It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing

"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing"
US promo CD cover
Single by Shania Twain
from the album Up!
ReleasedFebruary 9, 2004
Genre
Length3:20
LabelMercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Shania Twain singles chronology
"When You Kiss Me"
(2003)
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing"
(2004)
"Party for Two"
(2004)
Audio video
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing (Red Version)" on YouTube
Audio video
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" on YouTube
Audio video
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing (Blue Version)" on YouTube

"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was written by Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It was released on February 9, 2004, as the eighth and final single from her fourth studio album Up!. Disparate to the remainder of Up!, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" is a ballad that Twain labeled to be the sole heartbreak song on the album. Musically, it lies within the country pop genre while its lyrics speak of misery. The song was not included in any of Twain's tours, but she performed the song for the Up! Live in Chicago video special in 2003. The performance was also used as a promotional music video for the single.

"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" received mixed reviews from music critics. Commercially, the single performed well in Canada, where it peaked at number four. It was also a minor hit in the United States, peaking at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 18 on the Hot Country Songs chart. American Idol contestant Michael Lynche performed a cover version of the single on a Twain-themed episode for the ninth season of the show.