“Walking on Broken Glass” by Annie Lennox

To proclaim that one is “walking on broken glass” is a powerful metaphor, as anyone in their right mind would know that what is being referred to is something extremely painful. And in this case, Annie Lennox actually is speaking to the concept of having her heart broken by the addressee.

Besides for the aforementioned allegory, the way she goes about doing so is in part by noting how nothing has changed concerning the outside world. Indeed, the vocalist still considers the addressee to be “the sweetest thing”. But internally Annie is an emotional wreck, not even being able to enjoy something as universally pleasurable as ‘the sun shining in the big blue sky’.

And as inferred earlier, what we’re dealing with here for the most part is standard breakup fare. It is only the third verse that features what can really be deemed as complex lyricism. But even in that segment, what is being put forth is pretty clear, i.e. the vocalist desiring for the addressee to take her back and thus heal the turmoil she’s currently going through. Or as Annie puts it conclusively, she cannot “keep on walking on broken glass”.

And it has been noted that Lennox has dealt with her fair share of romantic disappointments in real life, such as her first marriage only lasting for a year. So even if this song is not based on her real-life experiences per se, as alluded to in the third verse, romantic heartbreak is an emotion that we all can identify with.

Release of “Walking on Broken Glass”

Annie Lennox is a singer from the United Kingdom who made a name for herself as a member of Eurythmics. The Eurythmics was one of the most significant and successful pop duos of the 20^th century pop duo. In the early 1990s she also embarked on a solo career which proved very lucrative, especially as far as her first two albums, 1992’s “Diva” and 1995’s “Medusa”, are concerned. And it was as part of the former that “Walking on Broken Glass” came out on 6 April 1992. Also a few months thereafter, RCA Records issued it as the third single from the project.

Music Video

Sophie Muller, a name you’ll come across a lot on our website, served as the director of this track’s music video. Sophie is actually one of the most prolific music video directors in the music video landscape. She has directed some of the most iconic videos in the industry. A handful of her notable videos include:

• “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt
• “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
• “Fix You” by Coldplay
• “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers

To note, this video wasn’t Sophie’s first time working with Annie. The pair had worked together numerous times in the past, starting from Annie’s Eurythmics days.

This video in particular was inspired by a couple of movies, “Amadeus” (1984) and “Dangerous Liaisons” (1998) and is therefore set in the 18^th century. Moreover John Malkovich, one of the stars of the latter, appeared in the clip.

Success of “Walking on Broken Glass”

“Walking on Broken Glass” proved to be a sound hit, being certified gold in the UK and breaking to the top 20 of the US Hot 100 and top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Also amongst the dozen nations in charted in overall, this track reached the summit of Canada Top Singles.

Did Lennox write this song?

The writing of “Walking on Broken Glass” is formally credited to Lennox only, with its producer being Stephen Lipson.

Annie’s “Diva” Album

Scottish great Annie Lennox, released “Diva” as her debut studio album on April 6 of 1992. “Diva” was produced by English guitarist, songwriter and record producer, Stephen Lipson. It was released through RCA Records, an American record label, owned by Sony Music.

As a means of promoting the album, five songs were released as singles. They include:

• “Why”
• “Precious”
• “Walking on Broken Glass”
• “Cold”
• “Little Bird”

Aside from leaving a mark at the apex of charts in the UK and Italy, “Diva” put up an impressive performance on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 23. It ranked top-10 in several countries, including:

• Australia – 7
• Canada – 6
• Denmark – 4
• Germany – 6
• Greece – 6
• Ireland – 3
• New Zealand – 6
• Sweden – 5

“Diva” received a number of certifications around the world including 2x Platinum in the United States. In the UK, it went 4x Platinum.

Even More Success

It was added to Q Magazine’s list, “50 Best Albums of 1992”, published in 1993. It was also part of Rolling Stone’s “Essential Recordings of the 90’s” list.

In 1993, “Diva” was nominated for the following awards at the Grammy’s:

• “Album of the Year” (Lost)
• “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance” (Lost)
• “Best Long Form Music Video” (WON)