"I know what you're doing I see it all too clear"

There’s nothing that says hit song like an angst-filled ballad about your girlfriend cheating on you, and that’s how Duncan Sheik struck gold. In 1996, Duncan Sheik released a song of his debut self-titled album called “Barely Breathing”. The song’s relatable lyrics drove it to the top of the charts.

The road for “Barely Breathing” was a surprisingly successful one. Sheik originally didn’t like the song; he just put it on the album to complete it. He didn’t realize that “Barely Breathing” would be the song that solidified him as a star. It peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard charts. It stayed on the chart for 55 weeks—a record; it was the fourth longest running song on the chart. Sheik was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 1998 and was certified gold. Vh1 considered “Barely Breathing” to be number 88 on the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s and number 8 on the 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90s.

Since then he’s traded in the Grammy for a Tony with Spring Awakening, the Broadway musical Sheik created. The musical received two Tony’s and one Grammy. He’s currently working on the soundtrack to a musical adaptation of American Psycho. While he has new projects, “Barely Breathing” is still in popular culture of today. The song was featured on this week’s episode of Glee. It’s hard to fathom that the hit came out sixteen years ago.

Photo and information courtesy of: Wikipedia "Duncan Sheik"
Information courtesy of: Wikipedia "Barely Breathing"