Walk Away (Kelly Clarkson song)

Background

Clarkson called "Walk Away" "one of the brighter songs" on Breakaway, and said that "It's just one of those anthem songs where everybody is [bouncing their heads] in the car." She said of its subject matter, "the whole song is just about if it's not working out, then just leave, don't stay and make it worse." After spawning 4 major top 10 singles ("Breakaway," "Since U Been Gone," "Behind These Hazel Eyes," and "Because of You") and spending 60 weeks in the top 20 of the Billboard albums chart, Clarkson released "Walk Away" as the fifth single.

Composition

"Walk Away" was written by Clarkson, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida and Kara DioGuardi and produced by Maida, DioGuardi and Kreviazuk. It is one of 5 collaborations with Kara DioGuardi from the album and the first to be released as a single. DioGuardi has become one of the most sought songwriter/producers after playing key roles on hits from Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces of Me" to Lindsay Lohan's "Confessions of a Broken Heart." For additional insurance Canadian couple Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida, frequent Avril Lavigne collaborators, assisted on "Walk Away."

Tense guitars open the song, setting a cross tone. In "Walk Away," Clarkson's relationship with her boyfriend seemed to be sunk at the start. With his family conspiring against them and aiding in his deceptions, there was no way it was going to work. Clarkson's hurt not only stems from his indifference to her, but his family's animosity towards her. "You've got your mother and your brother/ Every other undercover/ Tellin' you what to say/", she sings. In the chorus, he asks her whether or not they should continue dating: "I'm looking for attention/ Not another question/ Should you stay or should you go?/ Well, if you don't have the answer/ Why you still standin' here?/ Hey, hey, hey, hey/Just walk away." In the second verse, she says that he stood up her plenty of evenings. However, each time she believed he would be there. After the chorus is the heated bridge. Clarkson says she wants a relationship where the guy loves her as passionately as she does him. She wants a lover who will support her, not disappear when she needs him the most. She asks if he thinks the relationship is worth fighting for. "I wanna love/ I want a fire/ To feel the burn/ My desires/ I wanna man by my side/ Not a boy who runs and hides/ Are you gonna fight for me?/ Die for me?/ Live and breathe for me?/ Do you care for me?/ 'Cause if you don't then just leave," she sings.

Critical response

Pam Avoledo of Blogcritics wrote that "[...] Clarkson vocals fiery and smoldering. She's come a long way from American Idol where she had the sing songs technically perfect with the emotion optional. However, in the single, she unleashes whatever anger she felt from a past breakup and puts it in the song."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic called it "driving, anthemic pop tune" and picked it as one of the album's best tracks. Robert Christgau named it a "prefab kissoff". Charles Merwin from Stylus Magazine wrote that "Luckily, songs like 'Breakaway' and 'Walk Away' are good enough to make you forget about some disappointments on the album." On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song #20 in its list of Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time.

Chart performance

"Walk Away" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 on the chart dated January 21, 2006. "Walk Away" became Breakaway's first release to fail to achieve top ten status on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 12. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number 21. In Australia, on the ARIA Charts, the song debuted at number 29. Later, it reached number 28, before falling to number 33. In its fourth week, it reached and peaked number 27. As of March 2013, the song has sold over 1,224,000 copies in the United States.

Track list

Digital single

1. "Walk Away" – 3:08
2. "Walk Away" (Chris Cox radio remix) – 3:38

Digital EP

1. "Walk Away" – 3:08
2. "Since U Been Gone" ([email protected]) – 3:13
3. "Walk Away" (Chris Cox radio remix) – 3:38
4. "Walk Away" (Ralphi Rosario Radio Mix) – 3:56

Remixes EP

1. "Walk Away" (Craig J radio mix) – 3:30
2. "Walk Away" (Chris Cox full on club mix) – 10:11
3. "Walk Away" (Ralphi Rosario's I Want a Man dub) – 10:14
4. "Walk Away" (Craig J Big Love mixshow) – 5:23
5. "Walk Away" – 3:08

Dance vault mixes

1. "Walk Away" (Craig J radio mix) – 3:30
2. "Walk Away" (Ralph Rosario main club) – 9:56
3. "Walk Away" (Ralph Rosario Walk Away Beats) – 9:43
4. "Walk Away" (Craig J's Big Love a cappella) – 5:23

Dance vault mixes 4

1. "Walk Away" (Craig J's Big Love club) – 6:33
2. "Walk Away" (Craig J's Padapella) – 3:46
3. "Walk Away" (Chris Cox TwEaKed dub) – 6:38
4. "Walk Away" (Ralph Rosario a cappella) – 3:27

Music video

The music video for "Walk Away" was developed from a treatment Clarkson had written and was directed by Joseph Kahn. The video premiered on British music channels on March 6, 2006 and on TRL and MuchOnDemand on March 7. Of the fifty days it was eligible for the TRL top ten video countdown, it was at number one nineteen times, including on its last day, June 1. The video was voted thirtieth in VH1's "Top 40 Videos of the Year" for 2006. Kelly wrote the treatment for the video, even writing in a scene for her brother and one of her friends. She shot the video in Los Angeles. Clarkson said of the music video:

"The last two were a bit darker, so I decided to write a happier treatment. I usually tell the story, like with 'Hazel Eyes' and the same with 'Because of You,' but this one we wanted to make a bit more fun. I don't want to give it away, but it's a very funny video."

It opens with alarm clock waking up at serval times and video is shown Clarkson singing "Walk Away" live. Other people are shown are a man showering, a woman at an office, twin brothers in the sports hall changing rooms, a football player, a man cleaning his house with a vacuum cleaner, a hairstylist, a waitress at a café, a man on the road in the traffic, men in the restroom (one of the men was played by Clarkson's brother, Jason Clarkson) and an officer standing by a car all singing along. During the bridge section, a man gets out the car and dances by the traffic and singing along. Another man sings along in a car, and he eventually gets out of the car to dance, holding up traffic. The video is intercut with shots of Clarkson performing the song with her band.

Live performances

Clarkson has performed the song in eight of her concert tours. First, she performed the song on the Breakaway World Tour, Hazel Eyes Tour, and the Addicted Tour (2005–06). Later, Clarkson performed the track on the My December Tour (2007–08). She also performed the song on the 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour (2008), a co-headlining concert tour with Reba McEntire. It was the first Clarkson song to be performed. Later, she performed the song on the All I Ever Wanted Tour (2009–10). On the Stronger Tour (2012), Clarkson performed the song as part of a medley, with "The Trouble With Love Is", "How I Feel" and "I Want You". When Clarkson performed the song on her most recent tour, the 12th Annual Honda Civic Tour, where she was a special guest for Maroon 5, she and her music director changed the arrangement to make it sound more jazzy. For her Piece by Piece Tour (2015) Clarkson mashes the song up with "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.

Clarkson has also performed the song on Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and at half time during the 2007 Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Football game.