"Breakdown" | ||||
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Single by Tantric | ||||
from the album Tantric | ||||
Released | May 21, 2001 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Genre | Post-grunge | |||
Length | 3:10 | |||
Label | Maverick Records | |||
Writer(s) | Hugo Ferreira, Matt Taul, Jesse Vest and Todd Whitener | |||
Tantric singles chronology | ||||
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"Breakdown" is the debut single by post-grunge band Tantric and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It is the band's most successful song, having reached #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and helped the album achieve platinum status in 2001.
Lyrically, "Breakdown" describes a high school student filled with resentment and self-disgust. The music video found substantial airplay on MTV2. In combination with the band's acoustic-heavy sound, "Breakdown" also utilizes a digital effect at the end of the chorus. The tightly produced arrangement makes for a well balanced ratio of hard rock and pop.
Guitarist Todd Whitener came up with the song while sitting in an Amsterdam hotel. He described the meaning behind "Breakdown" in an interview with MTV:
The song was included on the soundtrack to the 2001 film Driven and The Shield: Music from the Streets in 2005. It was also featured on the Spin This, Monitor This!, and Noize compilations.