# Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Breakaway" is a 2004 pop song recorded by American singer [Kelly Clarkson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-clarkson) for the soundtrack of the [Walt Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney) film *The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement*, and later used as the title track of her second album, *Breakaway*. It was written by [Avril Lavigne](https://www.edgepedia.org/avril-lavigne), Bridget Benenate, and Matthew Gerrard, and produced by John Shanks.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368933/soundtrack/) • [2](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/benenate/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writers | Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate, and Matthew Gerrard[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368933/soundtrack/) |
| Origin | Written for Lavigne's debut album *Let Go* (2002) but judged not to fit the project; other artists passed before it was placed with Clarkson[2](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/benenate/) |
| Peak chart positions | No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 (46 weeks on the chart); No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for 21 weeks; No. 2 on both the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts[3](https://pop.news.chart2000.com/music/6f7sn3.htm) • [4](https://www.grammy.com/news/kelly-clarkson-breakaway-anniversary-american-idol/) • [5](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/) |
| Certification | Gold from the RIAA in February 2005, with over 500,000 copies sold in all formats in the US[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HXl1lcV7I) |
| Album role | Title track of Clarkson's second album *Breakaway* (2004), released again by RCA as the album's first single in North America, Latin America, and Australia[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HXl1lcV7I) |
## Writing and origin
The song was written while Lavigne was working on material for her 2002 debut album, *Let Go*. According to co-writer Bridget Benenate, a songwriter who has also written with [Alice Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-cooper) and for the 2004 Olympics *Unity* album, Lavigne came to a writing session with Benenate and Matthew Gerrard and talked about her life, becoming the song's inspiration; Gerrard built the melody and track while Benenate wrote the lyrics, drafting 25 versions over three days in bed.[2](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/benenate/)
Lavigne later described the song's subject as her own leap of faith: leaving her small town to pursue a music career in the city. "It was a very scary thing, leaving my world behind and taking a chance was what the song was written about," she said backstage at *The Kelly Clarkson Show*.[5](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/) The song did not fit *Let Go*, and other artists passed on it before it was placed with Clarkson and featured in *The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement*.[2](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/benenate/)
**A lyric change.** Clarkson did not write the song, but she made one notable change. The original line referred to snow, drawn from Lavigne's wintry Ontario upbringing; Clarkson asked Lavigne and her co-writers for permission to change it to rain, reflecting the weather in her native Texas. They approved, and the song opens with the lines "Grew up in a small town / And when the rain would fall down / I'd just stare out my window."[5](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/)
## Release and chart performance
"Breakaway" was released on July 19, 2004 as the first single from *The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement* soundtrack, issued while Clarkson was between albums.[5](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/) What was intended as a stopgap single to hold fans over until her next album became a global hit and the title track of her 2004 album *Breakaway*, released again by RCA as that album's first single in North America, Latin America, and Australia, and as its fifth single in Europe and Indonesia.[5](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/) • [6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HXl1lcV7I)
The single peaked at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent 46 weeks, and reached No. 1 on Billboard's radio airplay chart for 22 weeks.[3](https://pop.news.chart2000.com/music/6f7sn3.htm) Its strongest performance came on adult radio: it topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for 21 weeks, surpassing [Celine Dion](https://www.edgepedia.org/celine-dion)'s "Because You Loved Me" and [Phil Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-collins)' "You'll Be In My Heart" as that chart's longest-running No. 1 from a film.[4](https://www.grammy.com/news/kelly-clarkson-breakaway-anniversary-american-idol/) It also hit No. 2 on both the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts.[5](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/) In February 2005 the single was certified gold by the RIAA, with over 500,000 copies sold in all formats in the US.[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HXl1lcV7I)
## Music video
Because the song was recorded for *The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement*, its music video was tied to the film. Clarkson wanted the video to balance the song's theme with the film's, so it shows a young actress, Lindsey Krueger, portraying Clarkson as a child, then an adult Clarkson attending the fictional premiere of the film, with scenes from the movie appearing as she remembers her past. A second version, removing the film references, was released for the European single and later aired in the US as the film's popularity faded; the UK video was filmed at the London Hammersmith Apollo during Clarkson's European tour.[6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HXl1lcV7I)
## Legacy
The song became one of Clarkson's signature recordings. In a retrospective review, Pitchfork called the title track a sweet, [Goo Goo Dolls](https://www.edgepedia.org/goo-goo-dolls)-style acoustic ballad about a small town girl chasing better things, and pointed to its autobiographical video, in which Clarkson appears first as an unsettled 8-year-old gazing through a car window, then as a teen employed at a movie theater, and at last as a pop singer performing on stage.[7](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kelly-clarkson-breakaway/) The Recording Academy's 20th-anniversary retrospective credits the *Breakaway* album era, launched by this single, with establishing Clarkson as a mainstream star independent of her *American Idol* origins.[4](https://www.grammy.com/news/kelly-clarkson-breakaway-anniversary-american-idol/)
## References
1. [The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) Soundtracks, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368933/soundtrack/)
2. [Bridget Benenate Interview: Writing The #1 Hit "Breakaway", Songwriter Universe](https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/benenate/)
3. [Song title 707 - Breakaway, Chart2000](https://pop.news.chart2000.com/music/6f7sn3.htm)
4. [How Kelly Clarkson's 'Breakaway' Proved Her As America's "Idol", Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/kelly-clarkson-breakaway-anniversary-american-idol/)
5. [Meaning Behind the Leap of Faith That Inspired "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson, American Songwriter](https://americansongwriter.com/meaning-behind-the-leap-of-faith-that-inspired-breakaway-by-kelly-clarkson/)
6. [Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HXl1lcV7I)
7. [Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kelly-clarkson-breakaway/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Folk, traditional, and blues-rooted songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license