Meaning of “Breathe Me” by Sia

Sia’s “Breathe Me” is a cry for help, a cry for hope, a cry for survival. It talks about depression and the feeling of not being good enough. The feeling of worthlessness and no self love. In this song, the narrator (Sia) talks about the pain she keeps inflicting on herself. The hurt she puts herself through over and over again.

She admits that she needs a friend to be there for her. A friend to wrap her up and hold her. Someone to help her get through this feeling of neediness. She needs a friend to help her stop hurting herself. A friend to help her through her depression and to make her feel like she is worth more than she thinks she is.

In summary, “Breathe Me” is a sad song whose main themes center on depression and desperately wanting to have a friend to lean on. 

It is noteworthy to mention that in 2018, Sia admitted that the night she wrote the song, she attempted suicide by taking twenty two pills of Valium and a bottle of vodka.

Facts about “Breathe Me”

• Sia didn’t compose this track all by herself. She did so with the help of a songwriter named Dan Carey.
• Music producer, Jimmy Hogarth, is credited with the production of “Breathe Me”.
• “Breathe Me” officially came out on the 19th of April 2004. It initially appeared on her album, named Colour the Small One, which is her third studio album.The song is also included on Sia’s other albums such as Best of… (2012) and Lady Croissant (2007).
• Sia almost succeeded in taking her life the very night that she penned this track.
• The Rolling Stone magazine described the song as “delicate and haunting”, which is one of the notable receptions this track has received.
• In the United States, this track went Platinum. It obtained Gold and Silver certifications in Denmark and in the UK respectively.

Usage in TV Shows, Movies, Video Games and Commercials

“Breath Me” has been used in several TV shows and also for the soundtracks of many movies. Some of the song’s most notable TV and movie appearances include the following:

• The Oprah Winfrey Show (season 25)
• Remember Me(2010)
• The Simpsons (season 25)
• Demi Lovato: Stay Strong (2012)
• Six Feet Under (final episode)
• The Ultimate Gift (2006)
• Cyberbully (2011)
• Fallen (2007)

The song was also used in the 2008 trailer of the video game, named, Prince of Persia. In 2010, the song featured on the commercial for the soft drink, Coca-Cola.

Samples and Covers

“Breathe Me” has been sampled in a number of songs, including “About U” by Lil Peep and “Against The World” by Machine Gun Kelly. Australian singer, 360 also sampled this track in his song titled “If You Love Them You Never Hit Them”.

English singer Sarah Brightman did a cover edition of this track on her Dreamchaser album. English singer and actor, Aiden Grimshaw also recorded a cover version of this song, which appears on his maiden album Misty Eye.