Jessica Simpson - Take My Breath Away

What this video is

Released in March–June 2004, Jessica Simpson's cover of the Berlin/Giorgio Moroder 1986 Academy Award-winning ballad arrived at the height of her celebrity visibility, amplified by the MTV reality series 'Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica.' The choice of this song — originally composed for Top Gun and steeped in cinematic romance — underscored Simpson's pivot toward adult contemporary crossover credibility. The single…

Why it matters

Represents the early-2000s mainstream pop ballad at its most polished — a glossy, high-production cover-song vehicle that demonstrates how female pop artists of the era used cinematic source material to signal emotional range and crossover appeal. Applebaum's direction typifies the MTV TRL-era…

The director

Chris Applebaum (b. 1970, Los Angeles) studied film at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. He signed with Satellite Films at 21, becoming their youngest-ever director, and directed over 250 music videos. He has earned more than 30 #1 videos on MTV, won the…