After being deemed unsuitable for the album, it was passed to Clarkson to be recorded as a soundtrack for the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).

It also topped the US Adult Contemporary for twenty-one non-consecutive weeks, a record for female artists that is now shared between herself, Celine Dion's "A New Day Has Come" and Adele's "Hello".

Directed by Dave Meyers, the accompanying music video for "Breakaway" portrays Clarkson as a young girl from a small town who follows her dream and becomes an international star.

Critics responded positively to the music video for being faithful to the central theme shared by the song, the film, and Clarkson's personal biography.

[2] In an interview with MTV, Clarkson said that she recorded "Breakaway" to tide fans over until September that year before she released the first single from her second album.

Dawood of Dawn lauded the song for being the best track on the album, writing ""Breakaway" is an enchanting single that will have you humming along to its infectious, gentle chorus and the inspiring lyrics.

[12] Sam Lansky of PopCrush.com thought that Clarkson's vocal floated over strummed guitars and airy drums, a combination which elevated the inspirational message of the song.

[14] Dave Donelly of Sputnikmusic noted that "Breakaway" successfully contrasted typical acoustic verse with a soaring pop chorus which was interspersed by Clarkson's controlled but powerful voice.

[16] Natalie Nichols of The Baltimore Sun considered "Breakaway" as Clarkson's anthem which is about a small-town girl going for her dreams.

[18] Rhonda Lynn of Florida Entertainment Scene praised the acoustic guitar in the song which is instrumental in holding the whole structure together.

"[20] In a different perspective, Joan Anderman of Boston.com remarked that "Breakaway" is not new or exciting-sounding but he admitted that the "hit single accomplishes the rare feat of being thoroughly middle-of-the-road without sacrificing grace or intelligence".

"[22] Kathi Kamen Goldmark of Disney Family.com felt that the song was tedious, simultaneously dull and so emotionally overwrought that it almost sounds like a parody of itself.

[29] Additionally, it also appeared at number four of Clarkson's Top 15 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits through the week ending April 29, 2017.

[39] Three months later, it peaked at number two on the week ending November 13, 2004, and was held off the top spot by Nelly featuring Tim McGraw's "Over and Over".

[44] Six months later, "Breakaway" topped Billboard Adult Contemporary, dethroning Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven" on the week ending March 12, 2005.

[48] With this achievement, "Breakaway" tied the record with Celine Dion's "A New Day Has Come" as the longest-running Adult Contemporary chart-topper by a female artist.

[31][49] "Breakaway" is also the longest-running chart-topper to come from a film in Billboard Adult Contemporary history, surpassing the nineteen-week record held jointly by Phil Collins's "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan and Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" from Up Close & Personal.

Meyers also realized that the song was featured in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and he struggled to find a way to address the film-footage in the music video, saying "Since it's a movie tie-in, the idea stems from trying to figure out a new way of addressing the film-footage requirement they put on you, so we came up with the idea of her attending the premiere, which is very much something she will do in real life.

She slowly clasps both her hands before the video shifts to the present day where Clarkson is seen arriving on the red carpet with her publicist for the world premiere of The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

The next scene switches back to the younger Clarkson who is sitting and looking around her neighborhood at her house's rooftop as a plane is seen flying across the sky.

The video switches back to the older Clarkson who is now watching the aforementioned film in her laptop inside the plane as it goes through a mild turbulence.

"[67] Kate Aurthur of The New York Times praised the music video for successfully illustrating the message of a girl following her own dream, which is a central theme shared by the song, the movie and Clarkson's biography.

[71] "Breakaway" was also included in the setlist of Clarkson's 2009 All I Ever Wanted Tour where she performed the song in Hammerstein Ballroom without any dancers, acrobatics, moving set pieces and no special effects.

Caryn Ganz noted that Clarkson belted the ballad song effortlessly by walking back and forth across the stage with her right hand on the mic and her left resting on her chest.

[72] Jim Cantiello of MTV opined that Clarkson's "low chest-voice cooed the verses of 'Breakaway'" and complimented the singer's vocal prowess throughout the concert.

[73] On April 3, 2012, Clarkson performed "Breakaway" as an encore to her Stronger Tour at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Los Angeles, where she told the audience that people started supporting her because of the song.

"[77] The same opinion was echoed by Eric Ditzian of MTV who opined that Stevens failed to resonate her youthful energy favouring the song choice.

[80] After landing in the bottom two, Belle Amie, an English pop quartet contestant on the seventh season of The X Factor, decided to perform "Breakaway" as their survival song.

[81][82] The song was also performed by Megan Hilty on the episode titled "Understudy" of the American television series Smash, which aired on April 7, 2012.

[84] The song was covered by Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale and Darren Criss, on the 97th episode, "Frenemies", of the musical series Glee, which aired on February 25, 2014.