Used To Be) UK No. 59

Non-LP B Sides Abound
All of the singles (three of which were also released on 12”, as was the custom in the 1980s) had songs on the flip side that were not available on the original LP. These include A Simple Man, Lonely Boy, Tortured, Tactics, and a live version of the Motown classic I Heard It Through The Grapevine recorded at Wembley Arena (called Empire Pool at the time) in November 1977.

“Sad Songs” – an Inspired Mainstay
This hit single was written all the way through in one go, a first for Elton. Bernie felt that the lyric was worthy of a single before even giving it to Elton. The song quickly became a centerpiece on nearly every tour since 1984, including Farewell Yellow Brick Road, and has appeared on four Greatest Hits and two other compilations.

A still from the video for 'Sad Songs (Say So Much)'

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Elton at Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1984 (photo: Philip Ollerenshaw)

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A still from the video for 'Who Wears These Shoes'

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Talk About Blue Jeans, Baby
The song (and its music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy and shot in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney) was used in a 1984 US TV advertisement for the very popular (at the time) Sasson Jeans, with the tag line “Sasson says so much.” An edited version of the single was also released on a rare Sassoon-branded 12” single, which featured Elton’s signature “etched” into the blank b-side.
The Lyricist Directs!
Premiering in December 1984, the video for In Neon was directed by Bernie Taupin and remains his only time behind the camera for an Elton video to date.

Elton in 1984

Out-take
The John/Taupin composition Here Comes Miss Hurt Again was recorded during the sessions in Montserrat. The country-and-western-flavored song, which features Elton on electric piano, remains unreleased at this time.

No Denying This Song
A unique entry in Elton and Bernie’s catalog of over 400 songs, Passengers was based on a record that Elton had heard in South Africa in late 1983: Isonto Lezayone by Maskandi musician Phineas MkHize. Using the core groove, melody, and other elements from the original, Elton, Bernie, and guitarist Davey Johnstone crafted the politically conscious song. MkHize, who died in 2006, has a co-writing credit.

A moment during the video for 'Passengers'

Breaking Down ‘Breaking Hearts’