"How Do I Breathe" | ||||
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Single by Mario | ||||
from the album Go | ||||
Released | May 15, 2007 (US) August 13, 2007 (UK) |
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Recorded | 2006 | |||
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Stargate | |||
Mario singles chronology | ||||
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"How Do I Breathe" is an R&B single by Mario. It is the first single from his third studio album Go. The single was released on May 15, 2007. It was produced by Stargate. On the issue date of July 7, 2007, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 91. "How Do I Breathe" also debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 30 on download sales alone, the day before the physical release of the song. It also became Mario's last charting single in the UK. The song also peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The official remix of the song features Fabolous and the second official remix features Cassidy. A rare third one features both artists and switches between beats. The song was co-written by Mario.
Mario met Stargate, the producers from Norway. They met when Mario was overseas touring, and they talked about producing. They were up-and-coming at the time. Mario frequently heard their music on the radio and would later say he thought, "Wow, I really like their music. These guys are classic." Mario and Stargate made two songs, which they collaborated on with Ne-Yo, but they did not make the cut. Then they did two more songs, which Mario co-wrote, one of which was "How Do I Breathe". Mario said: "The truth is that I felt like the track already had a story to tell; but that there had to be a certain flow over the record. I had to show some vulnerability, and that is what the record is about. It's about being vulnerable and knowing that you lost something that so essential to your life. I'd say it's about 75% true to life, and the rest is just creative writing."
Mark Edward Nero of About.com says "The track isn't particularly groundbreaking, but it has a simple charm, in a sort of Ne-Yo meets Toni Braxton kind of way".