Christina Perri, Jar of Hearts | Bangerz N Bopz 🔥

In the 65^th edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2025), we highlight “Jar of Hearts” performed by Christina Perri. 

Bring on the bold, fierce songs! Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 serves up background info and insight into songs of various styles, especially songs that raise eyebrows and stir the pot.  Featured records can be classic or brand new. In the 65^th edition of Bangerz N Bopz 🔥 (2025), we break down “Jar of Hearts” performed by Christina Perri.

“I learned to live half-alive / And now you want me one more time.” Those emotionally charged, painful lyrics remain potent years after  “Jar of Hearts” arrived. The fifth track from lovestrong., the 2011 debut album by pop singer-songwriter Christina Perri, “Jar of Hearts” is one of the best and most moving pop songs of the 2010s. Perri co-wrote “Hearts” with Drew Lawrence and producer Barrett Yeretsian. Unsurprisingly, it is Perri’s highest peaking song on the pop charts. Debuting on the charts in 2010, it reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2011. In 2020, the single was certified sextuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perri scored two additional top 40 hits, but the song to beat, by a mile, is “Jar of Hearts.”

Why is “Jar of Hearts” the sugar, honey, iced tea? It thrives because of gorgeous melodies and stellar songwriting. Perri begins singing abruptly in the first verse, sans introduction; it works out magnificently: “I know I can’t take one more step towards you / ‘Cause all that’s waiting is regret.” She sings beautifully, impressing as she sings in her lower and middle registers. Beginning as a piano ballad, the strings add richness, upping the ante.  Following the first verse and pre-chorus (excerpted earlier), the listener is given one of the most radiant choruses of the 2010s:

“And who do you think you are

Runnin’ ‘round leaving scars

Collecting your jar of hearts

And tearing love apart?

You’re gonna catch a cold

From the ice inside your soul

So don’t come back for me

Who do you think you are?”

The second verse is more dynamic than the first. The vocals, including harmonies, match the strength of the lyrics: “But I have grown too strong / To ever fall back in your arms.” Fittingly, the second chorus is also more dynamic than the first; more overt and pronounced. Moving on, the bridge distinguishes itself from the verses and chorus. The melody is significantly different, while the string and piano arrangement also bring contrast. Perri sounds commanding, asserting, “I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed,” and telling that fool, “You don’t get to get me back.” The second time the glorious chorus is repeated at the end, there are melodic tweaks that keep “Jar” engaging and haunting. The outro marks another breathtaking moment as Perri asks him, “Who do you think you are?” As a composer, if I had to pick a pop song that I wish I had written in the 2010s, “Jar of Hearts” would be near the top of my list. I’m still in awe of the emotion captured and how beautifully Christina Perri presented it.