| "Piece by Piece" | ||||
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&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Kelly_Clarkson_-_Piece_by_Piece_(Official_Single_Cover).png) | ||||
| Single by Kelly Clarkson | ||||
| from the album Piece by Piece | ||||
| Released |
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| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
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| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Greg Kurstin | |||
| Kelly Clarkson singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Kelly_Clarkson_-_Piece_by_Piece_Idol_Version_cover.png) Idol version single cover | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Piece by Piece" on YouTube | ||||
"Piece by Piece" is a song written by American singer Kelly Clarkson taken from her seventh studio album of the same name. She co-wrote the track with songwriter Jennifer Garduno and with producer Greg Kurstin. A midtempo pop song about restoring someone's faith in love and family relationships, Clarkson promulgated "Piece by Piece" as a sequel to the song "Because of You" (2004) but with a "happy ending". After a discussion with her sister about their family life, she introspectively co-wrote the song in a first-person narrative to her father, whose neglect of his family was used as a juxtaposition to her then-husband Brandon Blackstock's unconditional love for her and their daughter, whom they both promised to never abandon.
"Piece by Piece" was first released as the second promotional single from Piece by Piece by RCA Records on February 24, 2015. Upon its release, the title track received praise from music critics, who commended its lyrical content as one of the album's highlights. Clarkson premiered the song in a live acoustic performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and has showcased it on the set list of the Piece by Piece Tour. 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. On February 25, 2016, Clarkson performed "Piece by Piece" in a live presentation on the fifteenth season of American Idol. 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.
The combined versions of "Piece by Piece" allowed the song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number eight, becoming Clarkson's eleventh top ten entry and tying itself with "Never Again" (2007) as her highest debut on the chart. The track also attained the top position on three Billboard charts—primarily the Billboard Digital Songs chart, becoming Clarkson's 100th song to reach number one on a Billboard chart—a milestone in her musical career. "Piece by Piece" also peaked within the top 30 of the music charts of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Scotland. Clarkson later performed a reprise of the Idol version on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on March 3, 2016. The Idol version was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. 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.