Released in 2005, the song was co-written by Clarkson, Max Martin, and Dr. Luke and was co-produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke. Surprisingly, the single almost did not appear on the album because Clarkson was not satisfied with the song's original lyrical content. However, after a relationship problem, she saw new potential in the song she had once dismissed. A lengthy discussion with Dr. Luke ensued, and the song was rewritten. It emerged with a new theme and darker lyrics representing a very personal part of Clarkson's life.

 

In this song, Clarkson laments her relationship with a man who has broken her heart and who does not care about how much he hurt her. The lyrics are based on a true story, and are about an ex-boyfriend of Clarkson's (David Hodges formerly of Evanescence) who left her in order to marry his own ex-girlfriend.

 

"Behind These Hazel Eyes" continued Clarkson's streak of domination in Radio airplay. Like "Breakaway" and "Since U Been Gone", the song hit the top ten of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #6 for four consecutive weeks and spending a further six consecutive weeks at #7. When it first reached the top ten, "Since U Been Gone" was still in the top ten. Both songs were also in the top three of the Pop 100 Airplay charts at the same time, making her the only artist to accomplish this.

 

On Top 40 radio, the song soared into the Top 3, and eventually would spend 9 weeks at #2, stuck behind Mariah Carey's hit single "We Belong Together". Like all of the singles from Breakaway, the song also had huge longevity, spending 30 weeks inside the Top 40. Despite being unable to reach #1 on Top 40 Radio, the song did reach #1 on Adult Top 40 radio, making it Clarkson's first #1 on that format. The single has logged an impressive 1,060,000 digital downloads in the U.S.