Because of You (Kelly Clarkson song)

"Because of You"
File:Because of you cd.jpg
Single by Kelly Clarkson
From the album Breakaway
Released	August 28 2005 (U.S., Canada)
Format	Digital download Digital maxi single
Genre	Pop
Length	3:39
Label	RCA
Writers	Kelly Clarkson David Hodges Ben Moody
Producers	David Hodges Ben Moody
Certification	—
Chart positions	#8 (US) #7 (CAN)
Kelly Clarkson singles chronology
"Behind These Hazel Eyes" (2005)	"Because of You" (2005)	"Addicted" (2005)

File:Becauseofyou.png

Clarkson singing about her family pain.

"Because of You" is the fourth single from Breakaway, the second album by pop rock singer, Kelly Clarkson.

Song information

The single was co-written by Clarkson, Ben Moody, and David Hodges. The song is one of Clarkson's most personal as she originally wrote the lyrics when she was only sixteen years old to deal with her emotional pain at the time. Clarkson has stated that although she has grown to overcome her pain through God, she can still relate to the pain of "Because of You".

Years later when she met Moody and Hodges, Clarkson asked if they could write songs with her. She asked them to help her polish "Because of You" for the Breakaway album, but said that she would understand if they disliked the song and wanted to write a new song with her. Instead, both Moody and Hodges were impressed with the song, and along with Clarkson, they polished it into its final form. In this emotional autobiographical anthem, Clarkson laments her troubled family life as she sings: "Because of you, I never stray too far from the sidewalk, because of you, I learn to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt. Because of you, I find it hard to trust, not only me, but everyone around me, because of you I am afraid. Because of you".

Music video

As she had with "Behind These Hazel Eyes", Clarkson wrote the video's treatment herself; it was directed by Vadim Perelman. The video is based on a true story of Clarkson's troubled childhood (due to the nature of the video, she asked her parents for permission before it was created).

The video starts off one afternoon at the Clarkson household. There, Clarkson and her husband are engaged in a heated argument, and at one point he takes a picture of the family and threatens to smash it. However, he never gets the chance to, as time freezes still and her husband becomes immobile; Clarkson, however, is immune to this. Looking around the corners of her house, she sees a sight that suprises her: her younger self.

Hand in hand, the younger and older Clarkson relive Clarkson's troubled childhood as various painful memories are seen such as the younger Clarkson making a picture for her father to admire, which is then tossed into the sink, and Clarkson's mother making an unappreciated dinner for her father. These events drive her mother to the point of taking pills and crying publicly in front of the younger Clarkson.

The breaking point is finally seen when Clarkson's parents have a physical fight and throw objects at each other. Soon after, Clarkson's father packs his bags, as he is leaving the family; although the younger Clarkson tries to get him to stay, he pulls away. Filled with the memories of her past, the older Clarkson has seen enough and runs back in time to the present. There, time unfreezes and instead of fighting with her husband, they make up. Clarkson's own daughter can be seen walking around the corner. Clarkson has finally broken the cycle of having a dysfunctional family.

The music video of "Because of You" was officially released on TRL on October 3 2005. It debuted on October 4 2005 at the top of the countdown. Since its release, it has spent eleven out of fourteen days at number one. Debuting on MuchMusic's Countdown at number twenty-nine, it is currently at number twenty.

Comprehensive charts

Year	Chart	Position
2005	U.S. Singles Chart	#8
2005	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#8
2005	U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	#7
2005	U.S. Pop 100	#4
2005	U.S. Pop 100 Airplay	#2
2005	U.S. Hot Digital Songs	#6
2005	U.S. Hot Digital Tracks	#6
2005	U.S. Dance Radio Airplay	#5
2005	U.S. Mainstream Top 40	#1
2005	U.S. Adult Top 40	#20
2005	U.S. Adult Contemporary	#34
2005	Canadian Singles Chart	#8
2005	World Chart Show	#39

Billboard Hot 100 Chart trajectory
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Chart position	99	61	43	34	23	21	14	9	9	8

Canadian Singles Chart trajectory — Top 120
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Chart position	112	80	64	49	36	29	19	12	8	14

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Because of You".

USA digital maxi single

1. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins radio)
2. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins club mix)
3. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins club with intro breakdown)
4. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins dub)
5. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins club instrumental)
6. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins remix — acoustic version without strings)
7. "Because of You" (Jason Nevins a coustic)
8. "Because of You2 (Jason Nevins a capella)