"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" is a song written by Will Hoge and Eric Paslay in April 2009 and originally recorded by Hoge on his seventh studio album, The Wreckage.[1] The song was made popular by American country music group the Eli Young Band. It was released in January 2012 as the sixth single of their career, and the second from their album Life at Best.
| "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eli Young Band | ||||
| from the album Life at Best | ||||
| Released | January 23, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Republic Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Eli Young Band singles chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
editBilly Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song four stars out of five, saying that it is "poetry set to music" but the lyrics are "difficult to relate to."[2] Jonathan Keefe of Country Universe wrote that it's a "good but not great song, given a credible performance by a competent band with the wherewithal not to want to sound like Journey" but "precious few guitar chords in the full duration of the performance actually ring to the full breadth of their tone, giving the single a clipped, tinny sound." He gave the song a B but the recording itself a D.[3]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Brian Lazzaro and premiered in January 2012.[4]
Chart performance
edit"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" debuted at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of December 24, 2011.[5] It also debuted at number 91 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of March 31, 2012. The song became the group's second consecutive number-one single on the country chart for the week of July 28, 2012.
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[12] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Conaway, Alanna (January 17, 2012). "Eli Young Band, 'Even if It Breaks Your Heart' – Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ Dukes, Billy (December 12, 2011). "Eli Young Band, 'Even if It Breaks Your Heart' – Song Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ Keefe, Jonathan (January 15, 2012). "Single Review: Eli Young Band, "Even if It Breaks Your Heart"". Country Universe. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ Cooper, Brittany Joy (January 16, 2012). "Eli Young Band Release Emotional Video for 'Even if It Breaks Your Heart'". Taste of Country. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ Morris, Edward (December 17, 2011). "Scotty McCreery's Clear as Day Recaptures Album Peak". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ "Eli Young Band Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
- ^ "Eli Young Band Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Eli Young Band Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Eli Young Band Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ "Best of 2012: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Eli Young Band – Even If It Breaks Your Heart". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 14, 2024.