"Potential Breakup Song" is a song co-written and performed by pop rock duo Aly & AJ and is the first single from their third studio album, Insomniatic. It was released on June 26, 2007, going on to top many video countdowns, and becoming Aly & AJ's most successful single to date. In November 2020, the song saw a resurgence in popularity due to its widespread use on the app TikTok, receiving over 26 million viewers for the month.
The song was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales over 1,000,000 copies. Time magazine ranked "Potential Breakup Song" the ninth best song of 2007. The song received generally positive reviews from other music critics as well, many praising its lyrical content and its maturity, as well as the "adventurous" synth-based production.
In December 2020, the duo released a re-recording of the song with explicit lyrics.
Background and composition
There are two versions of this song played on the radio. One is the official album version, which is played on mainstream radio, while a version with all of the violence and sexual innuendo removed is played on Radio Disney. In the Radio Disney chorus, when Aly and AJ sing, "gettin' me", the edited version adds a to between gettin and me. Also, in the spoken word middle-eight, when Aly sings, "without me, you're gonna die," die is replaced with cry.
A departure from the duo's earlier guitar-based sound, "Potential Breakup Song" is primarily a pop song. It makes heavy use of vocal processing effects during the verses; and its lyrical content is, as the title states, about a break-up, mentioning that "our album needs just one".
Release
The single was released on Radio Disney on May 12, 2007, containing the edited lyrics rather than the official version of the single. The song was made available for sale on the US iTunes Store on June 26, 2007, along with a pre-order offer for their second studio album, Insomniatic.
The single was released digitally in the UK on October 1, 2007, followed by a physical CD single release on October 8. The album followed two weeks later on October 22. The song served as the group's second UK single when it was released in October, after their debut UK single, "Chemicals React" failed to chart in the UK in May 2007. Also, the bonus track for the United States Wal-Mart collector's edition "Careful With Words" serves as the B-side of the CD single in the United Kingdom.
After a resurgence in popularity of the song due to widespread use on TikTok, and requests from fans, the duo released a re-recording of the song as a promotional single on December 29, 2020. The new recording has reworked vocals and production, with some changes in the lyrics such as replacing "stupid birthday" with "fucking birthday" that had previously been performed live. The duo dedicated the song to "breaking up" with 2020.
Critical reception
Upon its release, "Potential Breakup Song" has received generally positive reviews from critics. Digital Spy said that, "by Disney Channel standards at least, 'Potential Breakup Song' is fairly adventurous, riding its bassline and tango-inflected rhythm track to a chipper, synth-fueled chorus." The Celebrity Cafe said that the song "has an electronica-like melody to it that is perfect to be played in listeners' dance clubs." Tommy2.Net said that "several tracks [on the Insomniatic album] point toward synth rock by the use of samples, loops and vocal processing including the lead single, 'Potential Breakup Song,' which proves to be a good barometer for the direction they're heading." BBC Music said that they "already introduced 'Potential Breakup Song' on Back of the Sofa Tunes pt.2, after I bullied Steve P into listening to it until the poor lad was quite overcome by its brilliance and subsequently forced to bully Fraser into covering it." Time voted it the ninth best song of the year, describing it as "winking pop that doesn't skimp on the hook ... or the emotion."
Music video
The music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, was shot on May 17, 2007, and was premiered on TRL on June 18, 2007. It debuted at number ten on TRL on August 21, 2007, and peaked at number six on August 28, 2007. On July 18, 2007, the video reached number one on AOL Music's Top 10 Video Countdown.
The video shows Aly and AJ singing the song on a grey set dressed in black, and oftentimes acting like DJ's assembling sets of drum machines. At the end of the video, the black ink floating on the air stains a blank paper, forming the group's new logo, as well as the sequence of letters XOXO. It also includes the web address to PotentialBreakup.com.