Background
In an interview with MTV News in August 2002, Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine, when asked behind the development of "Harder to Breathe", admitted that the song describes the band's frustration with their label, A&M/Octone Records, during the making of their debut album, Songs About Jane. The band thought they had enough material for a release, but when the label told them to keep writing, Levine wrote this song in frustration at the pressure. "That song comes sheerly from wanting to throw something. It was the 11th hour, and the label wanted more songs. It was the last crack. I was just pissed. I wanted to make a record and the label was applying a lot of pressure, but I'm glad they did."
"Harder to Breathe" tells the story of a relationship Levine had with a woman named Jane, who, according to Levine was the "muse" in the band's album. MacKenzie Wilson of Allmusic described the song as a "soulful disposition". Meghan Bard of The Daily Campus described the single featuring "a great up-tempo number with gritty guitar riffs and powerful vocals" from Levine. Bard noted that the theme in the song was about "recovering from heartbreak". Angus Batey of The Times compared "Harder to Breathe" sounding as "Zeppelin-esque".
Read more about this topic: Harder To Breathe
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