"Hurt You" is a song by American recording artists Toni Braxton and Babyface released on August 17, 2013. The song serves as the lead single from the collaborative studio albumLove, Marriage & Divorce. Written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Daryl Simmons, Toni Braxton, Antonio Dixon and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
Background
During early February 2013, Braxton appeared on Good Morning America and The Wendy Williams Show to promote her new movie role in the Lifetime MovieTwist of Faith, also confirming the rumors of her retirement, revealing that she was retiring from music and stating that she would like to focus on acting: "I have to do shows here and there, but I'm not gonna do any albums, I'm falling out of love with it, it's weird. I don't know what to say when I hear songs. They don't impact me. I've been trying to listen to songs, record companies have been calling me, so it's a good situation to be in, but I'm not really interested at all". Months later in June 2013, Braxton announced that she was returning to music with a Summer Tour and that she was in the studio working on her eighth studio album after a number of singers and friends including Anita Baker, Prince, and Missy Elliott had reached out to her not to retire the music business.
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number 17 on BillboardAdult R&B Songs chart on September 7, 2013, later rising to the number 1 spot on December 14, 2013 for four weeks. The song spent 41 weeks on the Adult R&B Songs chart before exiting the Top 20 Chart. This marked Braxton's seventh No. 1 hit on the Adult R&B Songs chart and first since her 2000 release "Just Be a Man About It". The song also hit number 16 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart.
Music video
The music video for "Hurt You" was directed by Ray Kay. It was premiered on October 11, 2013 on Braxton and Babyface's joint VEVO account on YouTube. The video is a representation of the track that tells about the hardships of being in a relationship. The clip opens up with Braxton and Babyface in two different rooms, which are separated by a wall. They both manage to break through the wall to express their desire to start all over again.
