Breathless

The Corrs had made their major breakthrough with the album Talk On Corners, released in 1997. That record went to No.1 in the UK, as well as Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and Ireland (where it ultimately went 20 times platinum). But the band – comprising siblings Andrea, Sharon, Jim and Caroline Corr – had to wait till the follow-up album for their biggest ever single – and their highest-charting song ever in the US. Written with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, ‘Breathless’ was the opening track on, and first single from, the band’s third album, In Blue. It became by far the most successful single, driving the album to No.1 in thirteen different countries. ‘Breathless’ was The Corrs only UK chart topper. It was a top 10 hit in fifteen countries; was used in the opening scene of box office smash The Wedding Date (2005); and it appeared in The Sopranos, sung by Meadow Soprano. What greater accolade could you aspire to?

The Story Behind The Song

The Corrs officially became a quartet in 1990, when the youngest of the siblings, Andrea, was just 16 years of age. They were signed up for minor parts in the celebrated Alan Parker movie The Commitments, based on the eponymous debut novel by Dublin author Roddy Doyle (who would go on to win the Booker Prize with Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha in 1993). And, as fate would dictate, it was on the set of the film that they made the connection to John Hughes, who would go on to become their manager. Their debut album Forgiven Not Forgotten sold modestly. But the band were making friends and influencing people, which set them up well for the follow-up, Talk On Corners. It charted initially in places like Spain, Sweden and Denmark (among others), as well as Ireland.

What might be considered a small thing made all the difference to the angle and speed of their upward trajectory. The Corrs were invited to do a special St. Patrick’s Day concert by the BBC in London, and on it they performed a version of the Fleetwood Mac classic ‘Dreams’, for which they were joined onstage by the global hit machine’s founding member and drummer, Mick Fleetwood. The record company moguls were so taken with the recording that they added ‘Dreams’ as a bonus track to a repackaging of Talk On Corners. They also released it as a single. It became The Corrs' first UK top 10 hit. That was the start of an extraordinary period that saw the band occupying the No.1 and No.2 slots in the UK album charts, with Talk On Corners and the newly revived Forgiven Not Forgotten. Talk On Corners became the biggest selling album of 1998 in the UK (where it sold almost 3 million copies), and a hit all over the world. It went 9 times platinum in the UK; 6 times platinum in New Zealand and Spain; 4 times platinum in Australia; and, best of all, it broke all existing records for an original Irish album, selling over 300,000 copies in Ireland, making it 20 times platinum on their home turf.

The Corrs at the Hot Press Awards, photo by Cathal Dawson

The monumental scale of that success wasn’t quite repeated with In Blue (2000). But the album did deliver their highest ever chart placing in the US, as well as being a massive global hit. All of that was driven by the extraordinary response to the band’s biggest ever hit record, the opening single from In Blue, entitled ‘Breathless’.

With an eye to the recording of their third album, The Corrs met up with Mutt Lange, who had produced the 40million selling album Come On Over (1997), recorded by his wife Shania Twain. By way of a first step, they decided to write a song together. “It was a beautiful sunny day when we wrote ‘Breathless’,” Andrea Corr recalled. “You can feel that in the song because it’s high impact, driven, summer-y and sunny. It’s a love song about seduction. It’s good fun. It’s about seduction and how – when you’re falling in love – you’re enticing the person to go one step further.”

Andrea Corr in live action, shot for Hot Press by Kathrin Baumbach

It certainly worked for fans of The Corrs. With its infectious melody, gorgeous harmonies and a yodel from Andrea Corr that channelled Sinéad O’Connor and Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries in equal measure, ‘Breathless’ became their biggest single, and their only UK No.1. It reached No.34 in the US – their hottest hit there. But to focus just on these admittedly hugely important markets would be to risk understating the success of the single. It went Top 30 in 25 countries. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance in 2001. It featured in the Soundtrack to the Brazilian soap opera, Uga Uga. It was used in the opening scene in the box office smash hit movie, The Wedding Date. It even worked its way into The Sopranos, with the character Meadow Soprano – daughter of gang boss Tony Soprano and his wife Carmela Soprano – singing along to the track in a scene from a 2001 episode. It was covered by Emm Gryner, Pink Rock Factory, Caroline Polachek, and most recently the rising Irish star Orla Gartland, among at least a dozen recordings of the song. To date the video has been viewed 70 million times on YouTube – and rising.

The Corrs were more than just a mega-hit band. They championed numerous philanthropic causes, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation for AIDS and Make Poverty History. Sharon has had a successful solo career. Andrea has written a best selling memoir, Barefoot Pilgrimage. But ‘Breathless’ was a landmark moment for the group as they rode a wave of huge global acclaim…

The Corrs (l to r) Jim, Sharon, Andrea and Caroline

The Corrs were more than just a mega-hit band. They championed numerous philanthropic causes, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation for AIDS and Make Poverty History. Sharon has had a successful solo career. Andrea has written a best selling memoir, Barefoot Pilgrimage. But ‘Breathless’ was a landmark moment for a group that were riding a wave of huge global acclaim…