"Breakaway"
Single by Kelly Clarkson
From the album Breakaway
Released	August 3, 2004 (non-single) November 30, 2004 (single)
Format	Digital download
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:56
Label	Disney
Writers	Avril Lavigne B. Beneate Michael Gerrard
Producers	John Shanks
Certification	2x platinum
Chart positions	#6 (US) #10 (AU) #3 (CAN)
Kelly Clarkson singles chronology
"The Trouble with Love Is" (2003)	"Breakaway" (2004)	"Since U Been Gone" (2004)

"Breakaway" is the first single (in North America and Australia only) from Breakaway, the second album by pop rock singer, Kelly Clarkson. Image File history File links The CD cover of Kelly Clarksons 2004 single Breakaway, from her album Breakaway. ... Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, TX) is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and occasional actress who rose to prominence after winning the first season of the reality-television series American Idol in 2002. ... Breakaway is the second and Grammy winning album by Kelly Clarkson released on November 30, 2004 (see 2004 in music). ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 31 days remaining, as the final day of November. ... A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official legally released music single released by artists to the public. ... Musical genres are categories which contain music which share a certain style or which have certain elements in common. ... Pop Rock is a genre of music that combines elements of both Pop and Rock. ... A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in producing, manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and sometimes video recordings (especially music videos), on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ... The Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... A songwriter is someone who writes either the lyrics or the music for songs. ... Avril Ramona Lavigne (born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian pop punk singer, songwriter and actress who is well known for her hyperactive and skater punk persona. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... John M. Shanks is a well known rock music guitarist, writer and producer. ... A single certification is the certification that the RIAA awards to singles based on their sales. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Thankful. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Since U Been Gone is the second single (the first in Europe) from Breakaway, the second album by pop rock singer, Kelly Clarkson. ... In music, a single is a short (usually ten minutes or less*) record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-side, often accompanied by several B-sides, usually remixes or other songs. ... Breakaway is the second and Grammy winning album by Kelly Clarkson released on November 30, 2004 (see 2004 in music). ... Pop Rock is a genre of music that combines elements of both Pop and Rock. ... Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, TX) is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and occasional actress who rose to prominence after winning the first season of the reality-television series American Idol in 2002. ...

The single was co-written by Avril Lavigne, B. Beneate, and Michael Gerrard and produced by John Shanks. It was originally written in part by Lavigne for her second album, Under My Skin, but she did not release it as she did not feel the song suited her album at the time. As a result, it was handed to Kelly Clarkson, who recorded it–as a stopgap between her albums–for the soundtrack of The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Avril Ramona Lavigne (born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian pop punk singer, songwriter and actress who is well known for her hyperactive and skater punk persona. ... John M. Shanks is a well known rock music guitarist, writer and producer. ... Under My Skin is the second album by pop punk singer Avril Lavigne, released on May 25, 2004 by Arista Records. ...

Because of the single's success, Clarkson's second album was renamed Breakaway, and this song was included on the album. Although Clarkson did not write the song, its coming-of-age theme struck a chord with her.

Music video

As "Breakaway" was originally recorded for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the music video required a tie-in of sorts to the film. Clarkson wanted the video to be balanced (unlike many music videos from soundtracks nowadays) between the theme of the song and the theme of the film. As a result, the video ties in both themes, starting out with a young actress representing Clarkson as a child. A child can be seen looking forlorn, as although she is happy in a way, she feels the need to break away. Years pass, and an adult Clarkson, now a superstar, is seen attending the fictional premiere of the film, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Scenes from the film can be seen as Clarkson remembers her past, and how she broke away. Originally the video was supposed to be longer to show more scenes of Clarkson growing up at a more gradual pace, but they had to be eliminated due to time constraints. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is a sequel of The Princess Diaries which was released in 2004. ... A music video (also video clip, promo) is a short film or video meant to present a visual representation of a song. ...

Chart performance

After two underperforming singles, "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is", a few critics had written off Clarkson as an American Idol has-been. However, "Breakaway" went on to become one of the biggest hits of late 2004. The song proved to be popular among children as well as adults. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Thankful. ...

However, the song is not known most for its peak position on the Hot 100, but for its longevity on the chart. The song entered the Hot 100 in August of 2004, and did not leave until July of 2005, being on the charts for nearly one full year. This made "Breakaway" one of the songs with the highest amounts of longevity ever on the Hot 100.

The song's longevity in part can be attributed to the song's steady digital downloads, which have gained the single a triple platinum certification, with over 600,000 downloads. A digital download (also known as a digital single or a paid digital download) is an official legally released music single released by artists to the public. ...

In Australia, "Breakaway" debuted at number ten, but was unable to climb to a higher peak.

¹ Pop 100 Airplay This article is about the musical term aria. ...

² Twenty of the weeks spent at number one are consecutive, a record. Clarkson also holds the record for the longest run at number one (21 weeks) for a female artist, a tie with Céline Dion and her song, "A New Day Has Come". It is the longest running AC number-one from a movie soundtrack. Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ...

Chart trajectory

See also

• List of songs in triple meter (2000-2009) (2005)