Clarkson decided to add heavier guitars and harder drums to the song after noticing that the demo had an obvious pop sound.

Lyrically, the song is written from a woman's point of view where she expresses her sense of relief with the end of her troubled relationship.

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Alex De Rakoff, which shows Clarkson ruining her ex-boyfriend's apartment.

Davis said, "Max was looking to move on from what he had done with Backstreet Boys, and I really spent time convincing them that an 'American Idol' winner could bring all the feeling and passion that was required to the song.

"[5] According to MTV, Clarkson had already finished recording her materials for her second album, Breakaway in late 2004 when she was advised by her A&R to fly to Sweden to meet with Martin and Dr.

"[11] Clarkson also explained that when she first heard "Since U Been Gone", she felt that it sounded a little bit pop for her direction, and she decided to tweak the song musically by incorporating drums and guitars.

[6] The song was officially released to mainstream radio stations in the United States on November 16, 2004, as the lead single of Breakaway.

When asked whether she was a bipolar asthmatic, Clarkson responded that "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is about a dipstick who is unhappy because she has completely screwed up, and "Since U Been Gone" is an expression of relief because her ex is now miserable.

[31] Rohin of Blogcritics gave a positive response to the song, emphasizing that "it is almost one of the best pieces of throwaway pop in recent history".

[34] The staff of Slant Magazine later ranked "Since U Been Gone" at number thirteen in their list of Best Singles of the Aughts, writing that the song proves Clarkson's powerful ability as a vocalist as well as her versatility as an artist.

[35] Stephen Thompson of NPR Music called the song "one of the decade's finest pop anthems" which is infused with energy, charisma and full-throated intensity.

[38] In 2015, Gary Trust of Billboard wrote that "Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone", co-written by Max Martin, especially helped lead to pure pop's reemergence, and the breakthroughs of Rihanna, Katy Perry, [Taylor] Swift and Lady Gaga would soon follow (as well as [Britney] Spears' own revival)", stating that the song "began to erode hip-hop's early '00s reign, with women at the forefront of turning the tide.

[70] Clarkson told MTV that she conceived the idea of the video after assuming that revenge is what every girl wants to do when their boyfriend cheats on them.

She explained, "In the beginning, I'm like tipping things over and smearing mud all over the walls and it seems like my apartment, but it ends up being the other girl's that he's with, so it's a humorous video.

[6] The music video begins with Clarkson sitting on a couch in an apartment's living room, holding a heart-shaped locket in her hand.

Later, Clarkson takes a framed photo of her ex-boyfriend with another girl in the living room, before pushing a tall CD rack over.

[80][81] Clarkson told People that one of her favourite moments on television was performing "Since U Been Gone" at the MTV Video Music Awards, saying "I hate being all dressed up, so the fact that I was soaking wet with mascara smeared all over my face was definitely the highlight of my evening!

[83] Clarkson performed the song on Saturday Night Live in 2005,[84] along with the 2006 BRIT Awards which took place in Earls Court, London.

[86] Clarkson's performance of the song at the Beacon Theatre, New York City stirred crowd into a frenzy, causing the show to be closed abruptly.

[87] During her All I Ever Wanted Tour, Clarkson performed the song at the Hammerstein Ballroom, where Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone remarked that "the room turned into an electric sea of flailing arms and pogo-ing heads.

[89] At the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul television special, Clarkson performed a medley of "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Spotlight", "Real Love", and "Since U Been Gone" with Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson.

On September 27, 2011, Joseph Gordon-Levitt covered the song in the style of Axl Rose on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

[94] Indie rock artist Ted Leo recorded an acoustic version of "Since U Been Gone" for a videotaped web session a few hours after watching the song's music video.

Her rendition was praised by the judges; Louis Walsh felt that her performance was effortless while Kelly Rowland remarked that "Amelia Lily hits those notes in her sleep!

Katy Kroll of Rolling Stone lambasted their cover for being "pitchy" and "almost unlistenable",[103] Gord Craig of Leader-Post felt that Brown did not deliver her best although she sounded great with Legend.

All three judges were impressed with Ben Folds commenting "You guys gave voices to the instruments" while Shawn Stockman, praising the rhythm and percussion section, renamed Kevin and Avi "Meat and Potatoes".

[106] Lanford Beard of Entertainment Weekly noted that the song was used during the audition sequences in the film, writing "Set to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," it arranged the singers in a clever a cappella tapestry that simultaneously landed laughs and showed off their talents.

"[107] Christy Lemire of The Boston Globe was positive of the song's incorporation in the film during the audition process due to its beautiful editing which makes "it feels like a fresh take on the tried-and-true, bad-first-date montage.

[16] Maura Johnston from Billboard asserted that "the song inspired covers from all corners—Ted Leo, Kidz Bop—and helped prime the pop world for tracks like Pink's "Who Knew" and Paramore's "Misery Business", not to mention later Clarkson hits like "My Life Would Suck Without You".

"[118] NME placed it at number 135 on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years",[119] writing "What should have been a slice of American schlock power-pop turned into a brilliant kiss-off, in any genre.