(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up
"(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Vince Poncia | ||||
Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
The Ronettes singles chronology | ||||
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"(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" is a song written by
Original recording
With the
However, according to Ronnie Spector, the group's lead singer, producer Phil Spector had already begun to somewhat lose enthusiasm for the Ronettes in early 1964.[3] The group had recorded the Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich song "Chapel of Love" in early 1964, but Spector refused to release it. "It doesn't sound like a hit,"[3] he told the group, so The Dixie Cups recorded their version of the song, which peaked at number one on the Billboard top 100, a position never held by the Ronettes.[3]
After losing out on "Chapel of Love" the Ronettes went to work on "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up." According to Ronnie Spector, Phil Spector was especially enthusiastic about the song.[4] "When Phil loved a song as much as he loved "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up," she later wrote in her autobiography, "he could work on it for days without ever getting tired. He spent hours working out the harmonies with Nedra and Estelle, then he'd jump up and down every time he heard something he liked."[4]
Chart history
Chart (1964) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] | 39 |
U.S. Cashbox Hot 100[10] | 48 |
UK Singles Chart | 43 |
Cover versions
The song was a no. 25 UK Singles Chart hit for The Symbols in 1968.[11]
In 1982, American singer Roni Griffith hit number two on the US Dance Club Songs chart for two weeks with her Hi-NRG version of the song, produced by American record producer Bobby Orlando.[12]
The Devil Dogs covered the song on their eponymous debut album in 1989.
References
- ^ ISBN 0-451-41153-6.
- ISBN 0-451-41153-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-451-41153-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-451-41153-6.
- ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. March 21, 1964. p. 22. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
- ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. October 17, 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 21, 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-01-12.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Kachejian, Brian (December 2020). "Top 10 Ronettes Songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
- ISBN 0-451-41153-6.
- ^ "Cashbox Magazine Hot 100". Archived from the original on 2010-06-24. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 114.