Breakfast at Tiffany's (song)

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a song by American alternative rock band Deep Blue Something. Originally appearing on their 1993 album 11th Song, it was later re-recorded and released on their 1994 album Home. Released as a single in July 1995 by Interscope and Rainmaker, the song was the band's only hit in the United States,Pete Freedman, "Saturday Night Live Remembers Deep Blue Something," Dallas Observer, April 22, 2010. Found at Dallas Observer website. Accessed July 21, 2010. peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1996. Outside the United States, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" topped the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten on the charts of Australia, Flanders, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, and Sweden.

Todd Pipes said in a Q magazine article about the promotion of "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "As the song had 'breakfast' in the title, radio stations thought it would be genius to have us on at breakfast time. We'd be up 'til 3 am and they'd wonder why we were pissed off playing at 6 am." Follow-up singles failed to match the success of "Breakfast at Tiffany's", hence the reason for the band's classification as a one-hit wonder.

Inspiration and composition "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is sung from the point of view of a man whose girlfriend is on the verge of breaking up with him because the two have nothing in common. Desperate to find something, the man brings up the Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany's, and his girlfriend recalls that they "both kinda liked it."

The film Roman Holiday inspired the lyrics of the song, but songwriter Todd Pipes thought that one of Hepburn's other films would make a better song title.British Hit Singles & Albums (Edition 18), Guinness World Records Limited

Critical reception Brian Wahlert called "Breakfast at Tiffany's" "a cute, catchy song that should fit in well on adult contemporary, Top-40 and alternative radio" with memorable melody that makes it "a perfect single, along with the mildly repetitive, conversational lyrics of the chorus and the bright, acoustic guitar".Brian Wahlert, "Deep Blue Something disappoints with off-key harmonies, vocals," The Thresher (Rice University (1996). Found at The Thresher online archives at Rice University website . Accessed July 21, 2010. However, Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly was unimpressed. He called it "possibly the year's most innocuous single, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' is distressingly prosaic pop from a wimpy-sounding Texas quartet"; he added that it lacked any "musical piquancy". The Houston Press listed the song as the second worst by an artist from Texas, after Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby". Kevin Courtney from Irish Times said, "Deep Blue Something are responsible for the tawdry "Breakfast in Tiffany's" single, and their album is home to much of the same style of overblown, rainswept sentiment."Courtney, Kevin (August 9, 1996). "Rock". Irish Times. British magazine Music Week gave the song top score with five out of five, naming it Single of the Week, writing, "Radio-friendly rock at its best from the Texan trio [sic]. A mighty, bright chorus, quirky lyrics and some great guitar work should enable it to come close in the UK to matching its Top Five placing Stateside." VH1 and Blender ranked the song number six on their list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever".

Music video The accompanying music video for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" features the band members arriving to a breakfast table and being served by butlers, beside the curb in front of Tiffany & Co. in Midtown Manhattan. At the end of the video a young woman dressed in a similar style to Holly Golightly's (Audrey Hepburn) from the beginning of the film, except dressed in white rather than black, walks past on the sidewalk, and takes off her sunglasses. The band is also seen performing the song in a field, and on the bed of a flatbed truck in NYC.

Track listings US cassette single A1. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (LP version) – 4:11 A2. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Crunch mix) – 4:11 B1. "A Water Prayer" (LP version) – 3:20 B2. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (LP version) – 4:11

Australian CD and cassette single, UK CD single "Breakfast at Tiffany's" – 4:16 "A Water Prayer" – 3:19 "Sun" – 4:15

UK cassette single and European CD single "Breakfast at Tiffany's" – 4:16 "A Water Prayer" – 3:19

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995–1996)PeakpositionDenmark (IFPI) 3Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 5Europe (European Hit Radio) 20Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) 3Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) Search "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for Israeli chart history. 9US Cash Box Top 100 3

Year-end charts Chart (1995)PositionCanada Top Singles (RPM) 86 Chart (1996)PositionAustralia (ARIA) 38Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 63Canada Top Singles (RPM) 46Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 46Germany (Media Control) 24Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) 39Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) 11Sweden (Topplistan) 56UK Singles (OCC) 17UK Airplay (Music Week) 14US Billboard Hot 100 39US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 26US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 19US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard) 33

Certifications

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesJuly 10, 1995Alternative radioJuly 11, 1995Contemporary hit radioJapanJune 21, 1996CDUnited KingdomJune 24, 1996September 9, 1996 (re-release)

Other uses In 2010, the song appeared in a Saturday Night Live skit, with four friends (played by Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader and Ryan Phillippe) talking during the verses and singing the choruses. In May 2012, Episode 24 of New Girl highlighted the cast members dancing to this song. The group was listening to this song from Nick's mixtape where he was trying to convince himself to stay together with a likewise dissimilar girlfriend.

References

External links VH1