Break It to Me Gently#Johnny Hallyday version (in French)

{{Short description|1961 song written by Joe Seneca and Diane Lampert}}

{{for multi|the song by Aretha Franklin|Break It to Me Gently (Aretha Franklin song)|the song by Loverboy|Wildside (album)}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Break It to Me Gently

| cover = Break_It_to_Me_Gently_-_Brenda_Lee.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Brenda Lee

| album = ..."Let Me Sing"

| B-side = So Deep

| released = January 8, 1962

| recorded = August 31, 1961

| studio = Bradley Studios (Nashville, Tennessee)

| venue =

| genre = Vocal, country

| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=34}}

| label = Decca 31348

| writer = Joe Seneca, Diane Lampert

| producer = Owen Bradley

| prev_title = Fool #1

| prev_year = 1961

| next_title = Speak to Me Pretty

| next_year = 1962

}}

"Break It to Me Gently" is a pop song written by blues musician Joe Seneca with lyrics by Diane Lampert. Both Brenda Lee and Juice Newton were met with considerable success with their versions of the song.

Brenda Lee recorded "Break It to Me Gently" on August 31, 1961, with Owen Bradley producing the session at his Bradley Film and Recording Studio in Nashville,{{cite web|url=http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2010/01/brenda-lee.html |title=Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies: Brenda Lee |access-date=2010-06-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708032552/http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2010/01/brenda-lee.html |archive-date=2011-07-08 }} after another track from the same sessions, "Fool #1", which became a top 10 hit. "Break It To Me Gently" was released as a single at the end of 1961 and reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1962.Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}} In 2008, the Brenda Lee version of the song was featured at the closing of season 2, episode 7 of the AMC series Mad Men. Lee's "Break It to Me Gently" is on the track list of the CD Pan Am: Music From and Inspired By the Original Series set for release January 17, 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=149814 |title='PAN AM: MUSIC FROM AND INSIRED BY THE ORIGINAL SERIES,' CD COMING JANUARY 17 FROM VERVE MUSIC GROUP, BRINGS MUSIC FROM A MORE OPTIMISTIC ERA IN AMERICA |website=Mi2N.com |date=2012-01-17 |access-date=2016-09-26}}

Juice Newton version

{{Infobox song

| name = Break It to Me Gently

| cover = Break_It_to_Me_Gently_-_Juice_Newton.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Juice Newton

| album = Quiet Lies

| B-side = Adios Mi Corazon

| released = August 1982

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Vocal, country

| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=04}}

| label = Capitol

| writer = Joe Seneca, Diane Lampert

| producer = Richard Landis

| prev_title = Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me

| prev_year = 1982

| next_title = Heart of the Night

| next_year = 1983

}}

Juice Newton had included "Break It to Me Gently" in the set list for her 1981 national tour: New York Times music critic Stephen Holden terming Newton's "steamy version" of the song the concert's highlight.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/22/arts/country-pop-juice-newton.html | work=The New York Times | first=Stephen | last=Holden | title=Country-Pop: Juice Newton | date=22 June 1981}} Newton made her recording of the song at Soundcastle Studio in Hollywood CA on January 11, 1982: this was the first session of recording the tracks which would compose Newton's Quiet Lies album whose lead single: "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" was the one other track recorded in that session.{{cite web|url=http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2010/10/juice-newton.html |title=Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies: Juice Newton |access-date=2011-07-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008113236/http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2010/10/juice-newton.html |archive-date=2011-10-08 }} Issued as the second single from Quiet Lies in August 1982, "Break It to Me Gently" just missed becoming Newton's fifth consecutive Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 11 that October. The track reached number one on the US Adult Contemporary chart (making it Newton's third number one on that chart),{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=180}} and number two on the US country singles chart.{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=248}} Newton won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, for her performance of the song. Newton would score two more Top 40 pop hits and numerous Top 40 country hits after "Break It to Me Gently".

Personnel

Juice Newton: lead vocals
Chuck Martin: electric guitar and solo
George Doering: electric guitar
Fred Tackett: acoustic guitar
Richard Tee: keyboards
Michael Boddicker: synthesizer
George Hawkins: bass
Rick Shlosser: drums

Chart performance

=Weekly charts=

;Brenda Lee

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1962) !Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report) \| style="text-align:center;"\|10
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[http://chumtribute.com/63-03-11-chart.jpg CHUM Hit Parade, February 26, 1962] \| style="text-align:center;"\|3
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qartistid=64#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 8 October 2020] \| style="text-align:center;"\|8
UK Singles (OCC){{cite news\|title=Official Charts Company \|website=Officialcharts.com }} {{full citation\|date=December 2023}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|46
US Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - {{ISBN\|0-89820-089-X}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|4
US Cash Box Top 100 \|align="center"\|6

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1962)

!Peak
position

Australia (Kent Music Report)

| style="text-align:center;"|10

Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[http://chumtribute.com/63-03-11-chart.jpg CHUM Hit Parade, February 26, 1962]

| style="text-align:center;"|3

New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qartistid=64#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 8 October 2020]

| style="text-align:center;"|8

UK Singles (OCC){{cite news|title=Official Charts Company |website=Officialcharts.com }} {{full citation|date=December 2023}}

| style="text-align:center;"|46

US Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}

| style="text-align:center;"|4

US Cash Box Top 100

|align="center"|6

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable"
Chart (1962) ! style="text-align:center;"\|Rank
US Billboard Hot 100[http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1962.htm Musicoutfitters.com] \| style="text-align:center;"\|26
US Cash Box [http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1962YESP.html Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1962] \| style="text-align:center;"\|66

class="wikitable"

Chart (1962)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

US Billboard Hot 100[http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1962.htm Musicoutfitters.com]

| style="text-align:center;"|26

US Cash Box [http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1962YESP.html Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1962]

| style="text-align:center;"|66

;Juice Newton

class="wikitable sortable"

!Chart (1982)

!Peak
position

Canadian RPM Country Tracks

|align="center"|2

Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks

|align="center"|1

US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19821106.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 6, 1982 |access-date=July 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530145158/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19821106.html |archive-date=May 30, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

|align="center"|9

class="wikitable"
Chart (1982) ! style="text-align:center;"\|Rank
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual){{cite book \|last=Whitburn \|first=Joel \|date=1999 \|title=Pop Annual \|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin \|publisher=Record Research Inc. \|isbn=0-89820-142-X}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|73
US Cash Box {{Cite web \|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html \|title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982 \|access-date=July 4, 2017 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711062300/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html \|archive-date=July 11, 2018 \|url-status=dead }} \| style="text-align:center;"\|58

class="wikitable"

Chart (1982)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual){{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=1999 |title=Pop Annual |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |isbn=0-89820-142-X}}

| style="text-align:center;"|73

US Cash Box {{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html |title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982 |access-date=July 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711062300/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html |archive-date=July 11, 2018 |url-status=dead }}

| style="text-align:center;"|58

Johnny Hallyday version (in French)

{{Infobox song

| name = Quitte-moi doucement

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Johnny Hallyday

| album = Da dou ron ron

| language = French

| English_title = Leave me gently

| released = May 10, 1963

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Pop, rock

| length = 2:30

| label = Philips

| composer =

| lyricist =

| producer = Shelby Singleton, Lee Hallyday

| prev_title = Tes tendres années

| prev_year = 1963

| title = Les Bras en croix" / "Quitte-moi doucement" / "Quand un air vous possède

| title2 = Quitte-moi doucement" / "Quand un air vous possède" / "Dis-moi oui

| next_title = Da dou ron ron

| next_year = 1964

}}

The French rendering "Quitte-moi doucement" (meaning "Leave me gently") was recorded by French rocker Johnny Hallyday in 1963 and released in May that year. Later that same year, the song was featured on Hallyday's 1963 studio album "Da dou ron ron" 4 months later.

= Track listings =

7-inch EP Philips 432.908 BE (1963, France, Spain, etc.)

:A1. "Les bras en croix" (2:13)

:A2. "Quitte-moi doucement" ("Break It to Me Gently") (2:30)

:B1. "Quand un air vous possède" ("When My Little Girl Is Smiling") (2:17)

:B2. "Dis-moi oui" ("We Say Yeah") (2:07){{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Johnny-Hallyday-Les-Bras-En-Croix/master/929350|title=Johnny Hallyday - Les Bras En Croix at Discogs|website=Discogs |date=1963 |access-date=2017-11-09}}{{cite web|title=ultratop.be - Johnny Hallyday - Les bras en croix|website=Ultratop |url=http://www.ultratop.be/fr/song/30dd7/Johnny-Hallyday-Les-bras-en-croix|access-date=2017-11-09}}

7-inch single "Ma guitare / Quitte-moi doucement" Philips JF 328 009 (1963, Netherlands)

: A. "Ma guitare" (1:50)

: AA. "Quitte-moi doucement" (2:15){{cite web

|url=https://www.discogs.com/Johnny-Hallyday-Ma-Guitare-Quitte-Moi-Doucement/release/3809690

|title=Johnny Hallyday - Ma Guitare / Quitte-Moi Doucement (Vinyl) at Discogs

|website=Discogs

|date=1963

|access-date=2017-11-11}}

Other cover versions

"Break It to Me Gently" has also been recorded by Ruth Brown, Linda Martin, Lorrie Morgan, Bobby Rydell and Guy Lombardo.

An alternate French rendering, "Brise doucement notre amour", was recorded by Québécois singer Michèle Richard (fr). Deana Martin recorded "Break It To Me Gently" on her 2013 album Destination Moon. In 2016, Aubrey Peeples performed the song at the Grand Ole Opry.