Break It Up

Album: Horses (1975)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The subject matter of this song is Jim Morrison. It is a combination of a dream Patti Smith had about the late Doors singer and her visit to Morrison's grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.
  • In Patti Smith's dream, she helps Jim Morrison, bound like Prometheus, to break free. She recalled in her lyric collection Complete:

    "I had this dream. I came in on a clearing. There were natives in a circle bending and gesturing. I saw a man stretched across a marble slab. Jim Morrison. He was alive with wings that merged with the marble. Like Prometheus, he struggled, but freedom was beyond him. I stood over him chanting, break it up break it up break it up... The stone dissolved and he moved away. I brushed the feathers from my hair, adjusted my pillow, and returned to sleep."
  • This is about as close as Smith's debut album, Horses, comes to a conventional hard rock track. It is therefore no surprise to learn that it was co-written with by Smith with Television's Tom Verlaine, who was then her lover. Verlaine also contributed guitar to the track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.