"Break 4 Love" is a song written, produced, and recorded by Vaughan Mason, the principal member of American house-music group Raze, the song's original credited performer. The song, the group's only significant US hit, featured vocals by Keith Thompson and Vaughan Mason, as well as sexual sound samples by Erique Dial. The single peaked at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the US BillboardHot Dance Club Play chart in 1988.[1] It is still considered a classic of the early house music genre.
The song interpolates "Today, Tomorrow and Forever" (1987) by The Castle Beat.[2]
"Break 4 Love" (Spanish Mix) – similar to Spanish Fly, but no break
"Break 4 Love" (French Mix)
"Break 4 Love" (Italian Mix)
All of these versions run approximately 5:25 and feature sexual vocalization samples by Erique Dial.
A 3:18 edit of the English Mix was used as the 7" single version.
Commercial performance and reissues
"Break 4 Love" reached number 28 on the UK Singles Chart in 1988.[3] It has since been remixed, re-recorded and reissued on several different independent dance music labels, the most significant of which, "All 4 Love (Break 4 Love 1990)" which featured Lady J and The Secretary of Entertainment and produced and co-written by Erique Dial climbed to number 30 in the UK in early 1990.[3] Further releases of "Break 4 Love" remixes were released in the UK in 1994 and 2003. The 1994 release reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart,[3][4] and the 2003 release at number 64 on the singles chart.[3]
Impact and legacy
British drum and bass DJ and producer Fabio chose "Break 4 Love" as one of his top 10 tracks in 1996, saying, "This was one of the first breakbeat tracks. It used the break to roll the track along. A really sexy track, it always gets people going mad—it's got energy."[5]
"Break 4 Love" can be heard in the video gameGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on the in-game radio station SF-UR, which also features other house music songs by different artists.
Track listing
Original Grove Street 12-inch single
"Break 4 Love" (Drop the Panties)
"Break 4 Love" (Instrumental)
"Break 4 Love" (Spanish Fly)
"Break 4 Love" (Radio Vocals)
Charts
Weekly charts
1988–1989 Weekly chart performance for "Break 4 Love"