Songfacts®:

• Avril Lavigne wrote the lyrics to this song, which she worked on with professional songwriters Matthew Gerrard and B. Beneate. It was intended for Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, but she didn't think it fit the album and let Clarkson record it as a single. The song did so well that at the last minute, Clarkson's second album was renamed Breakaway and this song was included on it. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR
• The song is about breaking away from an old life and trying new things. Some may even consider it a song about growing up, and that could be true in some ways, but it is mostly about shedding your past and becoming a new person. The theme appealed to Clarkson, who could relate to the lyrics.
• This song was used in the movie The Princess Diaries 2. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Ferris - Ohio, OH
• Gerrard explained to Songwriter Universe Magazine: "The song was originally written for Avril (Lavigne), it was inspired by her. As it turned out, it wasn't quite right for Avril's album, so we pitched it to Kelly Clarkson. It all worked out great. Kelly sounds great singing it, and it was a big hit for us."
• Clarkson calls this "The song for everyone going out on their own." She relates it to when she moved from a small town in Texas to Los Angeles, where against the odds she became a star.
• Lavigne originally didn't like the song, as it wasn't in her favorite pop-punk style. "It was like a ballad. I was just like, it feels like a church song," she told Audacy Check. "I was just not there."
  
  Lavigne has grown more fond of "Breakaway" and added it to her tour set list in 2019. She performed it live for the first time during her September 17, 2019 concert at Fox Theater, Oakland, California.
• Lavigne is a fan of Clarkson's version. "She has an incredibly strong, beautiful voice and an insane range," the Canadian said. "She took that song to the next level and f---ing owned it, so that was cool."