Because Of You

"Because of You" is a song written by pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson, David Hodges and Ben Moody, both formerly of Evanescence, and produced by Hodges and Moody. It is the fourth single (third in Europe) from Clarkson's second album, Breakaway (2004). The song, which Clarkson wrote at age 16, discusses the difficulties she faced due to her parents' divorce. Critically, "Because of You" garnered positive reviews by music critics, who praised Clarkson's vocals. The song became Clarkson's most successful single around the world; in the United States, it peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 1.5 million digital downloads. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2007, Clarkson re-recorded the song as a duet with country music artist Reba McEntire for Reba's album Reba: Duets (2007). The duet version was released in Summer of 2007, reaching a peak of #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, becoming Clarkson's first official entry on that chart.

[Intro] Ooh-ooh, ooh Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh [Verse 1] I will not make the same mistakes that you did I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery I will not break the way you did, you fell so hard I've learned the hard way to never let it get that far [Chorus 1] Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk Because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt Because of you I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me Because of you, I am afraid [Verse 2] I lose my way And it's not too long before you point it out I cannot cry Because I know that's weakness in your eyes I'm forced to fake a smile, a laugh, every day of my life My heart can't possibly break When it wasn't even whole to start with [Chorus 1] Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk Because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt Because of you I find it hard to trust Not only me, but everyone around me Because of you I am afraid [Bridge] I watched you die, I heard you cry every night in your sleep (I watched you die, in your sleep) I was so young, you should have known better than to lean on me (I was too young for you to lean on me) You never thought of anyone else, you just saw your pain (You never saw me, yeah yeah) And now I cry in the middle of the night For the same damn thing [Chorus 2] Because of you I never stray too far from the sidewalk Because of you I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt Because of you I try my hardest just to forget everything Because of you I don't know how to let anyone else in Because of you I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty Because of you I am afraid [Outro] Because of you (Ah ah, ah, ah) Because of you, mmh, ooh...