The other day my singer-songwriter friend Jake, aka The Frontier, shared a clip of himself playing an acoustic version of the Duncan Sheik song “Barely Breathing” on social media, which reminded me of how much I love it. Not only is it a great song both musically and lyrically, but wow, what a heartthrob Sheik was at the time! The pleasing but melancholy song was written and sung by Sheik, who also played acoustic and electric guitars, E-Bow and piano, with Pino Palladino on bass, Jean-Michel Biger on drums, and Fran Banish on slide guitar. The track was produced by Rupert Hine, who also played percussion and sang backing vocals.

Released in May 1996, a few weeks in advance of his self-titled debut album, the song was a sleeper hit. After languishing in the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 for several months, “Barely Breathing” finally peaked at #16 in early 1997, and went on to spend an astonishing 55 consecutive weeks on the chart, ultimately ranking #18 on the Hot 100 year-end chart for 1997. It fared better on some other charts, reaching #1 on the Adult Alternative chart, #2 on the Adult Top 40, and #12 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. It was also ranked number 88 on VH1‘s list of 100 Greatest Songs of the ’90s. The song ranks among my personal top 10 favorite songs of 1997, as well as one of my top 100 songs of the 1990s.

The lyrics describe the feelings of a guy who has finally come to realize that his girlfriend’s manipulative and disingenuous displays of emotion do not equal love. He beats himself up for being so naive (“Must have been that yesterday was the day that I was born”), and knows he has to leave the relationship before he suffocates.

I know what you're doing
I see it all too clear
I only taste the saline
When I kiss away your tears

You really had me going
Wishing on a star
The black holes that surround you
Are heavier by far

I believed in your confusion
So completely torn
Must have been that yesterday
Was the day that I was born

There's not much to examine
There's nothing left to hide
You really can't be serious
If you have to ask me why
I say goodbye

'Cause I am barely breathing
And I can't find the air
Don't know who I'm kidding
Imagining you care

And I could stand here waiting
A fool for another day
I don't suppose it's worth the price
It's worth the price, the price
That I would pay, yeah yeah, yeah

Everyone keeps asking
What's it all about?
I used to be so certain
Now I can't figure out

What is this attraction?
I only feel the pain
There's nothing left to reason
And only you to blame
Will it ever change?

'Cause I am barely breathing
And I can't find the air
Don't know who I'm kidding
Imagining you care

And I could stand here waiting
A fool for another day
I don't suppose it's worth the price
It's worth the price, the price
That I would pay, yeah yeah, yeah
But I'm thinking it over anyway
I'm thinking it over anyway

I've come to find
I may never know
Your changing mind
Is it friend or foe?

I rise above or sink below
With every time
You come and go
Please don't come and go

'Cause I am barely breathing
And I can't find the air
Don't know who I'm kidding
Imagining you care

And I could stand here waiting
A fool for another day
But I don't suppose it's worth the price
It's worth the price, the price
That I would pay, yeah yeah, yeah
But I'm thinking it over anyway
I'm thinking it over anyway

Well, I know what you're doing
I see it all too clear

Sheik received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Barely Breathing”, but lost to Elton John for his song “Candle In The Wind 1997.” It was his only song to chart, however, he’s had a long and successful career as a composer of music for plays, musicals and movie soundtracks. Some of his major works include original music for the 2002 New York Shakespeare Festival production of Twelfth Night, the music score for the film A Home at the End of the World in 2004, the score for the film Through the Fire in 2005, and the music for the Broadway musical Spring Awakening, for which he won the 2006 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestration. More recently, he wrote the music for the 2019 Lynn Nottage musical The Secret Life of Bees, an adaptation of the 2002 novel by Sue Monk Kidd, with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.