Vulnerable (song)

"Vulnerable" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released as the fifth and final single from their fifth studio album Crash! Boom! Bang!, while simultaneously acting as the lead single from the duo's 1995 compilation album Rarities.[1]

"Vulnerable"
Single by Roxette
from the album Crash! Boom! Bang! and Rarities
B-side"The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye"
Released17 March 1995 (1995-03-17)
RecordedApril–May 1993
StudioMayfair Studios, London and EMI Studios, Stockholm
GenrePop rock
Length4:30
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Per Gessle
Producer(s)Clarence Öfwerman
Roxette singles chronology
"Run to You"
(1994)		 "Vulnerable"
(1995)		 "You Don't Understand Me"
(1995)
Music video
"Vulnerable" on YouTube

"The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye" had previously been released as the B-side on the duo's 1991 single "Spending My Time". Earlier that year, in April, it had been released as the lead single from Thomas Anders' (of Modern Talking fame) second solo album, Whispers.

Composition and style

The song was written by Per Gessle in December 1990, although it would not be recorded by the band until April 1993 at Mayfair Studios in London. In the liner notes of their 1995 greatest hits compilation Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus!, Gessle indicated that the song was "written a week too late for the Joyride album and it didn't really suit the Tourism sessions, so we kept it in the drawer until we started the Crash!-project in London."[2]

According to Ultimate Guitar, the track is an alternative pop ballad, with a moderate tempo of 134 beats per minute. The verse is composed of two repetitions of an E–G♯m–A–F♯m–B sequence, with the final note amended to a C♯ on the second repetition. The chorus consists of three repetitions of a F♯–F♯maj7–B–C♯ sequence, followed by one shortened bar of F♯–C♯–F♯.[3]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Bryan Buss described the song as "apathetic" in his review of Crash! Boom! Bang!.[4]

Commercial performance

"Vulnerable" became the second-biggest hit from the parent album in the duo's native country, peaking at number twelve and spending almost three months on the Swedish Singles Chart. Although lead single "Sleeping in My Car" debuted at number one in Sweden, the title track stalled at number seventeen, and "Fireworks" spent a sole week on the chart, peaking at number 34. The album's fourth single, "Run to You", became the duo's first single since 1988's "I Call Your Name" to not enter the Swedish top fifty.[5]

The song spent almost three months on the German Singles Chart, eventually peaking at number 71 on its sixth week.[6] In the UK, "Vulnerable" peaked at number 44, ending a run of seventeen consecutive top forty singles on the UK Singles Chart.[7] It performed marginally better in Scotland, peaking at number 41.[8]

Formats and track listings

All songs written by Per Gessle.

  • 7" single and cassette (Australia 8651514 · UK TCEM369)
  1. "Vulnerable" (Single Edit) – 4:30
  2. "The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  • CD Single (Australia · Europe 8651522)
  1. "Vulnerable" – 4:30
  2. "The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  3. "Vulnerable" (Demo, 28 December 1990) – 4:44
  4. "I'm Sorry" (Demo, 18 August 1993) – 3:25
  • UK CD Single (CDEM369)
  1. "Vulnerable" – 4:30
  2. "The Sweet Hello, the Sad Goodbye" – 4:49
  3. "Vulnerable" (Demo) – 4:44

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus![2]

Charts
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts)[6] 71
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[9] 20
Polish Airplay (ZPAV)[10] 10
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[8] 41
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[5] 12
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 44
gollark: I am glad you have AC (asynchronous cyan) again.
gollark: Public SPUDNET? Skynet?
gollark: I might have had important things in that. I didn't check. It's probably just RAM being bee.
gollark: ... WITHOUT asking? Bee you.
gollark: Oh no, it must be RAMoids.

References
  1. John Lannert, Marcelo Fernández Bitar (20 May 1995). "Latin Notas". Billboard. 107 (20): 35. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 24 February 2017.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. "Digital booklet". Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus (liner notes). Roxette. Stockholm, Sweden: EMI Records. 1995. 7243 836203 2 6.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "Vulnerable by Roxette chords". Ultimate-Guitar.com. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  4. "Roxette - Crash! Boom! Bang!". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. "Swedishcharts.com – Roxette – Vulnerable". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Roxette – Vulnerable". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  7. "Roxette: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (6.5.1995 - 12.5.1995)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  10. "Lista Przebojów Trójki - Polskie Radio Online: Notowanie nr692 - 5 maja 1995". Polskie Radio (in Polish). 5 May 1995. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
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