My Heart Is Broken (song)

"My Heart Is Broken" 250px

My Heart Is Broken is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on October 31, 2011 as the second single from their eponymous third studio album. The song was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord and Zach Williams, while production was handled by Nick Raskulinecz. Musically, My Heart Is Broken is an uptempo rock ballad that begins with piano and Lee's vocals before transcending into guitars and drums. Lee revealed that the song was written after seeing victims of sex trafficking.

The song received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Lee's vocals accompanied by piano, guitars and drums and chose it as a highlight on the album. The song has reached number 36 on the Austrian Singles Chart. It is also a part of the band's set list on their third worldwide tour in support of Evanescence.

Background and Composition

"My Heart Is Broken" was written by Amy Lee,

thumb|350px|right Terry Balsamo, Time McCord and Zach Williams and it was produced by Nick Raskulinecz. The song was recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. During an interview, Amy Lee stated that she originally wrote the song on a harp. She added that the band wrote the song along with "What You Want" and the piano part at the beginning of the song was written on a harp which was a slower and an easier instrument for her. However, during the pre-production of Evanescence the band made the tempo of the song faster so when it was time to record the song it was impossible to play it on a harp. Lee said that the song sounded better with the piano part because it was a stronger and more prominent instrument which made the song "one of the most passionate songs on the whole album". During another interview with rock magazine Kerrang! Lee revealed the inspiration of "My Heart Is Broken" saying: "A good friend of mine heads up an organization in New York that rescues victims of sex trafficking. My husband and I got involved and were really moved and horrified. As I was writing the song I was putting myself in that place - what would it be like to be trapped? Threatened? Alone? Unable to tell anyone what was happening because you're afraid of what would happen?".

The song is a ballad that starts with piano and Lee sings the lines "I will never find a way to heal my soul/ And I will wander 'til the end of time/ Torn away from you/ My heart is broken" during the chorus of the song. Chad Grischow of the website IGN found "cascading piano and grubby march of guitar and stomping drums" which were similar to the older material by the band.

Release

The song premiered online prior the official release of the album on September 27, 2011. On August 22, 2011, Lee went to Toronto's Liberty Studios to preview five mastered songs from the new album to a selected crowd of thirty people. "My Heart Is Broken" was one of the five previewed songs. During an interview with MTV News, the band revealed that they wanted the song to be included on on the soundtrack to the movie The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Will Hunt the drummer of the band said, "I've been screaming for [new song] 'My Heart Is Broken' to land in that, because I think it would fit the story so well. I got sucked into the 'Twilight' vortex by the girls at home, so by default, I've got to watch it." However, the song was not included on the soundtrack. During an interview with NME, Lee confirmed that the song will be released as the second single from the album. The song will be sent to pop, hot adult contemporary and Hot/Mod/AC radio stations in the United States on November 1, 2011. It will be also served to mainstream radio stations the same day. The song was made available for digital download on November 14, 2011.

Critical Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic chose the song as a highlight on the album. Steve Beebee of rock magazine Kerrang! also chose the song as a highlight on the album, adding that it "develops into a searching, soulful hook, ranging high among the best material this band has ever recorded." Digital Spy's Lewis Corner chose the song as a tracks to consider downloading, further writing that "'My Heart Is Broken' would strongly beg to differ, with a dashing piano riff skittling over growling guitar strums serving as a backdrop for her emotive alto-soprano." Rick Florino of Artistdirect said, "On 'My Heart Is Broken', a gorgeous piano intro rises alongside Lee's vibrant vocal delivery as Will Hunt's airtight drumming propels the tune into another realm." Tom Goodwyn of NME praised "Me Heart Is Broken" saying that it "sounds quite a lot like a Disney ballad, beginning with Amy Lee cooing 'I will wander until the end of time' over a piano line straight off Powers Ballad Vol.12. It gets heavier at the end though, don't worry." Chris Willman of Reuters concluded that the song was "bluntly titled", while The Hollywood Reporter's Sophie Schillaci called it a "gut-wrenching" ballad. Calling the song "fiery", Chad Grischow of the website IGN noted that in "My Heart Is Broken", "Lee's siren-esque vocals shine, [and] the band takes a few interesting chances late in the album." Marc Hirsh of The Boston Globe called the song "a banshee howl of defiant, [and] self-lacerating rage." Billboard magazine's Christa Titus wrote that Lee's voice was "powerful and flexible as ever, as heard in her piercing wails on hit-in-waiting 'My Heart Is Broken'." Serene Dominic of The Arizona Republic wrote, "Really, when your heart is broken, you want a song that's as idea driven as 'My Heart is Broken' to carry you through and that's what she [Lee] delivers."

Chart Performance

For the week ending November 25, 2011, "My Heart Is Broken" debuted at number 36 on the Austrian Singles Chart. It also debuted at number 92 on the German Singles Chart on November 28, 2011. On the US Adult Pop Songs, "My Heart Is Broken" debuted at number 40 for the week ending December 4, 2011.

Music Video

The music video for "My Heart is Broken" began filming on December 1, 2011. It was filmed in Los Angeles. It was directed by Dean Karr, and is currently scheduled to be released in January 2012. During an interview with MTV News, Lee stated that the video for the song was "etheral". She also said, "This [video] is going to look a lot different. Actually, I kind of wanted it to be the opposite. The first video, for 'What You Want,' was very real, and this is very surreal." Lee also stated that to get the surreality in the video, she further drew inspiration from the dark fantasy horror film Paperhouse (1998). Lee explained: "[It's about] this girl, and everything that she would draw would come to life in her dreams, and she was creating this dream world for herself. And at first, it was cool, but then it's like this nightmare. So I sort of thought it would apply, and be cool, to have it be this dream that you're trapped in. So you're in a place that, at first, is a magical world, but at the same time, you're isolated and trapped there, and that's the reason you want to come back to reality after a time." To create the video, the band used fiber optics and according to Lee, they helped her drawing world around her from nothingness, and when she drew things with her hands, the things came to life. She stated that "the guys' performance is sort of like the dream within the dream, in an abyss of darkness".

Live Performances

Evanescence performed "My Heart Is Broken" live for the first time during the 2011 Rock in Rio festival on October 2, 2011. They later added the song to the set list on their third worldwide tour in support of Evanescence. Sophie Schillaci of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Lee's "high energy and an undeniably fierce vocal style" were best demonstrated during the performance of "My Heart Is Broken".

Lyrics

I will wander till the end of time, torn away from you.

I pulled away to face the pain
I close my eyes and drift away
over the fear that I will never find a way to heal my soul
and I will wander till the end of time
torn away from you
My heart is broken
sweet sleep, my dark angel
deliver us from sorrow’s hold (over my heart)
I can’t go on living this way
But I can’t go back the way I came
chained to this fear that I will never find a way to heal my soul
and I will wander till the end of time
half alive without you
My heart is broken
sweet sleep, my dark angel
deliver us
Change
Open your eyes to the light
I denied it all so long, oh so long
Say goodbye
Goodbye
My heart is broken
release me, I can’t hold on
deliver us
My heart is broken
sweet sleep, my dark angel
deliver us
My heart is broken
sweet sleep, my dark angel
deliver us from sorrow’s hold