Breathe (Faith Hill song)

"Breathe" is a song written by Stephanie Bentley and Holly Lamar and recorded by American country music artist Faith Hill. Warner Bros. Records released it on September 27, 1999, as the first single from Hill's fourth album of the same name (1999). The song was produced by Byron Gallimore and Hill. "Breathe" became Hill's seventh number one on the Hot Country Songs chart in the United States, spending six weeks at number one. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 2000. Despite not peaking at number one, it was the number-one single of 2000.

"Breathe"
Single by Faith Hill
from the album Breathe
B-side	"It All Comes Down to Love"
Released	September 27, 1999 (1999-09-27)
Studio	Ocean Way Recording, Loud Recording, Essential Sound (Nashville, Tennessee) Sony Music (Los Angeles)[1]
Genre	Country pop
Length	4:09
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Stephanie Bentley Holly Lamar
Producer(s)	Byron Gallimore Faith Hill
Faith Hill singles chronology
"The Secret of Life" (1999) "Breathe" (1999) "The Way You Love Me" (2000)
Music video
"Breathe" on YouTube

Critical reception

Bill Lamb from About.com said that country singer Faith Hill "leaned heavily in a pop direction" on "Breathe". He described it as "a classic power ballad".^[2] In 2005, Blender ranked it at number 167 in their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".^[3] They described it as a "swooning ballad [that] turns country gal into Mississippi queen." The Daily Vault's Alfredo Narvaez said it is a "great song", adding, "if it is not a single already, it must be soon. This song is destined for the prom night halls and the wedding receptions of tomorrow. (Yeah, it's that good and strong.)"^[4]

Chart performance

On September 27, 1999, "Breathe" was released US radio, and on February 8, 2000, it was issued as a physical single.^[5][6] The song spent six weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, seventeen weeks at number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and one week at number one on the Adult Top 40 chart. The song also reached a peak of number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five non-consecutive weeks starting with the week ending April 22, 2000.

Even though "Breathe" never made it to number one on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart, it was on the chart for 53 weeks and named the number one single of 2000 on Billboard's year-end countdown. It was one of only four songs in the history of the Hot 100 to be named the number one single of the year without making it to the top of the chart on any of the weekly surveys. (The first was "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1965, the third was "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse in 2001, and the fourth was "Levitating" by Dua Lipa in 2021.^[7][8])

In 2009, the single was named the 27th-most-successful song of the 2000s, on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.^[9] The song was released in the United Kingdom in May 2000 and reached number 33.

Music video

The music video was directed by Lili Fini Zanuck.^[10] It is notably remembered as one of Hill's most memorable videos and was ranked by CMT at number four in their 2008 list of the 100 greatest country music videos.^[11]

Track listings

2000 releases

US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single[12][13][14] "Breathe" – 4:10 "It All Comes Down to Love" – 4:16 Australian CD single[15] "Breathe" (pop version) "Breathe" (Hex Hector mix edit 1) "This Kiss" (radio/pop version) "What's In it For Me" (album version) UK and Japanese CD single[16][17] "Breathe" (radio/pop version) – 4:09 "This Kiss" (radio/pop version) – 3:18 "What's In it For Me" (album version) – 5:36

UK cassette single[18] "Breathe" (radio version) – 4:09 "This Kiss" (radio version) – 3:18 Japanese remix CD EP[19] "Breathe" (Hex Hector remix—radio edit 1) "Breathe" (Hex Hector remix—radio edit 2) "Breathe" (main club mix) "This Kiss" "The Way You Love Me" (remix version) "Never Gonna Be Your Lady" "Breathe" (pop version)

2001 releases

UK and Australian CD single[20][21] "Breathe" (Tin Tin Out radio mix) – 3:55 "Breathe" (radio version) – 4:10 "Breathe" (main club mix) – 10:10 UK cassette single[22] "Breathe" (Tin Tin Out radio mix) – 3:55 "Breathe" (radio version) – 4:10

European CD single 1[23] "Breathe" (radio version) – 4:10 "Breathe" (Tin Tin Out radio mix) – 3:55 European CD single 2[24] "Breathe" (pop version) – 4:09 "This Kiss" (radio/pop version) – 3:16

Awards and accolades

• 2000 Billboard Music Awards: Hot 100 Single of the Year won
• 2000 Billboard Music Awards: Hot 100 Airplay Track of the Year won
• 2000 Grammy Awards: Best Female Country Vocal Performance won
• 2000 Grammy Awards: Best Country Song nominated
• 2000 Grammy Awards: Song of the Year nominated

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1999–2001) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[25] 23 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[26] 6 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[27] 15 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[28] 1 Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[29] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[30] 18 Ireland (IRMA)[31] 46 Italy (FIMI)[32] 46 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[33] 10 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] 95 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[35] 27 Scotland (OCC)[36] 33 UK Singles (OCC)[37] 33 US Billboard Hot 100[38] 2 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[39] 1 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[40] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[41] 1 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[42] 7 US Top Country Singles Sales (Billboard)[43] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[44] 66 US Hot Country Singles & Tracks (Billboard)[45] 100 Chart (2000) Position US Billboard Hot 100[46] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[47] 4 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[48] 9 US Hot Country Singles & Tracks (Billboard)[49] 13 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[50] 37 Chart (2001) Position Brazil (Crowley)[51] 37 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[52] 18 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–2009) Position US Billboard Hot 100[53] 27 All-time charts Chart (1958–2018) Position US Billboard Hot 100[54] 158

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[55]	Gold	15,000‡
United States (RIAA)[56] (physical)	Gold	800,000[57]
United States (RIAA)[56] (digital)	Gold	500,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	September 27, 1999	Country radio	Warner Bros.	[5]
	January 24, 2000	Adult contemporary hot adult contemporary radio		[58]
	January 25, 2000	Contemporary hit radio
	February 8, 2000	CD cassette single		[6]
Japan	February 9, 2000	CD		[59]
Canada	February 29, 2000			[60]
New Zealand	May 8, 2000			[61]
United Kingdom		CD cassette		[62]
Japan	August 23, 2000	Remix CD EP		[63]
United Kingdom (re-release)	October 1, 2001	CD cassette		[64]
Australia	October 15, 2001	Remix CD		[65]

Covers and parodies

• Brazilian singer Wanessa Camargo made a cover in Portuguese named "Eu Posso Te Sentir (I Can Feel You)".^[66]
• Smartbomb has covered "Breathe" on their CD Yeah. Well, anyway ...^[67]
• American singer and voice actress E.G. Daily auditioned with this song for the fifth season of the reality show The Voice.^[68]
• Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd recorded a parody of the song called "Breath" (about a person with bad breath) on his 2002 album, Cledus Envy.
• It was performed by Anna Friel as her character Nicky Roman during the third episode of the 2022 country music drama series Monarch.^[69]