Kelly Clarkson co-wrote 'Because of You' at age sixteen with David Hodges and Ben Moody, and it became the standout ballad of her 2004 album Breakaway, released as a single in 2005. The song's raw lyrics about a fractured family and Clarkson's powerhouse vocal made it a worldwide hit and a staple of talent shows, covered endlessly by contestants. Years later it found a second life online, where the belted chorus became shorthand for heartbreak in TikTok edits, reaction videos and memes, keeping the song in constant circulation decades after release.