Broken Heels
Encyclopedia
"Broken Heels" is a song performed by British R&B
/pop
singer Alexandra Burke
, released as the second single from her debut album, Overcome
. It was written by the Moroccan producer RedOne
, Bilal Hajji, Savan Kotecha
and produced by RedOne, the single was released on digital download in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2010 and physically on the following day, on 18 January 2010.
and RedOne
(who also produced the song). In an interview with IVillage
, Alexandra Burke revealed that she had a lot of say in the making of the song because she did not want to be a "toy" or "robot" in the song's development process. Burke, in an interview with Popjustice
, elaborated on her experience of working with RedOne. She said,
Speaking to Metro
, Burke explained the meaning of the song and the inspiration behind it, especially for the lines "All the ladies tell the fellas / We can do what they can do / We can do it even better with broken heels". She said,
"Broken Heels" came about through a conversation between Burke and RedOne when her footwear made more of an impression than his original song choice. Burke explained, "We started getting into a conversation about why I wear high heels and then the title 'Broken Heels' came up and the song grew out of that." Nick Levine from Digital Spy
interperated the song as carrying a good-natured girl power message. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
reviewed the lyrical meaning of "Broken Heels" as follows: "It's basically another one of those "girls are better than boys, right girls?" diva brag-jobs, and effectively puts forward the idea that even if a woman is hobbled by uneven footwear she can still kick man-ass when it comes to gold medal standard Olympic partying." Popjustice said that "Broken Heels" is "a song in which Alexandra explains that she can dance as well as a man, and she can do it even better if her shoes are broken."
, electropop and R&B
song with a dance-oriented beat. "Broken Heels" has a distinctly faster tempo
than Burke's previous single "Bad Boys
". The song opens with Burke singing the "Hey-ey-ey/Hey-ey-ey" hook
which transitions into a spoken portion where Burke says: "RedOne, you know I can do it better than you/I can do it even better in broken heels". The song's middle 8 features Burke singing a "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh/Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh" hook.
According to Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
the music is best suited for dancefloors. Derby Evening Telegraph
says it consists of huge beats. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian
felt that the clattering rhythm has influences from the music of 70s British rock band Adam and the Ants
. While Popjustice
wrote that it recalled a RedOne
take on Alesha Dixon
's "The Boy Does Nothing" (2008). The song is set in the time signature
of common time with a metronome of 165.9 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of E minor
.
The track is written in verse-chorus form
and its instrumentation comes from the guitar
and electronic keyboard
.
Lyrically, "Broken Heels" is written in the first person
and was inspired by Burke's personality and a conversation she had with RedOne with regard to why she wears heels. It refers to the strength of women which can enable them to do things better than men, even when they are wearing broken heels which contrasts as a simile
for the song meaning.
for "Broken Heels" was filmed in Los Angeles on 22 and 23 November 2009, as confirmed by Burke's official twitter
page. It was choreographed by Frank Gatson and JaQuel Knight, who have also worked with Beyoncé
. The music video consists of Burke and several female dancers, who are dressed in "gold leotards with huge football-style shoulder pads and heels." It premiered on UK music video channel The Box
11 December 2009, playing hourly. It received positive reaction from Nick Levine of Digital Spy
who noted that: "It's essentially a massive tum-flashing, tush-shaking dance routine set in the middle of an American football pitch." The video begins with Burke singing into a mirror in a locker room, with a team of female American football players getting ready behind. Interspersed are shots of male players doing the same. The next scene shows the two teams emerging from the stadium tunnels. Burke and the female team then begin a dance routine, which is occasionally interrupted to show shots of Burke in a green-lit tunnel. There is a continuity error in the video. When Alexandra is pictured in the locker room she is wearing #17 on her strip, however when she's outside on the pitch it has changed to #18 - these numbers do mimic the dates of release however, so there is a possibility that the shirt numbers are deliberately supposed to change. Burke said of the video in an interview with Now magazine,
, in which Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance. The song was also performed at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball
at The O2 Arena
. Burke also performed the song on the Paul O'Grady Show on 17 December 2009. Burke performed on So You Think You Can Dance and GMTV
on 16 and 19 January 2010, respectively. "Broken Heels" will be released in Australia. She will perform it on London Wasps' St George's Game on 24 April 2010 and T4 On The Beach
on 4 July 2010.
In the United States
, Broken Heels appeared on freshman The CW show, Hellcats
, during its pilot, which aired 8 September 2010.
The song was also featured in commercials and the Red Band Trailer for the 2011 release "Bridesmaids"
gave to the song four stars (out of five) and says that: " it's a rubber-bottomed pop stomper with loads of 'heyeyey' and 'oh-oh-oh-oh' hooks, a good-natured girl power message and more sass than a drag queen who's just been told (s)he doesn't meet the dress code. The result? Yet more evidence that Alexandra Burke is turning into a cracking - no pun intended - little popstar". Fraser McAlpine from the BBC
gave "Broken Heels" a four out of five star rating, saying: "this is definitely, decisively and preposterously aimed at the dancefloor, specifically the people on the dancefloor with the handbags and the lipstick - the ones that tend to do most of the dancing. It's basically another one of those "girls are better than boys, right girls?" diva brag-jobs, and effectively puts forward the idea that even if a woman is hobbled by uneven footwear she can still kick man-ass when it comes to gold medal standard Olympic partying. Derby Evening Telegraph
said that "Broken Heels" shows that "Burke still has the 'X Factor'", positively reviewing the song: "A killer dancefloor filler, with huge beats that infect from the first few seconds, 'Broken Heels' continues to stomp for a full three-and-a-half minutes of near pop perfection." Hull Daily Mail
named "Broken Heels" as their 'Download of the Week' on 23 January 2010, saying that the song song is "an attitude heavy pop number" and "a good song which will be a club hit". Alexis Petridis from The Guardian
said that "Broken Heels" is "the only real sonic surprise" on Overcome
, further describing the song as having a clattering rhythm which bears improbable influence from 70s British rock band Adam and the Ants
. Petridis went on to say that the song certainly is a "spectacularly polished product". Newsround
said: "'Broken Heels' is a sassy floor-filler that makes you want to get up and dance." Arwa Haider from Metro
ranked "Broken Heels" as their 'Best Single of the Week', saying that "Burke is ace" and that the song includes: "An L-plate, deelyboppers and sambuca-induced burns." OK! called the track "catchy funky R&B pop". Robbie Daw of Idolator
said that "Broken Heels" is a "dance jam".
Tom Howard of Yahoo! Music UK
named "Broken Heels", along with "Dumb" and "You Broke My Heart" as the best songs on Overcome.
Popjustice
said that the song was "one of the more carefree numbers" on the album, describing it as: "A song in which Alexandra explains that she can dance as well as a man, and she can do it even better if her shoes are broken." The website went on to deem "Broken Heels" as RedOne
's take on Alesha Dixon
's "The Boy Does Nothing" (2008).
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
, released as the second single from her debut album, Overcome
Overcome (Alexandra Burke album)
Overcome is the debut studio album by British pop/R&B singer Alexandra Burke, released October 19, 2009 on Syco Music. The release of the album came a year after Burke won the British talent show, The X Factor, with the recording process taking place between 2008 and 2009...
. It was written by the Moroccan producer RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
, Bilal Hajji, Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
and produced by RedOne, the single was released on digital download in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2010 and physically on the following day, on 18 January 2010.
Writing and inspiration
"Broken Heels" was written by Bilal Hajji, Savan KotechaSavan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
and RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
(who also produced the song). In an interview with IVillage
IVillage
iVillage, Inc. is a media company that is owned by NBCUniversal. The site focuses on categories targeted at women, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network,...
, Alexandra Burke revealed that she had a lot of say in the making of the song because she did not want to be a "toy" or "robot" in the song's development process. Burke, in an interview with Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
, elaborated on her experience of working with RedOne. She said,
I've got to say, Red was the one who basically got my personality out first. Then everything else slipped into place like a puzzle. Red really started it off for me. He had [the song] already ready for me, right? And then I walked in, and he met me, and he was like, "scrap every song we've just prepared for you, we're going to start from scratch, because you're not the person I thought you would be.' So then he wrote [the song] according to my personality.
Speaking to Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
, Burke explained the meaning of the song and the inspiration behind it, especially for the lines "All the ladies tell the fellas / We can do what they can do / We can do it even better with broken heels". She said,
It’s very girl empowering. It’s more about girl power, no disrespect to fellas and all that but I thought it was cool to do a song about what men do but we can do better. We did the song from scratch based on my personality. This song means a lot to me.
"Broken Heels" came about through a conversation between Burke and RedOne when her footwear made more of an impression than his original song choice. Burke explained, "We started getting into a conversation about why I wear high heels and then the title 'Broken Heels' came up and the song grew out of that." Nick Levine from Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
interperated the song as carrying a good-natured girl power message. Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reviewed the lyrical meaning of "Broken Heels" as follows: "It's basically another one of those "girls are better than boys, right girls?" diva brag-jobs, and effectively puts forward the idea that even if a woman is hobbled by uneven footwear she can still kick man-ass when it comes to gold medal standard Olympic partying." Popjustice said that "Broken Heels" is "a song in which Alexandra explains that she can dance as well as a man, and she can do it even better if her shoes are broken."
Composition
Musically "Broken Heels" is an up-tempo dance-popDance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
, electropop and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song with a dance-oriented beat. "Broken Heels" has a distinctly faster tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
than Burke's previous single "Bad Boys
Bad Boys (Alexandra Burke song)
"Bad Boys" is a song by British recording artist Alexandra Burke. The song is her second single after winning the fifth series of The X Factor, and the lead single from her debut album, Overcome. The song features American rapper Flo Rida. It was written by Flo Rida, Melvin K. Watson Jr, Larry...
". The song opens with Burke singing the "Hey-ey-ey/Hey-ey-ey" hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
which transitions into a spoken portion where Burke says: "RedOne, you know I can do it better than you/I can do it even better in broken heels". The song's middle 8 features Burke singing a "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh/Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh" hook.
According to Fraser McAlpine of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
the music is best suited for dancefloors. Derby Evening Telegraph
Derby Evening Telegraph
The Derby Telegraph, formerly the Derby Evening Telegraph, is a daily tabloid newspaper printed and distributed in Derby, England.-History:In 1857, Richard Keene was publishing the Derby Telegraph every Saturday. His business was in Irongate...
says it consists of huge beats. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
felt that the clattering rhythm has influences from the music of 70s British rock band Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
. While Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
wrote that it recalled a RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
take on Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...
's "The Boy Does Nothing" (2008). The song is set in the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time with a metronome of 165.9 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
.
The track is written in verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
and its instrumentation comes from the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
.
Lyrically, "Broken Heels" is written in the first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
and was inspired by Burke's personality and a conversation she had with RedOne with regard to why she wears heels. It refers to the strength of women which can enable them to do things better than men, even when they are wearing broken heels which contrasts as a simile
Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by employing the words "like", "as". Even though both similes and metaphors are forms of comparison, similes indirectly compare the two ideas and allow them to remain distinct in spite of their similarities, whereas...
for the song meaning.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Broken Heels" was filmed in Los Angeles on 22 and 23 November 2009, as confirmed by Burke's official twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page. It was choreographed by Frank Gatson and JaQuel Knight, who have also worked with Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. The music video consists of Burke and several female dancers, who are dressed in "gold leotards with huge football-style shoulder pads and heels." It premiered on UK music video channel The Box
The Box
The Box may refer to:In television:* The Box , a music video television formerly known as Video Jukebox Network, originally from Miami, but now only available in the UK and Ireland** The Box , a defunct U.S...
11 December 2009, playing hourly. It received positive reaction from Nick Levine of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
who noted that: "It's essentially a massive tum-flashing, tush-shaking dance routine set in the middle of an American football pitch." The video begins with Burke singing into a mirror in a locker room, with a team of female American football players getting ready behind. Interspersed are shots of male players doing the same. The next scene shows the two teams emerging from the stadium tunnels. Burke and the female team then begin a dance routine, which is occasionally interrupted to show shots of Burke in a green-lit tunnel. There is a continuity error in the video. When Alexandra is pictured in the locker room she is wearing #17 on her strip, however when she's outside on the pitch it has changed to #18 - these numbers do mimic the dates of release however, so there is a possibility that the shirt numbers are deliberately supposed to change. Burke said of the video in an interview with Now magazine,
"We have taken it up a notch [from "Bad Boys"]. It was scary to go that side. We showed a bit of skin but it was fun. I was comfortable with it, though, it was done very tastefully. I wanted to make sure this video was different and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a load of girls who are, in the press's eyes, perfect. I have some plus-sized girls in there. They are hot too. I had a big diva fit when they told me I was filming the "Broken Heels" video in England. I had a meeting with Simon and threw a right strop. I sat down in his office opposite him, looked him right in the eye and told him I wanted to go somewhere hot, so he just said "LA darling?" and I was like "Yes please" and that was that."Burke added that "[the video is] going to show people that no matter what your shape, colour, size, whatever you are, you are still beautiful."
Track listing
- Digital Single
- "Broken Heels" (Single Mix) – 3:34
- "Broken Heels" (Cutmore Club Mix) – 6:27
- CD Single
- "Broken Heels" (Single Mix) – 3:34
- "Broken Heels" (Cutmore Radio Mix) – 3:16
- "Broken Heels" (Digital Dog Club Mix) – 6:27
Credits and personnel
- SongwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
– RedOneRedOneNadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
, Bilal Hajji, Savan KotechaSavan KotechaSavan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion... - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– RedOne - Instruments and programmingMusical instrumentA musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
– RedOne - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
– Johnny SeverinJohn SeverinJohn Powers Severin is an American comic book artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat; for Marvel Comics, primarily on its war and Western comics; and for the satiric magazine Cracked... - Vocal arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
– RedOne - Vocal editing – RedOne, Johnny Severin
- RecordingSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
– RedOne, Johnny Severin - EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– RedOne, Johnny Severin - Main vocals – Alexandra BurkeAlexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
- Background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
– Alexandra Burke, RedOne, Savan Kotecha - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Robert Orton
Promotion
Burke first televised promotion of the song was at the 2009 Royal Variety PerformanceRoyal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
, in which Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance. The song was also performed at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball
Jingle Bell Ball
The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held every year in December, by Global Radio at O2 Arena. Headline acts have included superstars like Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas and Kylie Minogue...
at The O2 Arena
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
. Burke also performed the song on the Paul O'Grady Show on 17 December 2009. Burke performed on So You Think You Can Dance and GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
on 16 and 19 January 2010, respectively. "Broken Heels" will be released in Australia. She will perform it on London Wasps' St George's Game on 24 April 2010 and T4 On The Beach
T4 on the Beach
T4 On The Beach is a British one day music event which is held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised for Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005....
on 4 July 2010.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Broken Heels appeared on freshman The CW show, Hellcats
Hellcats
Hellcats is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011...
, during its pilot, which aired 8 September 2010.
The song was also featured in commercials and the Red Band Trailer for the 2011 release "Bridesmaids"
Critical reception
Nick Levine from the entertainment website Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
gave to the song four stars (out of five) and says that: " it's a rubber-bottomed pop stomper with loads of 'heyeyey' and 'oh-oh-oh-oh' hooks, a good-natured girl power message and more sass than a drag queen who's just been told (s)he doesn't meet the dress code. The result? Yet more evidence that Alexandra Burke is turning into a cracking - no pun intended - little popstar". Fraser McAlpine from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
gave "Broken Heels" a four out of five star rating, saying: "this is definitely, decisively and preposterously aimed at the dancefloor, specifically the people on the dancefloor with the handbags and the lipstick - the ones that tend to do most of the dancing. It's basically another one of those "girls are better than boys, right girls?" diva brag-jobs, and effectively puts forward the idea that even if a woman is hobbled by uneven footwear she can still kick man-ass when it comes to gold medal standard Olympic partying. Derby Evening Telegraph
Derby Evening Telegraph
The Derby Telegraph, formerly the Derby Evening Telegraph, is a daily tabloid newspaper printed and distributed in Derby, England.-History:In 1857, Richard Keene was publishing the Derby Telegraph every Saturday. His business was in Irongate...
said that "Broken Heels" shows that "Burke still has the 'X Factor'", positively reviewing the song: "A killer dancefloor filler, with huge beats that infect from the first few seconds, 'Broken Heels' continues to stomp for a full three-and-a-half minutes of near pop perfection." Hull Daily Mail
Hull Daily Mail
The Hull Daily Mail is the local daily newspaper for Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and is published along with the free weekly, Hull Advertiser. There used to be a weekly sports paper, the SportsMail, but this folded in 2006...
named "Broken Heels" as their 'Download of the Week' on 23 January 2010, saying that the song song is "an attitude heavy pop number" and "a good song which will be a club hit". Alexis Petridis from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
said that "Broken Heels" is "the only real sonic surprise" on Overcome
Overcome (Alexandra Burke album)
Overcome is the debut studio album by British pop/R&B singer Alexandra Burke, released October 19, 2009 on Syco Music. The release of the album came a year after Burke won the British talent show, The X Factor, with the recording process taking place between 2008 and 2009...
, further describing the song as having a clattering rhythm which bears improbable influence from 70s British rock band Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
. Petridis went on to say that the song certainly is a "spectacularly polished product". Newsround
Newsround
Newsround is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972, and was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children...
said: "'Broken Heels' is a sassy floor-filler that makes you want to get up and dance." Arwa Haider from Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
ranked "Broken Heels" as their 'Best Single of the Week', saying that "Burke is ace" and that the song includes: "An L-plate, deelyboppers and sambuca-induced burns." OK! called the track "catchy funky R&B pop". Robbie Daw of Idolator
Idolator
Idolator is the third album by the Japanese, melodic death metal band, Blood Stain Child. Idolator combines melodic death metal similar to the more recent In Flames albums with electronic and trance influences, particularly on "Nuclear Trance". "Embrace Me", has a piano section both at the...
said that "Broken Heels" is a "dance jam".
Tom Howard of Yahoo! Music UK
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
named "Broken Heels", along with "Dumb" and "You Broke My Heart" as the best songs on Overcome.
Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
said that the song was "one of the more carefree numbers" on the album, describing it as: "A song in which Alexandra explains that she can dance as well as a man, and she can do it even better if her shoes are broken." The website went on to deem "Broken Heels" as RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
's take on Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...
's "The Boy Does Nothing" (2008).
Chart performance
"Broken Heels" entered the UK Singles Chart at #36 on 26 December 2009 and over a period of five weeks climbed to its current peak of #8. The single spent two weeks in the UK Top 10, then fell to #11 on 31 January 2010. It spent 22 weeks in the UK Top 100. It also entered the Irish Singles Chart at #25 in December 2009 and has so far peaked at #5, becoming her third top five hit there.Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Poland (ZPAV Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... ) |
3 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... ) |
17 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 85 |
Release history
| Region | Format | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
8 January 2010 | Syco |
| United Kingdom | |||
| CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |
18 January 2010 | ||
| Slovakia | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
Sony Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
|
| Poland | 15 May 2010 | ||
External links
- "Broken Heels" - Song Lyrics at SongLyrics.com