Since U Been Gone

"Since U Been Gone"
Single by Kelly Clarkson
from the album Breakaway
Released	December 14, 2004 (2004-12-14)
Format	Music download, digital maxi single, 7" vinyl single (U.S.); CD single (elsewhere)
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:08
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Max Martin Dr. Luke
Producer	Max Martin Dr. Luke
Certification	Platinum (RIAA digital downloads) Platinum (RIAA CD singles) Silver (UK OCC) Platinum (ARIA) Platinum (CRIA)
Kelly Clarkson singles chronology
"Breakaway" (2004) "Since U Been Gone" (2004) "Behind These Hazel Eyes" (2005)

"Since U Been Gone" is a song written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald and recorded for American singer Kelly Clarkson's second album, Breakaway (2004). It was released in 2004 as the second single from the album in the U.S. and Australia, and the first in Europe (see 2004 in music). Its lyrics recall a failed relationship in which the protagonist later expresses relief about the breakup. Clarkson, who sought interest in a more rock-oriented image, wanted to alter the song's original composition to allow more drums. The song has a pop punk influence in drums and guitar riffs.^{[citation needed]}

The song was successful during 2005 (see 2005 in music), and was the second U.S. digital download to sell over one million copies. It reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian airplay chart. In the UK, where "Since U Been Gone" was released as the first single from Breakaway, it reached number five and remained on the chart until the second quarter of 2006 (see 2006 in music). At the Grammy Awards of 2006, Clarkson received a Grammy Award for the song in the category of "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". "Since U Been Gone" charted at ninety-seven in "Blender Magazine's" 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.^[1] In August 2009, the song was ranked at number 21 in "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s" by Pitchfork Media.^[2]

Music video

The single's music video depicts the revenge on a boyfriend. It begins with Clarkson sitting on a couch, removing and holding a heart shaped locket. She then proceeds into the bathroom, where she fixes her face in the mirror, then opens the medicine cabinet. She then begins to throw the contents all over the bathroom, squirting the toothpaste into the sink. She then enters the walk-in closet, where she snips one strap from every top, seemingly destroying her own clothes. She then proceeds to destroy the closet, throwing clothes and hangers everywhere, singing in a pile of them. She rips open a pillow in the bedroom and throws the contents everywhere. She picks up a picture frame, tips over a CD rack, throws artwork across the room. Inside the picture frame is a photo of a boy and girl. Kelly slams the photo face down into a glass table, shattering the table.

She then puts a hat low over her face and walks out of the apartment, only to see the boy and girl in the picture from the apartment walking down the street together. She smiles, lowers the hat, and walks the other way. The song ends as the couple walks into the destroyed apartment, with the closing scene showing the locket swinging.

When the chorus of the song is being played for this video, the video then shows Clarkson wearing a formal type of clothing (all black) and performing on stage, with a rock band behind her, to a crowd of fans. When the line "Since U Been Gone" is being sung, the fans (and Clarkson herself) jump to the beat of the chorus. This part of the video is also used for the bridge of the song, just before the final chorus.^{[citation needed]}

The video won "Best Female Video" and "Best Pop Video" at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.^{[citation needed]}

	Since U Been Gone 30 Second Sample of Since U Been Gone
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Covers and other uses

Ted Leo recorded an unreleased acoustic cover of "Since U Been Gone", mixing it with "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Butch Walker's EP Cover Me Badd includes a live version of the song. It has also been covered by Canadian hardcore punk band Fucked Up and California punk band The Aquabats, who played it at the conclusion of their 2006 live shows.^{[citation needed]}

"Since U Been Gone" is featured in the video game Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA.^{[citation needed]}

"Since U Been Gone" has been covered by the post-hardcore band A Day to Remember and has become widely popular among the fanbase getting over five million plays on their MySpace. It is often joked by the band that they would date Kelly Clarkson.^{[citation needed]}

Producer Timbaland has remixed this song with Keri Hilson singing the vocals. Hilson has performed this on several occasions on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveShow world tour.^{[citation needed]}

"Since U Been Gone" has been covered twice on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, by The Gossip and Robyn.^{[citation needed]}

Formats and track listings

7" single

1. "Since U Been Gone" - 3:08
2. "Breakaway" - 3:56

CD Maxi single

1. "Since U Been Gone" (album version) - 3:08
2. "Miss Independent" (AOL live version) - 3:16
3. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Club Mixshow) - 5:12
4. "Since U Been Gone" (music video) - 3:08

CD single

1. "Since U Been Gone" (album version) - 3:08
2. "Since U Been Gone" (AOL live version) - 3:16

U.S. remixes EP (digital only)

Released March 22, 2005.

1. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Rock Da Club Edit) - 3:22
2. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Ambient Candlelight Mix) - 3:29
3. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Mixshow) - 5:35
4. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Club) - 7:40
5. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Dub) - 7:21
6. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Radio Edit Instrumental) - 3:51
7. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Radio Edit Acapella) - 3:37
8. "Since U Been Gone" (Jason Nevins Reprise) - 5:12

Release history

Chart performance

Similar to "Breakaway", "Since U Been Gone" took a while to become popular. Released in the U.S. in late November 2004, the song spent three weeks steadily climbing the charts. Many^[who?] considered it a sureshot for the number-one position on Top 40 radio. However, Green Day's single "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" surpassed "Since U Been Gone" and jumped to number one. In late March, after over 4 months of being on the charts, the popularity of "Since U Been Gone" suddenly began to surge. By April 2005, the song had finally peaked at number one, where it remained for two weeks.^{[citation needed]}

"Since U Been Gone" topped several U.S. Billboard charts, including the Pop 100, Hot Dance Airplay and the Mainstream Top 40. It peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 but was held off the top spot by "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent. It stayed in the top ten for 20 weeks, in the top forty for 43 weeks and on the chart for forty-six weeks. The RIAA certified "Since U Been Gone" Gold in March 2006 for selling over 500,000 digital downloads. As of March 2009, "Since U Been Gone" has sold over 2,063,000 downloads.^[3] It was also certified gold in June 2006 for over 500,000 ringtones sold. The Jason Nevins "Since U Been Gone" remixes have sold over 180,000 digital downloads, bringing the song to another plateau. Nevins has since remixed other Clarkson records, such as "Because of You" and "Never Again".^{[citation needed]}

On the ARC Weekly Top 40, the single broke the longevity record in the chart's twenty-five year history, spending eight consecutive weeks at number one and remaining on the chart for 9 months.^{[citation needed]} It ranked 2th on the 2005 ARC Weekly Top 100 year-end chart, just behind We Belong Together from singer Mariah Carey, who topped the charts for 10 consecutive weeks. It ranked 4th on the 2005 Billboard year-end chart, and Clarkson set a new record on the ARC Weekly Top 40 by having three of the year-end chart's top five singles of the year ("Since U Been Gone", "Because of You" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes").^{[citation needed]}

The song was also popular worldwide, reaching number one in Canada for two weeks and remaining on the chart for twenty-nine weeks. It peaked inside the top five in Australia and the United Kingdom; in the former country it stayed in the top forty for nineteen weeks, and in the latter thirteen (non-consecutive). "Since U Been Gone" performed well in markets where Clarkson's success had previously been limited.^{[citation needed]}

Sales and certifications

¹ (J. Nevins remixes)

References