Barely Breathing :: Duncan Sheik
from the album, Duncan Sheik

Barely Breathing was the first single from the Gold-plus debut album of American singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik.

Originally intended as a “throwaway” track written to complete the album, the song became Sheik’s breakout hit, entering the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard charts, peaking at # 16, and holding steady for 55 weeks. Barely Breathing also hit # 19 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. At the time, it was the fourth longest-running single in the Hot 100. The song ranked # 88 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, and # 8 on their 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90’s list.

Additionally, Barely Breathing earned Sheik a BMI Award for Most Played Song of the Year in 1997 and a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1998.

Editor’s Note: One of those break-up songs that is super glued into my memory, with Lisa Loeb’s Stay, Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U and The Cure’s Pictures of You, affixed to the first real heartbreak I ever experienced. It never hurts quite as bad as that first time, does it?