Break the Ice (song)
| "Break the Ice" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Everybody" |
"Break the Ice" is a song by American pop singer Britney Spears. Written by Nate "Danja" Hills, Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica, Keri Hilson and James Washington, it was produced by Danja for Spears' fifth studio album Blackout (2007). The track was released as the third single from the album in the first quarter of 2008. Its accompanying music video features an Anime version of Spears. The song has topped several Dance Club Play charts, including Billboard's in the United States and in Australia.
Background
Spears collaborated with Hills, Araica, Hilson and Washington for "Break the Ice", who were behind her comeback single "Gimme More" (2007). The production team worked on the track when Spears was pregnant with her second child.[1] They arranged the vocals in Spears' house at Beverly Hills, California, three weeks before she gave birth,[1] and was recorded at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was mixed by Araica in Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles. A demo of the song leaked as "Been a While" onto the internet, but it later appeared as "Break the Ice" on Blackout's final tracklisting.[2]
Composition
Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end "Break the Ice" is an uptempo-oriented electro track with heavily synthesized, breathy vocals.[3][1] The song runs for three minutes and sixteen seconds. It is composed in the key of A♭major,[4] and is set in common time.[4] It is constructed in the common verse-chorus form. The spoken intro contains a dual meaning. She whispers "It's been a while. I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting. But I'm here now," which serves as an apology for being gone so long in the music industry, as well as away from her love interest in the song.[1] The song speaks about a girl and a boy, with the former saying: "You're a little cold. Let me warm things up and break the ice."[1] Spears' breathy vocals are layered when she sings "Hot Hot Hot Hot" in the choruses and sound similar to that of her 2001 single "I'm a Slave 4 U." She sings of the intensity of "breaking the ice", lyrically stating "You've got my heart beating like an 808". Midway through the song, she halts, "I like this part...", mimicking Janet Jackson's style in "Nasty".[1] The heavy drum line drops and the song finalizes in a repeated chorus, with ad-libs included by Spears.
Reception
"Break the Ice" received positive responses from the critics. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described it as a "rave-inspired flirtation."[5] All Music Guide's Stephen Thomas Erlewine referred to the song as a "stuttering electro-clip."[3] Darryl Sterdan noted in Canadian-based website Jamcanoe.ca: "...[Spears] brought a choir and one of Madonna's old synth-pop leftovers with her."[6] Digital Spy's Nick Levine awarded the song four stars out of a possible five, calling it Spears' "third cutting edge pop gem in a row".
Chart performance
Prior to its official release, "Break the Ice" already appeared on several U.S. Billboard component charts on the week the album Blackout debuted on the Billboard 200. It charted on the Pop 100 at number seventy-five and on the Hot Digital Songs at number seventy-two. It also debuted on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number nine; this would be equivalent to number hundred nine on the Billboard Hot 100 if the chart ran past one-hundred ranks. The following week "Break the Ice" fell out of all charts. When announced as the third single release from Blackout, the song re-charted on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 on February 23, 2008 at number twenty-two, rose to number eight the following week and peaked at number two on March 8, 2008. "Break the Ice" entered the official Billboard Hot 100 on March 15, 2008 at number one hundred. On April 26, 2008 it rose up to number forty-six, defended this position for another two weeks before moving up one position, and then rising to forty-three on the week of May, 24. Also in the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play, the single reached the top position on May 29. This is Spears' third consecutve single to reach the top position on this chart.
On May 5 2008, the track debuted at number forty-one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart based on downloads alone. In its second week, it climbed to number thirty-eight, with the support of physical sales. In its third week, it jumped to number twenty-three due to a large rise in physical sales. On May 18 2008, after the single's physical release, the track debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Dance Chart, making it the third consecutive Spears single to reach the chart's top position.
Prior to its physical release, rising download sales prompted "Break The Ice" to chart on the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-six on March 31, 2008. From number twenty-three on April 14, 2008, the single rose to number fifteen on April 21, 2008 due to its physical release. The song failed to enter the top ten, and became Spears’ lowest charting single in the U.K.
"Break The Ice" debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 on March 1, 2008, at number ninety-eight and climbed up the chart the following weeks. On April 26, 2008 the single entered the top ten, reaching number nine as its peak position. On May 3, "Break the Ice" spent a second week in the top ten at number ten, and currently sits on number eighteen.
In New Zealand, the single debuted at number thirty-seven on April 7 2008. That is three places lower than the entry position of its predecessor Piece of Me, which debuted at number thirty-four in late December 2007. "Break the Ice" fell out of the chart the following week but re-charted on April 21, 2008 at number thirty-four. The single then fell out of the chart once again and re-entered the following week at number forty, before moving up to thirty-three where it has peaked.
It has also debuted at number forty on the United World Chart on April 19, 2008 and has since reached number twenty. It has gained 744,000 points up to date.
Music video
Robert Hales directed Spears' first Anime music video. The music video premiered on the website BlackoutBall.com,[7] a site designed to "serve as a virtual black tie premiere party" for the video.[8] The video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on March 17, as well as various British music channels. The video depicts an Anime Spears who successfully detonated clones of hers. The video has reached number 1 in the Latin American MTV Show Los 10 Mas Pedidos South several times. The song and music video peaked at number 3 on the European Top 20. It proved to be a popular video throughout its release on MTV's Interactive Chart and Hits Top 30 shows.
Formats and track listings
Major commercial releases for "Break the Ice":
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Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 3 March 2008 | Radio |
| United States | 28 March 2008 | Digital Download [9] |
| United Kingdom[10] | 14 April 2008 | CD Single |
| Europe | 18 April 2008 | CD Single |
| Germany[11][12] | 2 May 2008 | CD Single |
| Australia[13] | 10 May 2008 | CD Single |
