Inhale, Exhale!

January 30, 2008 9:45 PM

What pop songs, new or old, are out there about breathing?

A friend of mine sent me an MP3 of a song sung by Elmo of Sesame Street entitled "Take a Breath". It's off an album called "Sing: The Songs of Joe Raposo" It makes me wonder if there are were any pop songs about breath or breathing.

posted by goalyeehah to society & culture (55 comments total)

Breathe by Faith Hill

I guess it's not really about breathing, but hey.
posted by clh at 9:52 PM on January 30, 2008

Every Breath You Take, the Police. Same caveat as clh.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:55 PM on January 30, 2008

Breathe by Melissa Etheridge
posted by changeling at 9:55 PM on January 30, 2008

Yes, the proviso is it must be about the act of breathing. I also am open to "instrumental only" pieces also....jazz, orchestral, etc.
posted by goalyeehah at 9:58 PM on January 30, 2008

Breathe by Pink Floyd, first song on Dark Side of the Moon
posted by fingers_of_fire at 9:58 PM on January 30, 2008

How do you define being about breathing?

Breathe--Blu Cantrell (breathe, i.e., relax in face of bad relationship stresses)
Breathe--Prodigy (not much at all, but "breathe" and "inhale, you're the victim" "exhale!" all throughout)
Breathe--Telepopmusik (another day, just breathe, and very breathily sung)
Breathe Your Name--Sixpence None The Richer (amazed by the world's natural beauty, a breathy paean to God (at least as I understand the lyrics, given the Christian connections of the group))
Breathe--Sleeper (one of my all time fave tracks, though I couldn't really tell you what Louise is really get on about)
The Trick is to Keep Breathing--Garbage (see Blu Cantrell, with a respiratory outro)
I Love Life--Pulp (Here comes your bedtime story/Mum & Dad have sentenced you to life./Don't think twice; it's the only reason I'm alive./I feel alright as long as I don't forget to breathe./
Breathe in, breathe in, breathe out.)

But strictly about respiration? Beats me.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:00 PM on January 30, 2008

Not really a pop song, but Ani Difranco's Pulse mentions breathing a bit.

Also, REM's Try Not To Breathe.

And CopShootCop, It Only Hurts When I Breathe. Definitely not a pop song, but makes up for it in awesome.

Of course, a classic, Pink Floyd, Breathe.
posted by iamkimiam at 10:02 PM on January 30, 2008

The Air That I Breathe by The Hollies

Lose My Breath - Destiny's Child
posted by extrabox at 10:06 PM on January 30, 2008

Anna Nalick's Breathe (2AM) is another.
posted by thisjax at 10:08 PM on January 30, 2008

Take My Breath Away - Berlin

You Take My Breath Away - Rex Smith
posted by amyms at 10:11 PM on January 30, 2008

Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik
posted by amyms at 10:13 PM on January 30, 2008

Machine Head by BUSH broaches the subject.

The advice given by them is "breathe in, breath out".

Sorry just read the caveat parts and too lazy to delete and not hit that shiny yellow post comment bu
posted by oblio_one at 10:23 PM on January 30, 2008

Breathe, Midge Ure
posted by _dario at 10:31 PM on January 30, 2008

Breathing by Kate Bush tells the story of a fetus trying to breathe after a nuclear bomb has dropped. Creepy song.
posted by saucysault at 10:32 PM on January 30, 2008

"Breathe some soul in me, breathe your gift of love to me."

Midge Ure's Breathe is one of my all-time favorite songs (in case it sounds familiar, you might recall that this song was used in a European Swatch TV advertisement campaign a few years ago.)

Oh man, I just fell in love with this song all over again.
posted by halogen at 10:38 PM on January 30, 2008

Oops, should have previewed: what _dario said. Also, it might be interesting to point out that Amazon turns up 2,432 results for MP3 downloads matching the query "breathe".
posted by halogen at 10:43 PM on January 30, 2008

Sia - Breathe Me, perhaps?
posted by barnacles at 11:03 PM on January 30, 2008

Breathe Again - Toni Braxton
Stop Breathin' - Pavement
posted by wemayfreeze at 11:11 PM on January 30, 2008

Swans's "When She Breathes". I imagine a lot of songs about drowning would fit the bill as well - the only interesting one winamp kicked up for me was "Death by Drowning" by the Birthday Party.
posted by whir at 11:14 PM on January 30, 2008

I'll step in with the only rap track:

Fabolous - Breathe
posted by unexpected at 11:22 PM on January 30, 2008

Breath - Pearl Jam
Under your breath - whiskeytown
posted by Rumple at 11:24 PM on January 30, 2008

Oh, and:
Lungs - Townes van Zandt
posted by Rumple at 11:25 PM on January 30, 2008

Ah, on preview I've been beat, but for a little more info: The rapper Fabolous has a song called "Breathe", featuring heavy use of the word. As a bonus, the video [YouTube] has visual references to breathing (e.g., woman giving birth, injured man with oxygen mask).
posted by Burns Ave. at 11:28 PM on January 30, 2008

Breathe - Kylie Minogue

More

etc
posted by Bdave at 11:55 PM on January 30, 2008

Michelle Branch's Breathe? Vienna Teng's Feather Moon song talks about breathing too, but it's not very pop.
posted by aielen at 1:01 AM on January 31, 2008

Artist - Song (a bit of the lyrics)

Robin Storey, Victor Nubla - About Breathing
Bush - Machinehead (breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out)
Shania Twain - It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing
Silent League - Breathe
Melissa Etheridge - Breathe (I'm alright, I'm alright, it only hurts when I breathe)
Anna Nalick - Breathe 2 AM (breathe, just breathe)
Michelle Branch - Breathe (If I just breathe, let it fill the space between)
The Prodigy - Breathe (inhale, inhale, you're the victim, exhale, exhale, exhale)
R.E.M., Try Not To Breathe
Depeche Mode - Breathe (put your head on my chest and breathe love)
Duncan Sheik - Barely Breathing
('cause I'm barely breathing, and I can't find the air)
Garbage - The Trick Is To Keep Breathing
Ben Folds Five - Air (he wasn't breathin', I'm coming up for air, air ... )
Mase - Breathe, Stretch, Shake
Collective Soul - Breathe (I'm gonna take a deep breath for you, come on now breathe)
Atreyu - Someone's Standing On My Chest (dying I'm asphyxiating myself)
posted by book at 1:18 AM on January 31, 2008

i fell asleep listening to this on tape when I was little. Always the first thing that comes to mind when I think of breathing and music (and little people building fortifications on my stomach). Maybe they'll have it up on that sesame street site sometime soon.
posted by nangua at 1:32 AM on January 31, 2008

Daft Punk's song "Alive" (preview further down the page), off their 1997 album Homework, uses instrumentation that mimics rhythmic breathing and a heartbeat.
posted by good in a vacuum at 2:06 AM on January 31, 2008

Stabbing Westward - The Only Thing

It references breathing. A lot.
posted by angeline at 2:12 AM on January 31, 2008

Whitney Houston "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" from the movie "Waiting to exhale".
posted by iviken at 2:24 AM on January 31, 2008

Dashboard Confessional - Remember to Breathe
posted by namewithoutwords at 3:05 AM on January 31, 2008

Van Morrison's song Sweet Thing, while otherwise free of respiratory references, contains the lyric you breathe in you breathe out you breathe in you breathe out you breath in you breathe out you breathe in you breathe out. More tangentially: Radiohead's My Iron Lung? Aphex Twin's Ventolin?
posted by misteraitch at 4:00 AM on January 31, 2008

Tattletale, Glass Vase Cello Case? Breathe into my hands/ Or cup them like a glass to drink from/ Are you still, still breathing?
The only links I can find are bad mash-up videos, like this one.
posted by bassjump at 4:55 AM on January 31, 2008

Aqualung by Jethro Tull:...'and you catch your rattling last breaths/with deep sea diver sounds/
posted by mamaraks at 4:59 AM on January 31, 2008

In no paticular order:

Faith Hill - Breathe
Jerry Lee Lewis - Breathless
Sting - Every Breath You Take
Chris Cagle - I Breathe In, I Breathe Out
Metallica - Motorbreath
Hollies - Sometimes all i need is the air i breath
Travelling Wilburys - You Took My Breath Away
Pink floyd - breathe
Woven Hand - Breathing Bull
Koko Taylor - Save Your Breath
Pink Floyd - Speak to Me/Breathe in the Air
Emma Bunton - Take my Breath away
Shania Twain - It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing
Olivia Newton John - The Air That I Breathe
George Harrison - Breath Away From Heaven
Yello - Star Breath
Howard Shore - Breath Of Life
Blue - Breathe Easy
posted by Thug at 5:09 AM on January 31, 2008

Matt Kearny - Breathe In, Breathe Out
posted by headspace at 5:27 AM on January 31, 2008

Sixpence None the Richer has another song simply called "Breathe". It's more overtly Christian but way less annoying than "Breathe Your Name" (mentioned above by Admiral Haddock).
posted by wallaby at 5:31 AM on January 31, 2008

Love is Like OxygenSweet-70's cheese from Sweet
posted by TedW at 5:47 AM on January 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'll step in with the only rap track:

Fabolous - Breathe

BDP - Breath Control.

So there! na na.
posted by cashman at 5:50 AM on January 31, 2008

Alexi Murdoch - "Breathe"
posted by lpsguy at 6:07 AM on January 31, 2008

Maroon 5 - Harder to Breathe. My wife and I call it "the asthma awareness song".
posted by Uncle Jimmy at 6:14 AM on January 31, 2008

"Breathless," by the Corrs.
posted by shallowcenter at 6:47 AM on January 31, 2008

Breathin' ... Tupac Shakur.

Admitedly not exactly about breathing, but he does allow that he will be the last motherfucker doing so.
posted by FauxScot at 6:58 AM on January 31, 2008

The Four Tet remix of Sia's Breathe Me is the one to get. (It's on iTunes, or at least used to be.)
posted by blueshammer at 7:10 AM on January 31, 2008

Breathe In, Breathe Out by Kanye West isn't explicitly about breathing per se but you have the lyrics.
posted by sneakin at 7:34 AM on January 31, 2008

Yellowcard - Breathing
posted by General Malaise at 8:23 AM on January 31, 2008

Would Walking Song by Meredith Monk be something like you were looking for? I mean, it isn't about breathing so much as it is a song of breathing.
posted by indiebass at 9:08 AM on January 31, 2008

Breathe - Ministry
posted by Scoo at 9:26 AM on January 31, 2008

hey, it's not Elmo singing - the Sesame Street song predates that abominable muppet by at least 15 years. The segment featured a montage of animal clips.
posted by zepheria at 9:39 AM on January 31, 2008

Delirium, one of my favorite songs by the wonderful Amy X Neuburg. (Disclosure: I used to run Racer Records, but closed it in 2003.)
posted by kristi at 9:43 AM on January 31, 2008

Poi Dog Pondering - Jack Ass Ginger "Breathe deep, fill up with relief, don't hold back, don't go mad."
posted by pomegranate at 10:06 AM on January 31, 2008

In Radiohead's "Exit Music (from a film)," the singer repeatedly tells his lover, "Breathe -- keep breathing."
posted by ROTFL at 11:35 AM on January 31, 2008

Breathe - Maria McKee
posted by initapplette at 2:29 PM on January 31, 2008

Frou Frou, "Breathe In." So poppy right now.
posted by svolix at 3:21 PM on January 31, 2008

Heh, Ingrid Michaelson, Keep breathing, with it's immortal poetry:

I want to believe in more than you and me
But all that I know is I'm breathing
All I can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing now
All that I know is I'm breathing
All I can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing
All we can do is keep breathing now
posted by Rumple at 11:36 AM on February 1, 2008