"Because of You" is a song recorded by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson for her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). It was written by Clarkson along with its producers David Hodges and Ben Moody, both from Evanescence. It was released on August 16, 2005, by RCA Records, as the third single from Breakaway. Clarkson originally wrote "Because of You" when she was 16 years old to cope with the emotional distress caused by her parents' divorce. She wanted the song to be included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), but her record label rejected the song. She then polished the song with Hodges and Moody before successfully convincing her label to include it on Breakaway.

Lyrically, "Because of You" explores the pain of Clarkson's deteriorating relationship with her father. The song begins with a piano-led melody and as it launches into the chorus, the sound of a roaring guitar becomes apparent. "Because of You" received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its expressive lyrics, creative arrangement, and Clarkson's vocal prowess. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 2 million digital downloads in the United States. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Because of You" became Clarkson's biggest success in Europe, topping the European Hot 100 Singles chart. It also reached number one in Brazil, the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland, as well as the top ten in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Vadim Perelman. Clarkson wrote the treatment for the video herself in order to reflect the pain that she felt due to her parents' divorce. The video's plot centers on Clarkson engaging in a heated argument with her husband in front of her child before realizing that she was repeating her parents' mistake. It won in the category for Best Female Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. "Because of You" was performed live at numerous venues, including the My December Tour (2007) as well as the All I Ever Wanted Tour (2009). It was covered by several artists including Ronan Parke, who was a runner-up in the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent, and added to the international soundtrack of Brazilian soap opera Belíssima. In 2007, the song was recorded by Reba McEntire as a duet with Clarkson, which was released as a lead single for McEntire's twenty-fourth studio album Reba: Duets. This version reached number 36 on the Canadian Hot 100. "Piece by Piece", the title track from Clarkson's seventh studio album, serves as the canonical sequel to "Because of You".

Background and writing

"Because of You" was written by Clarkson alongside its producer, David Hodges and Ben Moody. They also wrote and produced another track, titled "Addicted", that appeared in Clarkson's album Breakaway (2004). Clarkson originally wrote "Because of You" when she was 16 years old as a means of coping with the emotional distress caused by the divorce of her parents. She wrote the lyrics of the song in less than 25 minutes.

In an interview with The Guardian, Clarkson said that she wanted to include the song in her first album, Thankful (2003), but she was laughed at. Then she took the initiative to polish the song by sending a tape to Moody and Hodges, with whom she later worked, and received co-writing credit of the song. Clarkson explained, "Hearing the Evanescence album, you can obviously tell that David and Ben have a real passion for music and that big kind of background. And I have a big voice and I like the music to match it, so it was a real dream team."

According to Moody, he was very impressed with Clarkson and the song itself, saying "She had these ideas already in place for songs; all I really had to do was build music around them and develop them. It was quite easy." Clarkson also admitted that "Because of You" is the most depressing song she has ever written. Despite the revelation, she told Entertainment Weekly in August 2011 that she wanted to be remembered for the song because she had worked hard to get it on Breakaway when everyone was against it. She added, "I think I'm most proud of that song – just getting it on an album because no one liked it until it hit no. 1 worldwide and everybody was on board."

Composition

"Because of You" is a piano-driven pop ballad with a length of three minutes and 39 seconds. Sheet music for the song shows the key of F minor, then modulating a whole step to G minor in common time at a moderate tempo of 69 beats per minute, with Clarkson's vocal range spanning over two octaves from A3 to F5. Tony Heywood of MusicOMH noted that the song's piano arrangement is reminiscent of Tori Amos. Lyrically, "Because of You" is a fiery ode to Clarkson's absentee father, and begins with Clarkson singing "oohs" over a somber piano which creates a "wintry tone." As the song launches into the chorus, the roaring guitar is evident, and the lyrics, "Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk / Because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt," were deemed as "touching" by Dave Donelly of Sputnikmusic.

Critical reception "Because of You" received universal critical acclaim. Film Laureate of Blogcritics considered "Because of You" and "Where Is Your Heart" as his two favorite songs from Breakaway, writing "[Clarkson] commands these two songs like a seasoned pro and directs herself in her songs the way Steven Spielberg said Barbra Streisand directs herself in her songs as if she's directing an actor in a movie." Dave Donnelly of Sputnikmusic compared the song to Evanescence's "My Immortal" (2003). He added that Clarkson managed to take the piano-driven song in a different direction with a "stormy, hard blues vocal... avoiding the typical raised-key final chorus cliché along the way". Christa L. Titus of Billboard lauded the song for its absence of schmaltz factor, "only a potent, pained, grown-up anthem of gross betrayal and loss." She concluded her review, writing "it is time for Clarkson to return to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; she has certainly become the most consistent hope for top 40 staple status."

Critics also lauded Clarkson's vocal prowess in the song. Pam Avoledo of Blogcritics thought that vocally, the song is Clarkson's "shining" moment. Tony Heywood of MusicOMH noted that in the song, Clarkson's voice is "full of vulnerability, ache and wounded pride." On May 15, 2007, the song was listed as one of the recipients of BMI Pop Awards. At the 24th ASCAP Pop Music Awards, the song was honoured with the Most Performed Songs award. In July 2008, BBC News reported that according to Performing Right Society, "Because of You" was the second most played song in the United Kingdom over the last five years, following Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" (2005). On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song at number seven in its list of Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time. Additionally, it also appeared at number five of Clarkson's Top 15 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits through the week ending April 29, 2017.

Commercial performance "Because of You" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 99 on the week ending September 3, 2005. On November 19, 2005, the song peaked at number seven and became her sixth single to reach the top-ten. It also topped the Pop Songs chart on the week ending October 29, 2005. It became the seventh best selling single of the 2000s decade on the Pop Songs chart compiled by Billboard. On January 31, 2008, "Because of You" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of September 2017, the song has sold 2,079,000 digital copies in the United States. The single also appeared and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number seven on the week ending December 4, 2005. As of April 2016, the song sold over 430,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number four on the issue dated December 5, 2005. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments over 35,000 units. The song became the 58th best-selling single in Australia in 2006. In New Zealand, "Because of You" debuted on New Zealand Singles Chart at number 37 on the week ending December 5, 2005, and peaked at number 19 two weeks later. On the week ending March 20, 2006, "Because of You" debuted at number eight on the German Singles Chart. Three weeks later, it peaked at number four and stayed in the position for three consecutive weeks. The song was certified gold by The Federal Association of Music Industry for shipments over 150,000 copies. In Europe, "Because of You" received a commercial success. The song topped the charts in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and reached the top five in Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Ireland and Norway.

Music video

Development The accompanying music video for "Because of You" was directed by Vadim Perelman and was produced by Rhonda Vernet. Clarkson wrote the treatment for the video herself in order to reflect the pain that she felt due to her parents' divorce. Nevertheless, Clarkson also allowed Perelman to take control of the production of the video. According to Perelman, he wanted to create a disconnection to show "that this kind of dysfunctional family can exist anywhere." In an interview with MTV News, Clarkson confessed that the video is sad, rationalizing, "It's a sad song, so the video obviously has to follow that. But it ends really happy and everything and the family, my family, ends up breaking the cycle of my parents." Since the music video deals specifically with her parents' divorce, Clarkson had to seek for her parents' permission. She explained,

"It's very close to home [for me]. I OK'd it with my family and everything because they think it's important, because we're obviously very different now than we were when we were younger. And it's important for people to see that raw kind of emotion that happens in life. It sucks sometimes, so it's important to see that I think. And that's what we're portraying in the video."

In the video, the younger version of Clarkson is played by Kennedy Nöel, the daughter of her musical director, Jason Halbert. The video premiered on October 3, 2005, on Total Request Live.

Synopsis

The video starts at the Clarksons' household. There, she and her husband are engaged in a heated argument and he threatens to smash down a picture of the family at one point. Time freezes still and her husband becomes immobile; Clarkson, however, is immune to this. Looking around her house, she sees her younger self. Hand in hand, the younger and older versions of Clarkson relive her troubled childhood as various painful memories are seen, such as the younger Clarkson making a picture for her father who tosses it into the sink while talking on the phone, and Clarkson's mother making an unappreciated dinner for her father as she puts the father's dinner into the bin on a stormy evening. These events drive her mother to the point of taking pills before closing the door in the younger Clarkson's face, so that she doesn't see her starting to cry. 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 and leaves despite the younger Clarkson's pleas for him to stay. The older Clarkson runs back in time to the present, and instead of fighting with her husband, they make up. They then see that their daughter in the video had seen them fight, and they embrace her and each other. Throughout the music video, Clarkson is shown singing on the front porch, her mother's bed and a room full of mirrors, reflecting an image of her younger self.

Reception and accolades