Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, who previously wrote Underwood's single "Before He Cheats" (2006), "Blown Away" is a country pop song; the lyrics are about a young woman who locks herself in a storm cellar while her abusive, alcoholic father is passed out on the couch in the path of a tornado.

The song's content and production received particular praise, as critics felt it confirmed the album's darker mood which Underwood had mentioned prior to its release.

After Underwood's Play On Tour wrapped in December 2010, she started to work on her fourth studio album, which was then untitled.

"[2] Songwriters Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, who previously wrote "Before He Cheats" for Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts (2005), worked on "Blown Away" initially without a specific artist in mind.

[4] Tompkins started playing his keyboard to find sound effects for the introduction, and ended up using one that was a thunderstorm.

[3] The songwriters then came up with the first verse of the song: "Dry lighting cracks across the skies / Those storm clouds gather in her eyes / Her daddy was a mean old mister / Momma was an angel in the ground / The weatherman called for a twister / She prayed blow it down.

As they wrote the pre-chorus line "not enough rain in Oklahoma", both knew that it was a Carrie Underwood song, as the singer is from that state.

"[4] Lyrically, "Blown Away" tells the story of a daughter locking herself in a storm cellar while her alcoholic father is passed out on the couch in the path of a tornado.

[2] Melodically, "Blown Away" is written in the key of A minor, and is set in the common time with a tempo of 134 beats per minute.

A reviewer for Billboard thought that Mark Bright's "brooding, atmospheric" production and Underwood's vocal performance "elevate this cinematic tune to an instant classic."

They further commented, "When the girl shuts herself in the storm cellar, leaving her alcoholic father passed out on the couch in the path of a twister, you can almost feel the wind.

"[7] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood thought that the song confirmed the description of the album as "a turn toward darkness from a singer who first topped the country chart with 'Jesus, Take the Wheel'.

"[8] USA Today columnist Brian Mansfield thought the song's "synthesizers, strings sounds, vocal overdubs and echoing guitars" combined dramatically, creating a "neo-80s feel - think an Oklahoma version of the Eurythmics.

"[9] "Blown Away" received a five-star rating from Billy Dukes of Taste of Country, who called it "dangerous, but irresistible."

[10] Also giving it five stars, Bobby Peacock of Roughstock called it "more grandiose" than Underwood's previous efforts, also saying that it "makes itself known by sounding like absolutely nothing else on radio.

"[11] Chris Richards of The Washington Post gave the song a mixed review, deeming the lyrics as "gripping", but negatively comparing the instrumentation to the work of Taylor Swift.

[12] Following the release of the album, "Blown Away" debuted at number 22 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart, with 66,000 units sold.

[16] On the week of September 6, 2012, the song became Underwood's 16th top ten single on the Country Airplay component chart, a record among women in the tally's 68-year history according to Billboard.

premiere, Underwood held a private screening of the video with country radio station KJ97 for over 200 of their listeners in San Antonio, Texas.

"[29] As the video continues, the girl is seen standing in the middle of a cemetery, walking around and staring at the dark clouds as a thunderstorm forms in the sky.

She runs back to her house along an old, destroyed yellow brick road, similar to the one in The Wizard of Oz.

The next day, there are no traces of the house, and as the video ends with a dog, some cattle and a rainbow in the sunshine, she calmly walks away.