Composition
"Breakaway" is a pop song with a length of three minutes and fifty-seven seconds. It is composed in the key of C major, with a tempo of 160 beats per minute. T.U. Dawood of Dawn lauded the song for being the best track on the album, writing ""Breakaway" is an enchanting single that will have you humming along to its infectious, gentle chorus and the inspiring lyrics." It has a chord progression of Am7–GB–C-F(9) and Clarkson's vocal range in the song spans two octaves from the low note of G3 to the note of C5. Sam Lansky of PopCrush.com thought that Clarkson's vocal floated over strummed guitars and airy drums, a combination which elevated the inspirational message of the song. Dave Donelly of Sputnikmusic noted that "Breakaway" successfully contrasted typical acoustic verse with a soaring pop chorus which was interspersed by Clarkson’s controlled but powerful voice.
Lyrically, the song is about growing up and moving on in life. Courtney Duffield of Yahoo! Voices gave a positive remark to the lyrics, writing "The song tugs at the heart strings, because we call all identify with how hard it is to breakaway and take a risk." Natalie Nichols of The Baltimore Sun considered "Breakaway" as Clarkson's anthem which is about a small-town girl going for her dreams. Clarkson admitted that she could relate to the song, saying
It describes how I got into the business, verbatim. I did grow up in a small town, I wanted to get out, I felt like there was something... not better for me, but something different for me. I didn't feel like I fit in at school. Whether you are a DJ, or if you work with computers, or if you're a teacher, everyone has that point where they feel, 'I'm bored and this isn't what I wanted to do with my life.'
Read more about this topic: Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson Song)
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