Upon its release, the title track received praise from music critics, who commended its lyrical content as one of the album's highlights.
A re-worked version of the track was released to American hot adult contemporary radio stations on November 9, 2015, as the third and final single from the album.
The successful commercial and critical response of her performance on the program led RCA to issue an "Idol version" of the track on February 29, 2016.
Following her 2022 divorce from Blackstock, Clarkson rewrote the lyrics in 2023 for live performances to reflect her new self-worth as a single mother.
[2] Clarkson also noted how their husbands were so supportive and loving in stark contrast to the cliché about people with "abandonment issues" dating "losers".
This chorus change seems to address the main point of content: money from Clarkson's 2022 divorce settlement from Blackstock.
[16] In an interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Clarkson admitted that she changed the lyrics because she found it difficult to sing the original version live while reliving the heartbreak she endured in the divorce, and added that the "healing" rewrite gave her some clarity and allowed her to evaluate her newfound self-worth and empower her fanbase.
[18] RCA then commissioned a re-worked version of the track for commercial release, which was serviced to hot adult contemporary radio stations on November 9, 2015 as the third single from the album.
Reviewing for Billboard, Jamieson Cox regarded the song as a raw and standout vocal showcase, saying that when Clarkson forges a real emotional connection with the track, it allows the album to transcend hammier and hackneyed moments in between.
[22] In his review for The New York Times, Pareles described it as the album's most accusatory song; and noted that despite the lyrical vulnerability, its music rises quickly to bombast, triumphal and glamorous but remote.
[23] AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine also included it as one of the three tracks (along with "Nostalgic" and "Good Goes the Bye") that strike the correct balance of Clarkson's indomitable character and fresh electronic beats on the album's production.
[24] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News highlighted the song as one of the two (along with "Someone") that show Clarkson's flair for the passive aggressive put-down and help focus on her persona.
Club, Annie Zaleski also commended the track as one of those where Clarkson is far more engaging, and commented that the album could use more of that emotional complexity and personal connection.
[27] Following Clarkson's performance of the song on American Idol, Nielsen Soundscan announced that digital copies of the song had sold a total of 21,996 copies a few hours prior to the end of the tracking week ending on February 25, 2016, posting a 4777% gain from its previous week and allowing it to debut on the Billboard Digital Songs chart at number 35 and at number 18 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the issue dated the week ending March 12, 2016.
[43][44] On March 3, 2016, Clarkson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where she discussed her American Idol performance and closed the program with a rendition of the song.
[49][50] The video, filmed entirely in a monochromatic black-and-white form, features Clarkson singing the song in an empty space, as well as tribute scenes to women of all ages—primarily to mothers, abandoned daughters, and pregnant women, ending with a scene of Clarkson carrying her own daughter.