Unbreakable (Fireflight song)
Encyclopedia
"Unbreakable" is a song by Christian rock
band Fireflight
from their second album, Unbreakable
. It was released in November 2007 as the album's lead single
, receiving television promotion on the NBC
network that month. The song soon became popular on Christian rock radio, charting at number one in February 2008. It was 2008's 14th most played song of the year on Christian contemporary hit radio
.
The song is about having triumph and victory over past circumstances and has been described as "anthemic". The theme of "Unbreakable" was partially inspired by a fan's question asked on MySpace
. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was GMA Dove Award-nominated in 2009 for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year.
The song was also the theme song for the WFigs animation group NGA (The New Generation Animators) NGA consists of Scotty, Arrow, and Mitch.
(2006), and Unbreakable. The first album was thematically based on "trying to fight your way through circumstances", while Fireflight's second project has a theme of triumph and being "[victorious] over the things that used to control you". According to the band members, the song "Unbreakable" represents that change between the two albums: "now it's about finding power in your life", said bassist Wendy Drennen.
Fireflight
's profile page on MySpace
once received a question from a fan asking, "Do you think you could write a song that makes it clear that everything is going to be alright? That not only are you going through a hard time, but that things can be awesome again?" This idea was used by the band as an inspiration for "Unbreakable", and the album Unbreakable
as a whole.
account of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery; the song's first line states, "Where are the people that accused me?" Richardson said, "The people in charge were ready to kill her, and Jesus speaks up for her, changes their minds and makes them feel ashamed for accusing her ... She knows she’s guilty, and yet she’s suddenly free and given a second chance."
's television show Bionic Woman
during November 2007. On November 6, the song was officially released as the lead single
from Fireflight's second album, Unbreakable
. In the beginning of February 2008, it placed at number one on R&R
's Christian rock format, becoming the band's third number one single on Christian rock
radio. It held the position for at least three weeks, and also charted at number 14 on R&Rs Christian contemporary hit radio
(CHR) chart; it was the most-added song of the week on the CHR format in mid February. It reached a peak position on the Billboard
Hot Christian Songs
chart of number 20 in early April.
At the end of 2008 "Unbreakable" was the 14th most-played song of the year on Christian contemporary hit radio
. In February 2009, it received a GMA Dove Award nomination for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year.
editor John DiBiase called it a "powerful anthem" and said that the opening track was "merely the tip of the iceberg" for the album's quality among the other tracks. Bob Felberg of The Phantom Tollbooth was favorable towards the song, saying, "'Unbreakable' ...is one of the strongest Christian rock songs in a long time, both in music and lyrics", and that it featured "a slinky-like guitar and strings interacting before slamming rhythms blow your hair straight back". In response to "Unbreakable" being featured on NBC's Bionic Woman, The Phantom Tollbooth's second reviewer Bert Saraco said, "Mainstream attention is a wonderful thing, of course, but often signals a necessarily generic element to a project that sometimes sends out danger signals as to its artistic or creative potential." Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms
magazine said that the song was "excellent".
on March 29, 2008. The video primarily shows the band performing in a building with dark lighting, but also depicts three people in their separate difficulties. The first is a man who was involved in a car wreck. Next shown is a woman who has suffered hair loss from chemotherapy
cancer treatment, and the third individual is a teenage girl who struggles with bulimia nervosa
. At the end of the song, all three have a more relaxed countenance.
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band Fireflight
Fireflight
Fireflight is an American Christian rock band formed in Eustis, Florida in 1999. The band is signed by Flicker Records. They have played in Shoutfest, Revelation Generation, and have been featured on The Scars Remain tour with Disciple, Family Force 5, and Decyfer Down...
from their second album, Unbreakable
Unbreakable (Fireflight album)
Unbreakable is the third full-length studio album released by Christian rock band Fireflight, but second full-length to be released on Flicker Records. The album was released on March 4, 2008 on Flicker Records.-Background:...
. It was released in November 2007 as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, receiving television promotion on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network that month. The song soon became popular on Christian rock radio, charting at number one in February 2008. It was 2008's 14th most played song of the year on Christian contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
.
The song is about having triumph and victory over past circumstances and has been described as "anthemic". The theme of "Unbreakable" was partially inspired by a fan's question asked on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was GMA Dove Award-nominated in 2009 for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year.
The song was also the theme song for the WFigs animation group NGA (The New Generation Animators) NGA consists of Scotty, Arrow, and Mitch.
Background
The band's style and theme changed between their debut album, The Healing of HarmsThe Healing of Harms
The Healing of Harms is the first non-independent studio album released by Christian rock band Fireflight in 2006. The album was Fireflight's first release on Flicker Records...
(2006), and Unbreakable. The first album was thematically based on "trying to fight your way through circumstances", while Fireflight's second project has a theme of triumph and being "[victorious] over the things that used to control you". According to the band members, the song "Unbreakable" represents that change between the two albums: "now it's about finding power in your life", said bassist Wendy Drennen.
Fireflight
Fireflight
Fireflight is an American Christian rock band formed in Eustis, Florida in 1999. The band is signed by Flicker Records. They have played in Shoutfest, Revelation Generation, and have been featured on The Scars Remain tour with Disciple, Family Force 5, and Decyfer Down...
's profile page on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
once received a question from a fan asking, "Do you think you could write a song that makes it clear that everything is going to be alright? That not only are you going through a hard time, but that things can be awesome again?" This idea was used by the band as an inspiration for "Unbreakable", and the album Unbreakable
Unbreakable (Fireflight album)
Unbreakable is the third full-length studio album released by Christian rock band Fireflight, but second full-length to be released on Flicker Records. The album was released on March 4, 2008 on Flicker Records.-Background:...
as a whole.
Music and lyrics
The song is carried by an "anthemic" sound and the "riveting vocals" of lead singer Dawn Michele. Bassist Wendy Drennen said that "Unbreakable" was about "overcoming a defeated mentality and finding the power to remain strong amid the landscape, not allowing fear to hold us back from having victory over the things that used to control us". It is also lyrically based on the BiblicalBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
account of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery; the song's first line states, "Where are the people that accused me?" Richardson said, "The people in charge were ready to kill her, and Jesus speaks up for her, changes their minds and makes them feel ashamed for accusing her ... She knows she’s guilty, and yet she’s suddenly free and given a second chance."
Release and promotion
"Unbreakable" was featured on the promotional soundtrack for NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's television show Bionic Woman
Bionic Woman (2007 TV series)
Bionic Woman is an American science fiction television drama created by David Eick, under NBC Universal Television Group, GEP Productions and David Eick Productions that aired in 2007...
during November 2007. On November 6, the song was officially released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from Fireflight's second album, Unbreakable
Unbreakable (Fireflight album)
Unbreakable is the third full-length studio album released by Christian rock band Fireflight, but second full-length to be released on Flicker Records. The album was released on March 4, 2008 on Flicker Records.-Background:...
. In the beginning of February 2008, it placed at number one on R&R
R&R (magazine)
R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes...
's Christian rock format, becoming the band's third number one single on Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
radio. It held the position for at least three weeks, and also charted at number 14 on R&Rs Christian contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
(CHR) chart; it was the most-added song of the week on the CHR format in mid February. It reached a peak position on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
chart of number 20 in early April.
At the end of 2008 "Unbreakable" was the 14th most-played song of the year on Christian contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
. In February 2009, it received a GMA Dove Award nomination for Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year.
Reception
The song was generally received well by critics. Jesus Freak HideoutJesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...
editor John DiBiase called it a "powerful anthem" and said that the opening track was "merely the tip of the iceberg" for the album's quality among the other tracks. Bob Felberg of The Phantom Tollbooth was favorable towards the song, saying, "'Unbreakable' ...is one of the strongest Christian rock songs in a long time, both in music and lyrics", and that it featured "a slinky-like guitar and strings interacting before slamming rhythms blow your hair straight back". In response to "Unbreakable" being featured on NBC's Bionic Woman, The Phantom Tollbooth's second reviewer Bert Saraco said, "Mainstream attention is a wonderful thing, of course, but often signals a necessarily generic element to a project that sometimes sends out danger signals as to its artistic or creative potential." Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms
Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:The roots of what was to become Cross Rhythms go back to two separate sources which merged in 1991. In 1983, broadcaster Chris Cole started a 30-minute weekly Christian music radio show on Plymouth Sound FM, a...
magazine said that the song was "excellent".
Music video
The song's music video premiered on the Gospel Music ChannelGospel Music Channel
gmc is an American satellite and cable television channel, known from its 2004 launch until February 1, 2010 as Gospel Music Channel. It is also available in high-definition as a separate channel called gmcHD ....
on March 29, 2008. The video primarily shows the band performing in a building with dark lighting, but also depicts three people in their separate difficulties. The first is a man who was involved in a car wreck. Next shown is a woman who has suffered hair loss from chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
cancer treatment, and the third individual is a teenage girl who struggles with bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
. At the end of the song, all three have a more relaxed countenance.
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| R&R R&R (magazine) R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes... 's Christian Rock format |
1 |
| R&R R&R (magazine) R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes... 's Christian CHR Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... format |
14 |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 's Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... chart |
20 |