In an interview, former Yellowcard lead guitarist Ben Harper said that "Way Away" is "about our band and facing the people who didn't believe in what we were doing.

"[2] In another interview, vocalist Ryan Key, in discussion of the song, said: "It's the story we have sort of been through as a band in the last couple of years, moving from our hometown in [Jacksonville,] Florida, out to [Southern] California and starting to tour really hard and just sort of following our dreams.

The band's frontman, Ryan Key is shown in from several scenes of the video showing him loading his car and moving away from his job, family, and his girlfriend and writing the lyrics of "Way Away".

The video was shot in front of the "Super A Foods" Market store in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2003.

[4] Allmusic gave the song a positive review, by saying "[Way Away] thrives on the basics of rock & roll — foliated guitars weaved in between high-speed percussion."