"Heartbreaker" is a song performed by American singer Dionne Warwick. It was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees for her 1982 studio album of the same name, and production was done by Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten, and Karl Richardson under their production name Gibb-Galuten-Richardson. Barry Gibb's backing vocal is heard on the chorus.
The song hit the top 10 in over a dozen countries and stands as one of Warwick's big career hits, selling an estimated 4 million singles worldwide. In the U.S., it reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1983. The track was Warwick's eighth number one Adult Contemporary hit and reached number 14 on the Hot Black Singles chart. It was ranked as Billboard magazine's 80th-biggest US hit of 1983. On the UK Singles Chart, the track reached number 2 in November 1982.
Background "Heartbreaker" was written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees as the title track for singer Dionne Warwick's album of the same name. The demo version, sung by Barry Gibb, was not released until 2006 when it appeared on The Heartbreaker Demos (2006), the group's album of demo tracks that formed the basis for Warwick's album.
Warwick admitted in The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits by Wesley Hyatt that she was not fond of "Heartbreaker" (regarding the song's international popularity, she said "I cried all the way to the bank"), but recorded it because she trusted Barry's judgment that it would be a hit.Wesley Hyatt, The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits (NY: Billboard Books, 1997); Maurice Gibb, who co-wrote the song, said"I cried my eyes out after we wrote it. I drove home and thought 'We should be doing this one', and when she did it, it was brilliant. Barry sang on it, and it became a duet between Barry and Dionne Warwick".
Track listings All tracks produced by Gibb-Galuten-Richardson.
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1982–1983)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)2Denmark (Hitlisten)2Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)3France (IFOP)17 Italy (Musica e dischi) 24Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)1Portugal (AFP)1South Africa (Springbok)4Spain (AFYVE)3US Cash Box Top 10015Zimbabwe (ZIMA)3 + 2025 weekly chart performance for "Heartbreaker" Chart (2025) Peakposition Jamaica Airplay () 9
Year-end charts Chart (1982)RankBelgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)40Denmark (Hitlisten)27Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)66Netherlands (Single Top 100)65UK Singles (BMRB)18US Cash Box Top 10094 Chart (1983)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)18US Billboard Hot 10080West Germany (Official German Charts)35
Other notable versions The Bee Gees' own version, with Barry Gibb on lead vocals, was recorded in 1994. It was originally planned for an album called Love Songs to be released in 1995, but was eventually released in 2001 on Their Greatest Hits: The Record. A live version was released in 1998 on the live album One Night Only.
In 2005, German duo Blue Lagoon covered "Heartbreaker" and their version, produced by Felix J. Gauder, was released as a single, and later included on their 2007 album Sentimental Fools. The single was a top-25 hit in Germany and Austria and a top-60 hit in Sweden and Switzerland.
See also List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 1982
References
External links "The Dionne Warwick Channel" – YouTube site containing over 100 Dionne Warwick tunes with rare photos and information on each tune, including "Heartbreaker" Gibbs Songs: 1982