"Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" is a song written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, and recorded by American soul group the Bandwagon, later known as Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon. Whilst it was not very successful in the US, it was much more successful in the UK, where it peaked at number 4 on the Singles Chart and was awarded a silver disc for 250,000 sales there.[1]
| "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Bandwagon | ||||
| from the album Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon | ||||
| B-side | "Dancin' Master" | |||
| Released | June 7, 1968 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:34 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| The Bandwagon singles chronology | ||||
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Release
editThe Bandwagon's debut single "Baby Make Your Own Sweet Music" had been a hit in several US states, but failed to chart nationally. However, "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" fared marginally better, peaking at number 115 on the Billboard chart and number 100 on the Cash Box chart.[2][3] It was released in June 1968 with the B-side "Dancin' Master", with both sides written and produced by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, and arranged by Charles Calello.[4] It was released in the UK over a month later, but did not enter the Singles Chart until the third week of October, reaching its peak five weeks later and spending a total of fifteen weeks on the chart.[5][1] "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" has been re-released several times in the UK, notably peaking at number 56 in September 1974.[6]
Track listing
edit7": Epic / 5-10352
- "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache" – 2:34
- "Dancin' Master" – 2:47
Charts
edit| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[1] | 4 |
| US Bubbling Under the Hot 100 (Billboard)[2] | 115 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[3] | 100 |
| US Top 50 in R&B Locations (Cash Box)[3] | 20 |
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 56 |
Cover versions
edit- In 1980, Dexys Midnight Runners released a cover of the song as a B-side to their UK number one single "Geno".[8]
- In 1981, Bram Tchaikovsky covered the song on his album Funland.[9]
- In 1990, Edwin Starr released a cover of the song as a 12-inch single, included in his album Where Is the Sound.[10]
- In 2019, the song was sung by Jason Pennycooke and Alexia Khadime for the film Rocketman, and was included on the Japanese edition of the soundtrack album.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Bandwagon: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1982). Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 1959–1981. Record Research. p. 14. ISBN 9780898200478.
- ^ a b c "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. 17 August 1968. pp. 4, 46. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "The Bandwagon - Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache". 45cataccess-date=2022-02-23. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ "The Bandwagon - Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache". 45cat. Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ a b "Star Breakers" (PDF). Record Mirror. 7 September 1974. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno". 45cat. Archived from the original on 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ "Bram Tchaikovsky - Funland". Discogs. 1981. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ "Edwin Starr - Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache". Discogs. 1990. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ "Various - Rocketman (Music From The Motion Picture)". Discogs. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.