This year, Kelly Clarkson‘s seminal sophomore album Breakaway turned 20. Her debut album, Thankful, was a commercial and critical success in 2003, bolstered by singles like “Miss Independent” and “The Trouble With Love Is.” The next year, she released Breakaway, which cemented her pop takeover and sent her to new heights.
Videos by American Songwriter
The album opened with the title track, which started it all off in a major way. “Breakaway” is about the speaker leaving her small town and tough home life for Hollywood and the music industry. However, she never forgets where she comes from even as she tried so hard to escape. The beginning of the music video features Kelly Clarkson exiting a limo at the premiere of Princess Diaries 2, which is fun to watch 20 years later—the song was first released as the lead single from the movie’s soundtrack.
“Breakaway” flows right into “Since U Been Gone,” Clarkson’s rock-inspired anthem for being free of a terrible relationship. The video transitions back and forth between Kelly Clarkson performing the guitar-heavy track for a rowdy crowd and trashing her fictional ex-boyfriend’s apartment. It’s still powerful and anthemic all these years later.
Kelly Clarkson Put Her Flair for Theatrics on Display with the Breakaway Music Videos
Kelly Clarkson’s sophomore album Breakaway was a departure from her initial R&B-flavored sound after her American Idol win. Her producers urged her to go in a more pop-rock direction to distance herself from the American Idol image the music industry was foisting upon her. She worked with two former members of Evanescence, Ben Moody and David Hodges, on the rock sound. Clarkson also worked with Dr. Luke and Max Martin on the pop elements. Combining their work with Clarkson’s vocals produced the defining and influential record.
The music video for “Behind These Hazel Eyes” took the storytelling and theatrics to a new level. It finds Clarkson performing in a spooky forest, preparing for her wedding in a Gothic castle, running through said forest in her wedding dress and rolling around in the mud, and then crashing the wedding of her ex-fiancé like a creepy specter. The sheer drama of it all should earn it an honorary Oscar.
Breakaway holds up to 20 years of a changing music industry. Most of the outfits in the music videos are questionable, but that’s to be expected. However, the songs explore moments of vulnerability, escapism, and grief in ways that are still relevant. There is imagery throughout of Kelly Clarkson confronting and healing her inner child, especially in “Because of You.” This album defined pop-rock of the early 2000s, and it still has a high place in the pantheon of the genre.
Featured Image by SGranitz/WireImage for Lifetime Television LA
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