Walk Away (Kelly Clarkson song)
Encyclopedia
"Walk Away" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson
on her second album, Breakaway, and was the album's fifth and final single
.
In March 2006, the single was certified gold by RIAA and has sold over 500,000 copies in all formats in the United States. As of February 2010, "Walk Away" has sold over 1.1 million digital copies in the U.S.
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."
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, where the single's video became available on television music channels seven days before the single release, the song debuted and peaked at number 21, and in Australia, it reached number 27.
for "Walk Away" was developed from a treatment Clarkson had written. She relied on Joseph Kahn to direct it. The video premiered on British music channels on March 6, 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.
In the video, alarm clocks wake up several different people. Clarkson is at a radio station singing "Walk Away" live, and various people—including a man showering, a woman at an office, twin brothers, a football player, and a man cleaning his house—are singing along. One man, played by Clarkson's brother Jason, is discovered singing the song in a public restroom. As soon as he is found, he runs out in embarrassment. In his place, the man who found him begins 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 a band.
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
on her second album, Breakaway, and was the album's fifth and final single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
In March 2006, the single was certified gold by RIAA and has sold over 500,000 copies in all formats in the United States. As of February 2010, "Walk Away" has sold over 1.1 million digital copies in the U.S.
Description
Clarkson called "Walk Away" "one of the brighter songs" on Breakaway, and said that "It's just one of those anthemAnthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
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."
Chart performance
"Walk Away" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at number 97 on the chart dated January 21, 2006. "Walk Away" became Breakaway
In the United Kingdom, where the single's video became available on television music channels seven days before the single release, the song debuted and peaked at number 21, and in Australia, it reached number 27.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Walk Away" was developed from a treatment Clarkson had written. She relied on Joseph Kahn to direct it. The video premiered on British music channels on March 6, and on TRL and MuchOnDemand
MuchOnDemand
MuchOnDemand was an hour-long per broadcast viewer interactive television program aired on MuchMusic, Monday through Friday at 5pm ET. It was broadcast live from the Much broadcasting studio on 299 Queen Street West in Toronto. The Best of MuchOnDemand, aired Sundays at 10am ET, highlighting the...
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
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's "Top 40 Videos of the Year" for 2006.
In the video, alarm clocks wake up several different people. Clarkson is at a radio station singing "Walk Away" live, and various people—including a man showering, a woman at an office, twin brothers, a football player, and a man cleaning his house—are singing along. One man, played by Clarkson's brother Jason, is discovered singing the song in a public restroom. As soon as he is found, he runs out in embarrassment. In his place, the man who found him begins 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 a band.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
30 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
10 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
19 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... 1 |
5 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Gold | 1,094,000 |