Jar of Hearts
"Jar of Hearts" | ||||
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Single by Christina Perri | ||||
from the album Lovestrong | ||||
Released | July 27, 2010 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length |
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Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Barrett Yeretsian[1] | |||
Christina Perri singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Jar of Hearts" on YouTube |
"Jar of Hearts" is the debut single by American singer
Perri was unsigned at the time of the song release, which created a lot of discussion between critics who favored the song. The song charted on multiple charts in both the United States and Canada at numbers 17 and 21 respectively. The song sold a total of 47,500 downloads in its opening week. In 2011, it was released in the UK and peaked at number four on the
Background and release
The song is so vulnerable, but she was stomping on the piano in our lobby with her combat boots. She was so confident and poised — you could visualize her at Madison Square Garden | ||
—Julie Greenwald, chairman and COO of Atlantic Records [2]
|
After teaching herself to play six chords on the guitar, Perri wrote "The Perfect Man" about the same person "Jar of Hearts" describes.
Perri wrote the song in December 2009, only to begin working with her production and management team in February 2010.[3] While recording for an EP, "Jar of Hearts" was additionally going to be recorded with a full band; however, Perri later decided against it stating that "I imagined people dancing to it. It was all a big 'just in case.'"[1]
The song was first added to Perri's YouTube channel on June 30, 2010, and was later released on iTunes on July 27, 2010.[4] A karaoke-version of the song was also officially released onto iTunes February 1, 2011.[5] The song was featured on the singer's first EP titled The Ocean Way Sessions,[6] and has additionally appeared on Perri's debut album, Lovestrong.[7]
Theme and composition
"Jar of Hearts" has been described as an autobiographical song for Perri, recalling an ex-boyfriend who wanted to reconnect after a tough breakup.[8] Seeing writing duties by the song's performer Christina Perri,[clarification needed] additional writing is seen by Drew Lawrence and Barrett Yeretsian; production by the song's writers Barrett Yeretsian and Christina Perri[clarification needed]. "Jar of Hearts" is a pop ballad that is about shunning the continued advances of a former flame who was ungrateful while together, yet now wants to rekindle a failed romance.[9]
Lyrically the ballad revolves around an ex of Perri's, who sings personal lyrics.[6] In a blog by the artist,[6] Perri described that the song came from true experiences, stating "I wrote the song after I went home to Philadelphia for the holiday last December. I sat in my childhood bedroom and hid from the boy (with the jar of hearts) who wanted to see me. My heart wanted to see him, my head knew better. I couldn't take one more break so I wrote the song instead."[10]
"Jar of Hearts" is a moderate piano-ballad song pacing in common time, written in the key of C minor (with the chorus in its relative key, E♭ major).[11] Perri's vocals range from the notes E♭3 to C5 as she sings to the score of pianos and chords. The song consists simply of a piano melody and delicate strings.[6] Additionally described as a wrenching, string-drenched ballad, the song features "angsty, unvarnished piano ballad."[2] Perri stated that she does not know how to read or write music, but knew how to perform certain piano chords, which were used in the song. In the singer's personal blog she released the piano chords of the entire song. The verse of the song is played in the chords Cm E♭ B♭ Fm; the pre-chorus in Fm A♭ E♭ B♭ Fm A♭ B♭sus; the chorus in E♭ B♭ Cm A♭ (A♭m) end with: E♭; the bridge in the chords Cm (right hand) Walk down C, B, B♭, A (bass note) A♭ G; and the outro finishes the song in the chords A♭ B F.[10]
Reception
Critical reception
"Jar of Hearts" received positive reviews from most critics. Kyle Anderson of
John Hill of
Chart performance
"Jar of Hearts" debuted at No. 28 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart, No. 63 on the
Elsewhere, "Jar of Hearts" peaked at No. 2 in Australia and the Republic of Ireland, No. 3 in the Czech Republic and No. 4 in the United Kingdom and Finland. The song remained in the UK Singles Chart for 27 weeks.[20]
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Jay Martin.
The music video premiered on September 13, 2010, on Perri's YouTube channel.[23] The video begins with Perri singing on a stoop while black petals fall from the sky. As Perri begins walking, a smoke reflection is shown over her chest, showing that her "jar" is empty - her heart is missing. As the song continues, Perri walks through different scenarios of hearts being collected, all by the same man, whose "jar" is being filled. This includes an intimate moment in a car and another in a phone booth, both of which leave the women whose hearts are stolen (through their mouths) with empty jars. They fall unconscious away from the collector, a young man with dark hair. Towards the end of the video, Perri is watching as the collector, the love-interest, collects more hearts while dancing with different women. The video ends with Perri stealing a heart from him, leaving his "jar" empty. He falls to the ground, and she appears to recuperate with her heart newly intact.
The music video was added to a list of "VH1’s Top 40 Music Videos Of 2010," "Jar of Hearts" coming in at number seventeen.[24] During the premiere of Perri's "Daydream," VH1 compared it to the music video of "Jar of Hearts" stating that it took a more cinematic route that "relied heavily on slow motion to connote emotions."[25]
Live performances
After premiering the song on
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[63] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[64] | Platinum | 30,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[65] | 2× Platinum | 160,000* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[66] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI)[67] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
Ireland (IRMA)[68] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[70] | 2× Platinum | 60,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[72] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
In popular culture
- "Jar of Hearts" was played in "Pretty Little Liars series.[73]
- "Jar of Hearts" was featured on Switched at Birth (Season 1, Episode 4 "Dance Amongst Daggers") and The Client List (season 1 episode 10 "Past Is Prologue")
- "Jar of Hearts" was covered by American rock band Twenty One Pilots in 2011.
- In July 2011,
- "Jar of Hearts" was covered in the second-season Glee episode "Prom Queen".
- Amanda Todd sang Jar of Hearts in front of her computer webcam and it was released in 2015 by her mother.
- "Jar of Hearts" was covered by American rock band Through Fire for their debut album Breathe in 2016
See also
References
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- ^ a b c d e f Gavin Edwards (October 26, 2010). "Band of the Week: Christina Perri, Sudden Star | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Pastorek, Whitney (July 15, 2010). "'Jar of Hearts' singer Christina Perri on getting her break from 'So You Think You Can Dance': A Music Mix Q&A!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Jar of Hearts - Single by Christina Perri - Download Jar of Hearts - Single on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. July 27, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Jar of Hearts (Karaoke Version) - Single by Christina Perri - Download Jar of Hearts (Karaoke Version) - Single on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. February 1, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Scott Shetler (January 7, 2011). "Christina Perri, 'Jar of Hearts' - New Song". AOL Radio Blog. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
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- ^ a b c d "Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts - Review of Christina Perri's Jar Of Hearts". Top40.about.com. February 27, 2011. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ a b c ""Jar of Hearts" (CD single) by Christina Perri - Music Review". Commonsensemedia.org. November 7, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
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- ^ a b c So You Think You Can Dance (August 25, 2010). "So You Think You Can Dance – Behind the Scenes of "Jar of Hearts"". Dance.blogs.fox.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "'Jar Of Hearts' Video Premiere". Christina Perri. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "VH1 Top 40 Music Videos Of 2011 (Complete List) | Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Christina Perri Daydream Video | Vh1 Blog". Blog.vh1.com. November 16, 2010. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts (Live on So You Think You Can Dance) - PerezTV". Perezhilton.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Week Ending Jan. 23, 2011: Songs: Mars Attacks - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. February 2, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
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External links
- Jar of Hearts (Making Of) on YouTube