Awake and Breathe

Awake and Breathe is the second studio album by Irish girl group B*Witched, released on 18 October 1999. The album was recorded on the back of the success of their self-titled debut B*Witched, and marked a slight change in sound for the band, containing more dance-orientated and upbeat pop, rather than the teen pop direction of their first album. The single "Jesse Hold On" and "If It Don't Fit" also mark a change into the country side of pop, described by the band during ITV2's The Big Reunion as "sweet and shiny". Three singles were released from the album: "Jesse Hold On", "I Shall Be There" and "Jump Down". However, poor sales of the album and the third single, "Jump Down", resulted in the band being dropped by their record label, and Awake and Breathe becoming their final album, until they got back together in 2012.

Awake and Breathe
Studio album by B*Witched
Released	18 October 1999[1]
Recorded	1998–1999
Genre	Pop dance-pop teen pop
Length	40:01
Label	Epic Glow Worm
Producer	Ray Hedges Cutfather & Joe
B*Witched chronology
B*Witched (1998) Awake and Breathe (1999) Across America 2000 (2000)
Singles from Awake and Breathe
"Jesse Hold On" Released: 11 October 1999 "I Shall Be There" Released: 6 December 1999 "Jump Down" Released: 27 March 2000

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[2]
NME	0/10[3]

Commercial performance

Awake and Breathe peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart on the week of release, and was certified Platinum the same year. In other territories, the album was significantly less successful than B*Witched. In Australia, the album reached a lowly number 70, and reached number 27 in New Zealand, while B*Witched peaked within the top 10 in both of these countries. The album peaked at just number 91 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, but sold enough to be certified Gold in January 2000. The three singles performed reasonably, with the lead single "Jesse Hold On" peaking at number four and being certified Silver, and the second and third singles, "I Shall Be There" and "Jump Down" respectively both peaking within the top 20. However, these performances was a far cry from B*Witched's singles, all of which topped the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"If It Don't Fit"	B*Witched, Ray Hedges, Martin Brannigan	Hedges	3:37
2.	"Jesse Hold On"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan, Robert Hodgens	Hedges, Cutfather & Joe[a]	3:19
3.	"I Shall Be There" (featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo)	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	4:12
4.	"Jump Down"	Hedges, Brannigan, Tracy Ackerman	Hedges, Cutfather & Joe[a]	3:04
5.	"Someday"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	3:27
6.	"Leaves"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	3:15
7.	"The Shy One"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	3:09
8.	"Red Indian Girl"	B*Witched, Hedges	Hedges	3:35
9.	"It Was Our Day"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	3:20
10.	"My Superman"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	3:02
11.	"Are You a Ghost?"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	3:34
12.	"In Fields Where We Lay"	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	2:27
Total length:				40:01

UK limited edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
5.	"Blame It on the Weatherman"	Hedges, Brannigan, Ackerman, Andy Caine	Hedges	3:33
Total length:				43:34

US and Canada bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Blame It on the Weatherman" (orchestral version)	Hedges, Brannigan, Ackerman, Andy Caine	Hedges	3:31
Total length:				43:32

US Target edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Jesse Hold On" (HB Source mix)	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan, Hodgens	Hedges, Nigel Butler[a]	6:14
15.	"To You I Belong" (Wide Slam remix)	B*Witched, Hedges, Brannigan	Hedges	5:25
16.	"Blame It on the Weatherman" (Chicane vocal edit)	Hedges, Brannigan, Ackerman, Caine	Hedges, Chicane[a]	5:00
Total length:				60:11

Notes

• ^a signifies remix and additional production

Personnel

B*Witched

• Lindsay Armaou – backing vocals
• Edele Lynch – lead vocals
• Keavy Lynch – backing vocals
• Sinéad O'Carroll – backing vocals

Musicians

• Erwin Keiles – guitar, bass guitar
• Robert Hodgens – guitar
• Anne Dudley – strings (arrangement)
• Martin Simmons – harmonica
• BJ Cole – pedal steel guitar
• Miriam Stockley – additional vocals
• Tessa Niles – additional vocals

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1999) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] 70 European Albums (Billboard)[5] 27 Irish Albums (IRMA)[6] 16 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] 27 Scottish Albums (OCC)[8] 5 UK Albums (OCC)[9] 5 US Billboard 200[10] 91

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position UK Albums (OCC)[11] 54 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales New Zealand (RMNZ)[12] Gold 7,500^ United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Platinum 300,000^ United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^ ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Awake and Breathe at AllMusic
2. Johnson, Beth (12 November 1999). "Awake and Breathe Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
3. "Awake And Breathe". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
4. "ariaNET The Chart! Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 27th December 1999 (positions 61–100)". ARIA. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
5. "Billboard". 6 November 1999.
6. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know".
7. "Charts.nz – B*Witched – Awake and Breathe". Hung Medien.
8. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
9. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
10. "B*Witched Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
11. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
12. "New Zealand album certifications – B*Witched – Awake and Breathe". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
13. "British album certifications – B*Witched – Awake and Breathe". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
14. "American album certifications – B*Witched – Awake and Breathe". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 July 2012.