"Blow Me Away" is a song by American rock band Breaking Benjamin. The song is a non-album single, written in 2004 specifically for the Halo 2 Original Soundtrack. It was later released in 2010 as a digital single. In 2011, a remixed version of the song was released on Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin, featuring vocals of Sydnee Duran from Valora. Written by vocalist and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and then-drummer Jeremy Hummel, the song is described as featuring "hard rock roots, ... a vocal-centric aesthetic, heavy electric rhythm guitars", and "an aggressive male vocalist".[1]
| "Blow Me Away" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Breaking Benjamin | ||||
| from the album Halo 2 Original Soundtrack, So Cold EP and Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin | ||||
| Released |
| |||
| Genre | Alternative metal | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Hollywood | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | David Bendeth | |||
| Breaking Benjamin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 2011 cover | ||||
 "Blow Me Away" (featuring Valora) | ||||
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blow Me Away" |
| 3:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blow Me Away (featuring Valora)" |
| 3:09 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blow Me Away (featuring Valora)" |
| 3:27 |
Controversies
editWhen drummer Jeremy Hummel filed a federal wrongful termination lawsuit against the band, he contended that he co-wrote the song.[4] In March 2010, it was announced that Hollywood Records was seeking the band's permission to produce the remix with additional vocals from Sydnee Duran of Valora.[5] In May 2011, while the band was on hiatus due to Burnley's health issues, guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski gave the label permission to remix the song after being offered money.[5] Burnley fired both two days later.[5] In June, Burnley filed a lawsuit against Fink and Klepaski, seeking at least $750,000 in damages and the exclusive right to the band's name.[5] He claimed that both members had made unilateral and unauthorized decisions on behalf of the band, though both of them denied these claims.[6] On April 19, 2013, Burnley announced that the dispute between him and the other members had been resolved and that he retained the right to continue the band under the name Breaking Benjamin.[7]
Charts
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US BU [8][9] |
US Alt. [10] |
US Digital [11] |
US Main. | US Rock [10] | |||
| 2010 | "Blow Me Away" | 1 | — | 64 | — | — | Single-only release |
| 2011 | "Blow Me Away" (remix featuring Valora) | 20 | 37 | — | 5 | 14 | Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
edit- "Blow Me Away"
- Performed by Breaking Benjamin
- Benjamin Burnley – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Aaron Fink – lead guitar
- Mark Klepaski – bass
- Jeremy Hummel – drums
- Written by Benjamin Burnley and Jeremy Hummel
- Produced and mixed by David Bendeth
- Digital editing by Dan Korneff
- Recorded at Blackbird Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
- "Blow Me Away" (featuring Valora)
- Written by Benjamin Burnley and Jeremy Hummel
- Produced and mixed by David Bendeth
- Mix engineering by Dan Korneff
- Engineering and digital editing by Dan Korneff and John Bender
- Recorded at House of Loud, Elmwood Park, New Jersey
- Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, New York City, New York
- Additional vocals by Sydnee Duran of Valora
References
edit- ^ "Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin Features of This Track". Music Genome Project. Pandora Radio. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ "Blow Me Away - Single by Breaking Benjamin - Download Blow Me Away - Single on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. February 23, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ a b "Blow Me Away (feat. Valora) - Single by Breaking Benjamin - Download Blow Me Away (feat. Valora) - Single on iTunes". itunes.apple.com. June 7, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Amerman, Kevin (September 29, 2005). "Band Sees No Basis For Lawsuit / The Drummer Was Fired Justly and Was Properly Paid, Says Breaking Benjamin's Manager". Times Leader. Archived from the original on 2015-07-01. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Sisak, Michael R. (August 3, 2011). "From breaking to broken: The success & failure of Breaking Benjamin". Citizens' Voice. Times-Shamrock Communications. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014.
- ^ Sisak, Michael R.; Gaydos, Kristen (August 2, 2011). "Breaking Benjamin broken over song dispute". Citizens' Voice. Times-Shamrock Communications. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014.
- ^ Childers, Chad (April 20, 2013). "Breaking Benjamin Frontman Benjamin Burnley Retains Rights to Band's Name". Loudwire. Diffuser Network. Archived from the original on March 27, 2015.
- ^ "Breaking Benjamin Album & Song Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ "Gold Derby Awards Forums - Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys and more". Goldderbyforums.latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ a b "Information Not Found". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "Breaking Benjamin Album & Song Chart History (Hot Digital Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "American single certifications – Breaking Benjamin – Blow Me Away". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 January 2021.