Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart

"Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" is a popular song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller. It was recorded by Connie Francis in an October 18, 1960, New York City session conducted and arranged by Stan Applebaum; the same session produced "Where the Boys Are" to which "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" was released as the follow-up single in April 1961, reaching the Top 10 in May with a Billboard Hot 100 peak of #7 (#5 on the Cash Box Pop 100).^[1]

Although "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" was Francis' seventh consecutive A-side to reach the Top 10 - and her eleventh Top 10 overall - the single did mark a dip in her popularity as, while Francis' previous eight singles had had both A- and B-sides chart, the single's B-side "Someone Else's Boy" was overlooked in the U.S. despite becoming an international success for Francis via her recording versions in eight languages.

In the UK, "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" reached #12 in June 1961; the track reached the Top 10 in Australia (#8) and New Zealand (#2) that July and in September 1961 reached #7 in the Netherlands with a Top 10 ranking in India in December. Also in 1961, Francis' rendering in Italian as "La Valle Senzo Eco" ("The valley without echo") was a Top 10 hit in Italy - #9 that October - and the same year while a version in soumi: "Äsken särkyi sydämeni", was cut by Marjatta Leppänen(fi) for release in Finland.

Like Francis' previous Greenfield/Keller-penned hit "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" exemplified the country pop sound and while unlike "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" was not a C&W crossover for Francis herself the song early entered the C&W canon via a cover by the Wilburn Brothers on their 1962 album City Limits.¹

In 1978, Margo Smith remade the song for her Don't Break the Heart That Loves You whose title cut, a remake of Francis' 1961 #1 hit, had been a #1 C&W hit. "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" was a #25 C&W single in 1979 for Debby Boone whose precedent single had also been a remake of a Connie Francis hit, specifically "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" (#11 C&W); both tracks were featured on the Debby Boone album. In 1980 Boone would attempt a third Connie Francis hit remake with her version of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" which would fall short of the C&W Top 40 at #48.

A German rendering of the song: "Das kommt davon...", was recorded in 1961 by Gitte. Elda Viler (sl) recorded the Slovenian rendering "Dolina Brez Odmeva" in 1964 and also recorded "La Valle Senzo Eco" in 1965.

• ¹ as "Breaking in a Brand New Broken Heart"

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