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Because of You (Kelly Clarkson song)

"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.

"Because of You"

August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16)

2004

3:39

  • Hodges
  • Moody

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".

Composition[edit]

"Because of You" is a piano-driven pop ballad[7] with a length of three minutes and 39 seconds.[8] 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.[9] Tony Heywood of MusicOMH noted that the song's piano arrangement is reminiscent of Tori Amos.[10] Lyrically, "Because of You" is a fiery ode to Clarkson's absentee father,[11] and begins with Clarkson singing "oohs" over a somber piano which creates a "wintry tone."[12] As the song launches into the chorus, the roaring guitar is evident,[13] 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.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

"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."[14] Dave Donnelly of Sputnikmusic compared the song to Evanescence's "My Immortal" (2003). (Note that two of the songwriters and producers of "My Immortal" were also involved in this track.) 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".[11] 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."[15]


Critics also lauded Clarkson's vocal prowess in the song. Pam Avoledo of Blogcritics thought that vocally, the song is Clarkson's "shining" moment.[16] Tony Heywood of MusicOMH noted that in the song, Clarkson's voice is "full of vulnerability, ache and wounded pride."[10] On May 15, 2007, the song was listed as one of the recipients of BMI Pop Awards.[17] At the 24th ASCAP Pop Music Awards, the song was honoured with the Most Performed Songs award.[18] 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).[19] On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song at number seven in its list of Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time.[20] Additionally, it also appeared at number five of Clarkson's Top 15 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits through the week ending April 29, 2017.[21]

Commercial performance[edit]

"Because of You" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 99 on the week ending September 3, 2005.[22] On November 19, 2005, the song peaked at number seven and became her sixth single to reach the top-ten.[23][24] It also topped the Pop Songs chart on the week ending October 29, 2005.[25] It became the seventh best selling single of the 2000s decade on the Pop Songs chart compiled by Billboard.[26] On January 31, 2008, "Because of You" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[27] As of September 2017, the song has sold 2,079,000 digital copies in the United States.[28] The single also appeared and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number seven on the week ending December 4, 2005.[29] As of April 2016, the song sold over 430,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[30]


In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number four on the issue dated December 5, 2005.[31] It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments over 35,000 units.[32] The song became the 58th best-selling single in Australia in 2006.[33] In New Zealand, "Because of You" debuted on New Zealand Singles Chart at number 37 on the week ending December 5, 2005,[34] and peaked at number 19 two weeks later.[35] On the week ending March 20, 2006, "Because of You" debuted at number eight on the German Singles Chart.[36] Three weeks later, it peaked at number four and stayed in the position for three consecutive weeks.[36] The song was certified gold by The Federal Association of Music Industry for shipments over 150,000 copies.[37] In Europe, "Because of You" received a commercial success. The song topped the charts in the Netherlands[38] and Switzerland,[39] and reached the top five in Austria,[40] Belgium (Flanders),[41] Ireland[42] and Norway.[43]

Music video[edit]

Development[edit]

The accompanying music video for "Because of You" was directed by Vadim Perelman and was produced by Rhonda Vernet.[44] Clarkson wrote the treatment for the video herself in order to reflect the pain that she felt due to her parents' divorce.[45] Nevertheless, Clarkson also allowed Perelman to take control of the production of the video.[46] According to Perelman, he wanted to create a disconnection to show "that this kind of dysfunctional family can exist anywhere."[47] 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."[46] Since the music video deals specifically with her parents' divorce, Clarkson had to seek for her parents' permission. She explained,

Live performances[edit]

Clarkson performed "Because of You" at the 48th Grammy Awards which took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Donning a red dress and singing from beside a grand piano, her performance in that event garnered positive reviews from critics. Elysa Gardner of USA Today lauded Clarkson's performance and ranked it as one of the three best performances, writing, "The pre-performance clip of a girlish-looking Clarkson emphasized how little Kelly has matured. The girl most likely to escape the American Idol stigma was in fine, creamy voice, and kept the Mariah-esque riffing to a minimum."[59] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times considered Clarkson's performance as one of the highlights in the event and described her performance as a "thin-skinned rendition [...] in which her whole being seemed involved."[60] Yahoo! Music praised Clarkson's rendition of the song, calling it "perfectly fine" despite the saying that it was "a little reminiscent of those many mediocre, superficial ballads trotted out on 'Idol.'"[61] In 2016, the performance was listed by Billboard as one of Clarkson's ten "most powerful and undeniable performances."[62] Jason Scott of Billboard commented, "Here, Clarkson serves up her signature power ballad backed by lush orchestration, sending chills through the crowd shortly before picking up two statues: best pop vocal album for Breakaway and best female pop vocal performance for "Since U Been Gone."[62]


On August 21, 2007, Clarkson performed "Because of You" and "Never Again" (2007) on the fifth season of Canadian Idol.[63] "Because of You" was performed at the My December Tour (2007). Clarkson's performance of the song was accompanied only by Wurlitzer organ that earned her a prolonged ovation when she sent her voice soaring into the rafters.[64] While touring at Beacon Theatre, New York City, Clarkson performed the song using only one keyboard, which was deemed by Donna Freydkin of USA Today as the most memorable moment of the event.[65] She also performed the song using only a keyboard as an instrument during her tour at Massey Hall, Toronto.[66] "Because of You" was also performed at the All I Ever Wanted Tour (2009). Clarkson's performance of the song during the tour in the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, was given a positive review by Jim Cantiello of MTV. He explained that Clarkson's powerful rendition "literally stopped the show [...] for almost 30 seconds because the audience erupted in such wild applause."[67] Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone noted that Clarkson sang the song to pay homage to Reba McEntire who was in the audience.[68]

Recorded by Dan Certa at , North Hollywood, California

NRG Recording Studios

Credits are lifted from the Breakaway liner notes.[72]


Recording


Personnel

Cover versions[edit]

Lisa Tucker covered the song on the fifth season of American Idol in 2006. However, her performance was met with negative reviews from the judges and she was consequently eliminated from the show.[139][140] On June 4, 2011, Britain's Got Talent contestant, Ronan Parke covered "Because of You" in the finale of the fifth series of the show. Parke also recorded the song and included it in his debut album, Ronan Parke. In an interview with Digital Spy, Parke stated that it was really challenging to record "Because of You." He added, "I asked the producer if we could leave out some of the big notes. We left them until the end and I was actually a bit scared by the noise that came out of me - I didn't know I could sound that loud!"[141] "Because of You" was also covered by Kim Bo Kyung, who was a contestant in South Korean singing competition show, Superstar K2. Her performance received positive response from the judges and was considered as one of the highlights in the show even though she failed to advance into the Top 11.[142] Following her elimination, she recorded the studio version of "Because of You" which was released as a digital download by Sony Music Entertainment due to an overwhelming demand.[143] She also received a personal video message from Clarkson who gave her words of advice and support.[144] The song also was covered by Orange Caramel, a South Korean girl group, on Christmas Day for MBC's special programme, "ICON".[145] Besides these cover versions, "Because of You" was also included in international soundtrack to Brazilian soap opera Belíssima.[146]

"Because of You"

May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15)

2007

3:45

List of Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of 2005

List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2006

List of European number-one hits of 2006

List of number-one hits of 2006 (Switzerland)