Breathe

"Breathe" is a song by English band the Prodigy, released in November 1996 as the second single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It features a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin" by Wu-Tang Clan. As with "Firestarter", Jim Davies played the guitar in the song. "Breathe" became the group's second consecutive number-one in the United Kingdom and also topped the charts in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. In 2003, Q Magazine ranked the song at number 321 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". History The first ever performance of the song was held at a concert at the Pionir Hall in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia, on 8 December 1995, 11 months prior to its release. It was the first major international music act to play in Belgrade since the breakup of Yugoslavia, and came shortly after UN sanctions were partially lifted. "Breathe" thus became an iconic song for Serbia's urban youth. Critical reception Larry Flick from Billboard stated that the song, "with its jittery, faux funk beat, caustic synths, and snarling vocals" gets stronger with repeated spins. Nick Varley from The Guardian wrote, "Firestarter was only softening us up. Liam Howlett and his assorted helpers have now served up an even stunning slab of modern genius." He added, "You don't have to be in a club, helped by the strobe lights to appreciate the appeal as the drum roll cracks into place before giving way to the type of pounding beat that seems to have been the essential ingredient in the great singles of the year. Think Firestarter, Setting Sun, Born Slippy and Beck's Devil's Haircut." A reviewer from Music Week rated "Breathe" three out of five, noting that Howlett's "raucous electronic punksters get louder and less accessible by the day. This frantic, apocalyptic number will do well to emulate their spring number one Firestarter."