Faith Hill likely had no idea when she released “Breathe” in 1999 that everything was about to change for her, and for country music. Written by Stephanie Bentley and Holly Lamar, the song is the title track of Hill’s fourth studio album.
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By the time “Breathe”, the debut single from the record, was released, Hill had already had two crossover hits. “This Kiss” and “Let Me Let Go”, out in 1998, became Top 10 hits at pop radio. But with “Breathe”, Hill’s status as a country and pop star was sealed.
“Breathe” won Hill a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Perfomance with Breathe also winning for Best Country Album. The song also spent six weeks at No. 1 on the country charts, and an astonishing 17 nonconsecutive weeks atop Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
Country music was already going through changes when Hill released “Breathe”. But what makes “Breathe” stand out is its lyrics and video. Uncompromising in both its ability to blur genre lines and its overt message, “Breathe” became a landmark moment in country music.
The song says, “‘Cause I can feel you breathe / It’s washing over me / And suddenly, I’m melting into you / There’s nothing left to prove / Baby, all we need is just to be / Caught up in the touch / Slow and steady rush / Baby, isn’t that the way that love’s supposed to be? / I can feel you breathe / Just breathe.”
What Faith Hill Says About Recording Her ‘Breathe’ Album
Hill knew she loved “Breathe” when she first heard it. She also knew that the entire album, which also includes “The Way You Love Me” and “Let’s Make Love” (a duet with her husband, Tim McGraw), was risky, but it was a chance she was willing to take.
“I reached a certain place … acertain level of success, and now it’s time to go to another place,” she tells BMI. “In order to succeed, you can’t be afraid to fail. I consider Breathe a mixture of musical styles that reflects my love for country, pop, gospel, and rhythm and blues. I decided to take some chances here musically.”
Hill was definitely changing course with Breathe, finding freedom that she hadn’t had until the landmark song.
“We tried lots of different things and had some fun and went a little crazy on a couple of tracks,” Hill tells CNN.
Hill followed Breathe with Cry, out in 2002. More pop-leaning than her previous projects, Cry was not as much of a commercial success as Breathe. In 2005, Hill returned to pure country with Fireflies, which is her last solo studio album of new material. In 2007, her final solo album, Joy To The World, was released. She has since largely faded from the spotlight.
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