Break My Stride

"Break My Stride" is a song performed by American recording artist Matthew Wilder. It was released in 1983 as the lead single from his debut album, "I Don't Speak the Language", and became a major hit single for him in 1983 and 1984, reaching number five on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number two on the "Cash Box" Top 100.
The song has been covered by many artists throughout the years, including Unique II in 1996 and Blue Lagoon in 2004 (whose versions both charted highly in various places) and, in interpolations, Puff Daddy with his 1997 hit "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down". In 2009 it was interpolated by Matisyahu in the song "Jerusalem".
Composition.
Industry executive Clive Davis signed Wilder to Arista Records in 1981 or 1982, but Wilder was not getting the results he or the producers wanted with finding the style of music that worked for him. Poor and near the end of a frustrating period with the record label, he recorded "Break My Stride" on his own dime in the early hours of the morning at the studio of producer Spencer Proffer. "My relationship with Clive Davis was precisely the impetus for my writing the song. There are lyrics in there that are indirectly referring to the circumstances that were governing my life at that point," said Wilder. They threw a party after the recording, and had the music production team sing the chorus, which can be heard at the end of the song. However, Davis did not see potential in the song or any of the others, and his label let Wilder go. Since Arista hadn't paid Wilder for any of the songs, he was free to shop them around. 
Wilder managed to connect with record promoter Joe Isgro, who had a history of doing legally questionable things to promote and chart certain songs. Isgro released "Break My Stride" off his new record label, Private-I, and created the illusion that it was a massive hit, prompting other radio stations to start playing the song, and propelling Wilder's single into the top 5 of the US Billboard charts.
Matthew Wilder version.
Chart performance.
Included on his 1983 album, "I Don't Speak the Language", the single went to number five on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and number four in the UK in January/February 1984. On the US "Cash Box" chart, Wilder's single reached the number two position, where it remained for two weeks in early February.
A remix version reached the top 20 on the dance chart, and the song additionally hit the "Billboard" Hot Black Singles chart, staying there for four weeks. Though "Break My Stride" was Matthew Wilder's only UK hit, he also reached the US pop chart with his next two singles, "The Kid's American" (#33) and "Bouncing Off the Walls" (#52), before turning to behind-the-scenes work on other artists' recordings.
Unique II version.
In 1996, Austrian duo Unique II had its most successful hit by covering "Break My Stride". This dance version of the 1983 Matthew Wilder song was the first international success for the band, peaking at number-one in Austria and New Zealand, and at number 2 in Australia. The single also charted in Ireland, Italy, Canada and Scandinavia.
Critical reception.
Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote, "Yep, this is a dance-leaning cover of the Matthew Wilder '80s pop chestnut. It has already saturated radio airwaves throughout Europe, with a number of programmers here already giving it positive feedback. Highly videogenic Viennese songbird Jade Davies chirps her way through the track's Ace of Base-like reggae-inflected groove with engaging energy. She'll have little to no trouble successfully carrying this one into the hearts of folks who prefer familiarity over adventure." Australian music channel Max placed the song at number 903 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2013.
Chart performance.
"Break My Stride" was very successful on the charts on several continents, peaking at number-one in Austria and New Zealand. It managed to climb into
the Top 10 also in Australia, where it hit number 2, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Ireland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it went to number 33 in September 1996. "Break My Stride" was also a big hit in Israel, where it peaked at number 6 and in Canada, it reached number 18 on the "RPM" Singles Chart and number 19 on the "RPM" Dance Chart. The single was awarded with a platinum record in Australia and Austria, with a sale of 70,000 and 30,000 units. In 2002, a new remix of the song peaked at number 55 in Austria.
Charts and certifications.
Weekly charts.
1 2002 remix
Blue Lagoon version.
In 2004, "Break My Stride" was covered by German band Blue Lagoon and became a hit in several European countries, including Austria, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, where it reached the top ten.
In popular culture.
The song was featured in the closing credits of the 2011 film "Cedar Rapids". It was featured in a 2012 television commercial for State Insurance of New Zealand. In 2019, it was featured in a U.S. television commercial for Santander Bank. The song gained more notoriety in 2020 on TikTok, as it was frequently used in TikTok videos - where users would text their friends the lyrics of the song. Matthew Wilder was thrilled at these memes, saying that the results are often bizarre but hilarious. Afterwards, Wilder posted an official lyric video that featured text messages of the song's lyrics.