"Broken" is a song by South African rock band Seether, first appearing on their debut album, Disclaimer (2002). It was reworked and recorded again in 2004, this time featuring American singer Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence and then-girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan. It was included on the soundtrack to the 2004 Marvel Comics superhero film The Punisher, and was also on Seether's second studio album, Disclaimer II. Released as a single on 19 April 2004, "Broken" peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number three in Australia, and number two in New Zealand. It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It is the band's only song to appear on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was frequently played on rock radio, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Morgan wrote the song about the breakup of his marriage and family, after his wife chose to remain in South Africa with their daughter rather than accompany him to live in the United States.

Critical reception

While reviewing Disclaimer, Jason D. Taylor of the website AllMusic noted, "The album closes with the one successful laid-back song: 'Broken' is mellow yet confident, as vocalist Shaun Morgan finds the courage to open himself up without releasing a scream every few seconds." The song earned Seether a Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award in 2004, when it was voted "Best Song from a Movie Soundtrack".

Music video

Directed by Nigel Dick, the video features Morgan sitting in an abandoned car playing an acoustic guitar while Amy Lee, wearing black angel wings, appears behind him as her vocals fade in. For the rest of the video, Lee and Morgan wander through a dilapidated landscape that was revealed on the Disclaimer II DVD to be a real-life trailer park that was burned to ashes by a crystal meth lab explosion. Although there are shots of the band and Lee performing together in a clearing, the underlying theme of the video is that Lee and Morgan are looking for but will never find each other. Lee knows that Morgan is there and where he is throughout the video but Morgan is unaware of her presence around him, which explains the lyrics "you've gone away... you don't feel me here anymore".

Track listings

US, European, and Australian maxi-CD single European CD single European mini-CD single

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Disclaimer II liner notes. Studios Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history