| "Behind These Hazel Eyes" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kelly Clarkson | ||||
| from the album Breakaway | ||||
| Released | July 5, 2005[1] | |||
| Format | Digital download, digital maxi single, 7" vinyl single | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Kelly Clarkson, Max Martin, Dr. Luke | |||
| Producer | Max Martin, Dr. Luke | |||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA digital downloads) Gold (RIAA CD singles) Platinum (CRIA) |
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| Kelly Clarkson singles chronology | ||||
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"Behind These Hazel Eyes" is the third single (the second in Europe) from Breakaway, the second album by pop singer Kelly Clarkson.
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Released in 2005, the song was co-written by Clarkson, Max Martin, and Dr. Luke and was co-produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke.
In the song, Clarkson laments her relationship with a man who has broken her heart and who does not care about how much he hurt her. The lyrics are based on a true story, and are about an ex-boyfriend of Clarkson's (David Hodges, formerly of Evanescence) who left her in order to marry his other girlfriend.
In a 2008 interview, Clarkson revealed that at one point "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was going to be the working title for her album Breakaway (later considering being dropped from the album completely), but quickly changed due to the growing popularity of the single of the same name "Breakaway". Other titles she said were considered were "Walk Away" (later released as a single) and "Hear Me".
At the beginning of the music video, (her first of many that Joseph Kahn directed,) Clarkson appears in a wedding dress in a room, surrounded by her bridesmaids as they prepare for her wedding. She sits down so her friends can fix her hair and she sees a picture of her fiance with another woman; he is in a tuxedo while the woman is in a wedding dress. When Clarkson sees the picture, a storm forms outside and the women are unable to close the windows; the storm blows leaves into the room from the window. Her bridesmaids run out of the room while Clarkson stays, allowing her hair and dress to be swept up by the strong winds. She is then seen walking down the aisle of the church, her dress now black, but there is a woman standing at the altar already with Clarkson's fiance. Clarkson unveils the other bride to be the woman from the picture. Clarkson then runs out of the church and into a dark swampland, where she collapses as her ex and the other woman kiss. Throughout the video, she was seen singing with her band in the same dark swampland. They see each other and the Clarkson that was singing in the dark swampland then sings to the bride, comforting her. She then appears back at the church, exchanging vows with her fiance. Before he puts the ring on her finger, she looks at the guests and sees the other woman. She sees a tiny smile the two exchange, the woman blows her fiance a kiss. Clarkson then reaches for the ring, and throws it at him and then she leaves him at the altar, throwing her wedding bouquet into the lap of the other woman in the process. Clarkson then shoves her way past the wedding guests who try to stop her from leaving. The video ends with her stepping out the doors into the bright sunlight, although it was raining and gloomy the entire video.[2]
The video was shot in Toronto, Ontario in Canada.[3]
"Behind These Hazel Eyes" continued Clarkson's streak of domination in radio airplay. Like "Breakaway" and "Since U Been Gone", the song hit the top ten of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 6 for four consecutive weeks and spending a further six consecutive weeks at number 7. When it first reached the top ten, "Since U Been Gone" was still in the top ten. Both songs were also in the top three of the Pop 100 Airplay charts at the same time, making her the only artist to accomplish this.
On Top 40 radio, the song soared into the Top 3, and eventually would spend 9 weeks at number 2, stuck behind Mariah Carey's hit single "We Belong Together". Like all of the singles from Breakaway, the song also had huge longevity, spending 30 weeks inside the Top 40. Despite being unable to reach number 1 on Top 40 Radio, the song did reach number 1 on Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart, making it Clarkson's first number 1 on that format. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was, at the time Clarkson's only song to reach the top ten in New Zealand, peaking at number seven.
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 6 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[5] | 9 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] | 23 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[7] | 4 |
| Czech Republic (IFPI)[8] | 35 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] | 7 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[11] | 7 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 21 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 20 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[14] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 6 |
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Platinum[16] | 1,310,000[17] |
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