Focus
Diamond Member
"peace out my babies" ~ Kelly Hoodson tm yoKC ~ "hackers..You've been CLARKSONED"!
Joined: January 2005
Posts: 15,591
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Post by Focus on Dec 5, 2009 15:49:45 GMT -5
Personally I hear NOTHING similair between IICHY and FOTW, but that's just me. I don't either, they're just similar type songs, uptempo, that's about it. Ps, a long time ago, I remember I had a thing from this board where Kelly had talked about each song on "Breakaway" and why she picked it, and what she was writing about (on the one's she wrote), does anyone have that? I'd love to re-read that, and I was also curious if she had did that with "My December" or "All I Ever Wanted?" I always love to know the meanings behind songs. I don't care so much about "Thankful" so much. Thanks though if anyone has these! I think this is what you're talking about for Breakaway... PR Newswire- Breakaway (Album)- November 22, 2004LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," one of the most anticipated albums of 2004, will be released by the RCA Records label on Tuesday, November 30th. "Since U Been Gone" was the No. 1 most-added song at Mainstream Top 40 radio this week, adding to the buzz for the CD, which has reached a fever pitch. Billboard Magazine wrote: "This is an utterly ideal showcase for Clarkson. There's glorious tempo, enough edge to rattle the speakers, a relentless, big-game hook -- and it's a huge leap forward for the entertainer as a more confident, ever-maturing vocalist." Her first album, "Thankful", released in 2003, debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100 and included the No. 1 single "A Moment Like This" plus the top 5 smash hit "Miss Independent". Certified double platinum, "Thankful" was the perfect introduction to Clarkson. "I had a lot more experience coming into the second album," Clarkson says. "I knew exactly what I wanted and who I wanted to work with." The album begins with the title track, "Breakaway," one of this year's mega-hits reaching #1 on all Top 40 radio outlets. "Since U Been Gone," is the second track on the new album. Clarkson describes the song as an "empowering anthem." It's the only track on the album not recorded in Los Angeles. "I went to Max Martin's studio in Sweden. We recorded it there with Max and the co-writer of the song, Lukasz Gottwald. The first time I heard the song I thought it was a little poppy, so I asked if we could rock the track a little. We put some heavier guitars and harder drums on it. Now it's explosive". Clarkson co-wrote six songs on the album, including "Behind These Hazel Eyes" with Max Martin and Lukasz Gottwald, as well as "Because of You" with Ben Moody and David Hodges, formerly of Evanescence. Clarkson also recorded six songs co-written by Kara Dioguardi, including "Gone," "Where Is Your Heart," and "You Found Me." "Kara is one of the best writers I've ever met," says Kelly. "She's passionate and very much an emotional writer," 'Gone,' which Kara wrote with John Shanks, is feisty and uptempo. " It'll be a great song to perform live. I love "You Found Me" because it's a happy song and the rest of the album is a bit on the darker side." Clarkson and Dioguardi also teamed up to write "Hear Me," along with Clif Magness. " 'Hear Me' is the message I really want people to get from this album, sometimes I just want to be heard," Kelly explains. "I don't care if you like my opinion or if you care what I'm saying, just listen. Indulge me. I wrote this song about being in a crowd, you're screaming at the top of your lungs and no one is listening. You are invisible. That's what I feel like sometimes. It's a very therapeutic song for me to listen to. I think everyone can relate to it." The album concludes with a live version of "Beautiful Disaster," a song Clarkson originally recorded for her first album. "The lyrics are so beautiful," Kelly stresses. " Writer Matthew Wilder and I wanted to do a piano version. We did it on tour and everybody flipped over it. I thought it would be great to add it to the record for the people who didn't get a chance to see me perform it live." The album producer is Clive Davis with A&R by Stephen Ferrera. Clarkson is managed by Simon Fuller for 19 Management.
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Berry
3x Platinum Member
Joined: June 2007
Posts: 3,082
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Post by Berry on Dec 5, 2009 16:40:03 GMT -5
For Breakaway
"When we first met her, Kelly Clarkson was new at her job. But what a difference two years can make. Her new-found confidence is more than evident on her second RCA Records Label release, Breakaway, named after the mega radio hit (No. 1 at Top 40 radio) Billboard Magazine acknowledged Clarksons development with a review of her new single, Since U Been Gone. It read in part, This is an utterly ideal showcase for Clarkson. There's glorious tempo, enough edge to rattle the speakers, a relentless, big-game hook -- and it's a huge leap forward for the entertainer as a more confident, ever-maturing vocalist.
Breakaway follows Clarksons first album, Thankful, which is certified double-platinum by the RIAA. That No. 1 album included her single A Moment Like This, which set the record for the biggest leap to the top in the history of the Hot 100 when it rocketed 52-1. Thankful also includes the top 10 hit Miss Independent which made her a 2004 Grammy nominee for Best Female Pop Vocal, and the radio hits Low and The Trouble With Love Is, from the soundtrack to Love Actually.
I had a lot of time to work on this album, and I had the past two years to write stuff. A lot of the songs on the album I wrote way before we went into the studio. Kelly Clarkson is discussing her latest album, Breakaway, a record that is the next step in the singers artistic evolution. The album has more of a rock sound than her debut, an influence that had been creeping into Kellys music ever since her first major tour: Even the songs from my first album that werent so rock, I sang them in that style live, because it made them more fun to sing. So, this time, we ended up making more of a rock-pop album.
The album got its start on Kellys one-month break after the tour for her debut album, Thankful, came to a close. Most people in any walk of life would love to take a month off from their careers. But Kelly Clarkson isnt most people, and it wasnt long before she was looking ahead to her next record:
Clarkson has writing credit on six songs on the new album, including Because of You and Addicted, which she collaborated on with Ben Moody and David Hodges, formerly of Evanescence. The songs with David and Ben were the most fun to record, she says, because I was involved in every little thing, like sitting in on the string section. Ben and David are very opposite from each other, so each of us brought something different to the songs.
On her latest album, Breakaway, what she wanted was to follow her artistic impulses. More than simply a great singer, Kelly Clarkson is also a writer and an artist with a vision for her work
all of which comes through on Breakaway. What follows is her thoughts on each track on the album.
Breakaway: written by M. Gerrerd, B. Benante, A. Lavigne. Ive done country music, Ive done pop, Ive done gospel
all of my singles have sounded different. But this song was different from everything Ive done; people didnt even know it was me! Breakaway is a simple song, and I think that its simplicity is whats beautiful about it. Whenever writers or producers come to work with me, they take advantage of the fact that I can really belt it out. Whats cool about Breakaway is that it doesnt take advantage of that. The song just uses the simplicity of my voice.
It was co-written by Avril Lavigne. Shes very talented. I dont think you have to write everything that you sing. I could relate to the song, it describes how I got into the business, verbatim. I did grow up in a small town, I wanted to get out, I felt like there was something
not better for me, but something different for me. I didnt feel like I fit in at school. Whether you are a DJ, or if you work with computers, or if youre a teacher, everyone has that point where they feel, Im bored and this isnt what I wanted to do with my life.
Since U Been Gone: Writen by Max Martin and the co-writer of the song, Lukasz Gottwald Rock music can be very in your face like Janis Joplin or Aerosmith, its not as smooth as pop or R&B. Its very emotional. Vocally, it can be a lot more challenging. Since U Been Gone is very fun to play live.
This song was produced by Max Martin, who is known for stuff hes done with the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, hes done a lot of great music with them. But the sad thing about the music industry is that people get pigeonholed. He got boxed into that pop thing, because he is so great at it. But he wanted to spread his wings, and do something more in the rock direction. He wasnt sure he wanted to work with me, because he didnt want to do pop. It turns out that I said the same thing about him. Then we realized that we both wanted to rock! So, it worked out really well.
Behind These Hazel Eyes: written by Clarkson with Max Martin and Lukas Dr. Luke Gottwald. I wrote Behind The Hazel Eyes about my last boyfriend. Its the last song I wrote for the album, I almost didnt make the deadline. Im not too worried about people knowing whom these songs are about. Im a normal 22 year old girl, and if someone breaks my heart, Im gonna write about it. Im putting out my diary basically. Its a very personal thing. Putting out this record was a bit nerve racking at first. I feel like Im saying to the world, Please dont reject me, please like my songs! (laughs) It was therapeutic for me, I love the record, but I hope people like the songs! There is a lot of stuff on the album thats related to breakups. Although theres a lot of songs that people think are about breakups, but theyre not.
Because Of You: written by Clarkson, Ben Moody, & David Hodges. Because Of You isnt about breakups, its about my family. It is about growing up in a broken home. My parents were together for 17 years or so, and then all of the sudden, something went wrong. But Ive talked to lots of friends who have seen domestic violence in their homes; I didnt. But if you see those things as a child, you see a family member cheating or people not trusting each other or people not communicating with each other, that effects you. You end up afraid to trust people, because you think youre going to get screwed over. Me and a friend of mine were up late one night talking about our lives, and it led to this song. I wrote it when I was 16, my friend was having a really hard time with her family. It was a different situation than mine, but I could relate to what she was going through. My parents were together for a long time, and suddenly one thing happens, and its over. That could happen to me. It made me feel like, why would I want to open up and trust someone? I know that its a childish way to look at it; life is a risk, and anything worth having is worth taking a risk for, but I wrote it when I was 16. I have learned a lot since then. At the same time, it doesnt matter how old you are, you can still relate. I was 6 when my parents got divorced. I used to be the most closed off person. I didnt want to get hurt. I had been messed over by friends, and I had been through a lot with my family. I didnt pity myself, but I did put a wall up. Im smarter now, but I have a good relationship with God, and thats gotten better over the years. Thats why Ive gotten smarter about situations. Im a very trusting person now. Im not going to let people screw me over left and right, but at the same time Im not going to close myself off. Thats a big step for me.
The whole record isnt about breakups, but you can relate lots of it to breakups. I dont mind if people do think its all about breakups. Thats what I think is great about art. You can interpret it any way you want to. Some people will take that and think that a song reaches out to them. With Low on my last record, I get a lot of fan mail about that song, and everyone has different interpretations of what they think its about. And I think thats phenomenal.
Gone: written by Kara Dioguardi & John Shanks. It is a very feisty song. (Producer) John Shanks wrote that with Kara DioGuardi, Kara co-wrote a lot of the songs on the album, she wrote some songs with me. I believe that she co-wrote a lot of Ashlee Simpsons songs too. Shes an emotional writer.
If someone writes a great song, and I havent experienced what the lyrics are describing, its like acting; you just put yourself in those shoes. Im only 22, theres a lot for me to experience in my life. If I think a song will touch people and it needs to be heard, Ill sing the song. Some Kind Of Miracle from my last record was written by Diane Warren, and I just think its a beautiful song. Even though I cannot relate to what the song is about, Ive never been in love like that. Ive loved people, but not like that. But I thought that song should be heard. And I felt the same way about this song.
Addicted: written by Clarkson, Ben Moody, & David Hodges. I had been holding on to Because Of You and Addicted for a while. I am in love with those two songs, the lyrics and the melodies, they are two of my favorite songs that Ive ever written. I wanted to work on them with someone as passionate about music as I am. And then I heard that Evanescence record
I loved their record because of the passion behind it. I asked my management, Who made that record? I want to work with them on these two songs that Ive written. It ended up being Ben Moody and David Hodges. I met with Ben first, I didnt even know that he had left Evanescence. But he fell in love with Because Of You. Thats what matters, I wanted him to love the music. I was like, Dude, if you dont like the songs, just let me know, we can write some new stuff, or you dont have to work with me at all. It worked out really, really well.
Where Is Your Heart: written by Clarkson, Chantal Kreviazuk, & Kara Dioguardi
my A&R guy said, I have this writer named Chantal, I think you would write really well with her. We connected right away. A lot of women writers, I think, are very emotional. This song is not a schmaltzy ballad, its more like Bonnie Raitts I Cant Make You Love Me.
The guy I wrote Behind These Hazel Eyes about, I wrote Where Is Your Heart about. He was wanting me to get really into our relationship, and I just thought, Where are you in our relationship? If I date someone, I would have to date a guy who isnt intimated by my job and how busy I am, and who isnt needy. I cant handle someone who is insecure about our relationship. If I tell you I like you, I mean it, Im not lying. If I didnt like you, I would walk away, thats just how I am. I cant deal with someone who constantly needs reassurance.
Chantals husband, Raine Maida, from a Canadian rock band called Our Lady Peace plays guitar on the song. We recorded the song at her house, we were playing ping-pong, and she just asked him to play on the record. They are both really passionate about music. They also worked with Avril Lavigne on her record. And they like working with me and Avril because we can sing. As a writer, if I was going to give someone a song I didnt use on this record
I didnt write for people who cant sing.
Walk Away: written by Clarkson, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida & Kara Dioguardi Its very blunt and to the point. Im done with you, youre upsetting me. Its very in your face, and very raw. You want to sing it right to someones face. Its a fun song to sing live. I really want it to be a single so I can make a video. Its my Annie Lennox-type song. I adore Annie Lennox, thats what I aspire to be. I met her at a benefit, she was so sweet. Luckily, all the people I grew up admiring, when Ive met them, theyve been really great people.
You Found Me: writen by Kara Dioguardi & John Shanks Actually, the album is a very great representation of the past six months of my life. That song and Breakaway and Gone I recorded in the same day. I recorded it actually before I even went to LA to do the album. I took time off from my vacation to record these songs. I got bored! When I recorded this one, I was actually in a good place with a guy! It was very fitting at the time that I recorded it. I was like Yay! at the time. Each song on the album I could totally relate to at the time.
I Hate Myself For Losing You: written by Dioguardi with Jimmy Harry and Shep Solomon Thats a song thats really supposed to be about the one guy that got away. I dont actually have that one guy that got away, but I did have one guy that kind of didnt work, and you never know if something could have happened. Thats kind of what the song is about. It was really hard recording that song.
It was written for me by Kara, and I wasnt really in that headspace right then; I hadnt lost someone right then. But, it was kind of like foreshadowing. I read something that Sting said in an interview, he talked about how the great thing about writing is that it is an emotional and therapeutic thing and you can get it out. But the bad thing is, you literally have to go back to that place and re-live it while youre working on the song. Its depressing. After doing that song I was depressed for a week! It was depressing recording that song. By the last line, I was crying. But its great for the record.
Hear Me: written by Clarkson, Kara Dioguardi and Cliff Magness. The past few years have been a whirlwind for me, and my life has been crazy, but now I know about where I want to go, and who I am. The song is almost like a prayer to God. I havent met the person who I will spend the rest of my life with, but the song is a prayer to God about that. Thats what the song is. God, Im ready for the one! But I dont even know what I was thinking when I wrote that song, Im totally not ready for that kind of relationship now anyway! I dont even know how Id even fit a relationship into my life. I know thats horrible to say. But Im young. I have the most exciting year ahead of me, Im going to be touring all over the world, Japan, Australia, I should enjoy it, instead of worrying about hurrying up and getting married. But I come from a small town, I have friends who have kids. I go back there, and I feel like Im behind. Like theres something wrong with me. At the same time, I dont live there, and thats not my life.
Beautiful Disaster: writer Matthew Wilder & Rehekah Jordan Beautiful Disaster is one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever, ever come in contact with. Rebekah Jordan wrote that song for my last record. When I heard it, I called her and I wanted to meet her, I wanted to know why she wrote that song. I just fell in love with the lyrics.
There are certain loved ones in your life, it could be a father, a mother, a brother, a boyfriend, a friend, and you want to keep them in your life because you love them, but at the same time theyre dragging you down. Its easier for someone to drag you down than for you to lift them up. Rebekah told me that she had a boyfriend with a lot of drug issues, and she was really trying to help him get out of it, and she couldnt. Thats why she wrote the song.
As for the recording of the song, I think that, when it was released on my first record, the label wanted all the production that was on it, and I just hated it. I thought it took away from the song, and so did the producer, Matthew Wilder. We wanted to do it the way I did it on tour, with just a piano and my voice. The label thought it didnt sound big enough. But I thought the production was distracting from the lyrics. So, on tour I did the stripped down version. I would get fanmail about that version. I sang it that way on The View. And people wanted that piano and voice version. So I decided to add the live version to this record.
With a record shes proud of in stores, Kelly is now looking forward to the next few months: Im doing a small theater tour, then Im going to do a bigger tour that Im going to co-headline with someone, we havent figured out who. In recent months, there has been some controversy about which singers actually sing, and which ones pretend to. Kelly doesnt have to worry about proving her singing abilities: her fans know that you dont win American Idol by faking it.
When I tour, I sing live. And people like that I sing live. Im not even criticizing anyone that doesnt. But there are singers and there are entertainers, its very entertaining to go to a show with dancers and a big production, but my show isnt that. When Im sitting in an award show
there was a certain award show, I wont say which one, but there were at least three performers, who didnt sing live. I was like, I can understand how they sell records I own some of their records! I dont think you have to be the best singer in the world. But for an awards show? When youre celebrating music, and this was a show that should have had no lip synching. It was almost a slap in the face.
But Kelly doesnt spend much time mulling over what other people do; shes always trying to improve her own skills
not just her singing, but her guitar playing. Theres a difference between someone who could play guitar and a guitarist. I could play five or six of my songs on guitar .But theres a difference between me and a guitarist, who can play around with a song and make it sound different. Im really trying to work to be that. I really want to be good at it, and I think it will make me a better writer. Judging by the songs shes penned so far, shes already a songwriter of note
but its typical of someone of her ambition to want to raise her game. As the interview winds down, she scrolls through some unreleased songs on her iPod, which she may offer to other singers or she may release on her own at some point. For now, shes busy preparing for her tour, and it will be a while before she gets to work on another album. On the other hand, she may not be able to wait to start her next project, so you never know when her new songs will surface."
For My December
"Nothing's real/Until you let go completely/So here I go/With all my thoughts/I've been saving." - Sober
After the tremendous success of 2004's Breakaway, which sold 6 million in the U.S. and 11 million worldwide on the strength of such #1 hits as "Since U Been Gone," the title track, "Behind These Hazel Eyes," "Because of You" and "Walk Away," Kelly Clarkson earned the right to make the kind of album she wanted to make for her third RCA Records effort, My December.
"The biggest difference is how intimate it is," she says of the album, co-produced by David Kahne [Bangles, Sublime, McCartney, the Strokes] and touring band members Jimmy Messer and Jason Halbert. Kelly either wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, just as she has on such hits as "Because of You," Behind these Hazel Eyes," "Walk Away" and "Miss Independent." Legendary L.A. punk bassist Mike Watt, who has played with Iggy and the Stooges as well as his own band the Minuteman, guests on three songs.
"Regardless of whether it's a happy or sad song, the album's very in-your-face," she says of the full throttle rock & roll aggression on songs like the first single, "Never Again," and "Hole." "There was no filter...just four very different individuals who joined together to come up with a really cool record. There's a little bit of something for everyone on this album."
My December unfolds like a diary of the last two years in the life of Kelly Clarkson, which saw her take home a pair of 2006 Grammy Awards at L.A.'s Staples Center and perform a show-stopping version of "Because of You"; nab four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, a People's Choice Award and a staggering 11 Billboard Music Awards. But all that acclaim took its toll on her personal relationships, captured on the dance-floor funk-soul of "One Minute," which she describes as "about the craziness of everything," the Edge-styled guitars in the blues-rocking "Hole," the betrayal of "Judas" and the playful No Doubt-inspired rhythmic pulse of "How I Feel." Songs like "Sober," "Be Still," "Maybe" and "Irvine" are vocal showcases that reflect her singer-songwriter roots.
"The record is about me, why I make the decisions I do," she says. "Most of my songs are about what's happening in my life. For me, it's like free therapy. Whether it's me growing, or helping someone else get through similar circumstances."
Clarkson wrote almost 60 songs for the new record, eventually paring it down to 26, then 14.
"Each song was picked carefully," she says. "I learned we should do what makes us happy and tell our stories without worrying about being #1 all the time and selling millions of albums. I just want to be me, but it's really hard to do that when everybody's breathing down your neck trying to make you somebody else."
Clarkson describes My December as an album that completes one era and opens up another, starting with the emotionally charged "Never Again," in which she writes about a relationship gone sour, but it's not what you think. "It's not really a boyfriend-girlfriend thing," explains Kelly. "It's more about trusting and putting your faith in someone and getting let down."
"Sober" is about survival, knowing what to do when something goes wrong. "It's not easy getting over whatever your addiction may be," she says. "The whole point of that song is, the temptation is there, but I'm not going to give in to it."
"Judas" is also a song about betrayal, a reference to the biblical character. "You think people are normal and good, then all of a sudden, you get blindsided," says Kelly.
"Haunted" is an eerie song Kelly wrote four or five years ago about someone she grew up with that committed suicide, in which she cries out, "Where are you?/I need you/Don't leave me here on my own." "I was expressing my anger at how someone could do that," she says. "Why would you leave all these people behind feeling guilty and wondering what they could have done to prevent it? I really believe that God puts us through these situations to help others."
"Be Still" is a folk-blues number that Kelly compares to Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt, with a dash of vintage Christine McVie, explaining how the title comes from one of her favorite Bible verses: "Be still and know that I am here." "It's all about stopping things, slowing down to appreciate life," she says. "Everything just goes so fast, especially in this business. There's just no time to be alone for a moment of quiet. That's why I don't live in L.A. and have always lived in Texas. It's about getting away from the rat race and carving out a space for yourself."
The hypnotic guitar at the start of "Maybe" gives the song a country feel, which Kelly describes as "closer to Ryan Adams or Patty Griffin than traditional country."
The psychedelic funk of "Yeah" has an upbeat sexy, Prince-meets-Sly & the Family Stone vibe. "The song is about this guy I was dating, who was so cool, but wasn't able to put up with me being in the public eye all the time," she relates. "I want a real man, not someone who's going to walk around on eggshells and be a 'yes' person. I want someone to let me know if they're happy, mad or sad."
Clarkson says the tongue-in-cheek "Can I Have a Kiss" is actually about two different people in the verse and the chorus. "That's the first time I ever did that," she says. "The lyrics are about something very true to me. You know how you want someone, but can't have them because they're off-limits? In the chorus, I sing that, even if you had 'em, you know you'd screw it up. You always want what you can't have. It's a funny, ironic song."
Kelly describes "Irvine", which she wrote in the bathroom of her dressing room while performing at the Irvine Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, as "the saddest song I've ever written." "The song is a prayer from the lowest point in my life," she says. "There comes a time when you feel like, if He's up there, God, Allah or whatever you want to call Him, is the only one that can help me out. After that night, I know there's someone or something out there looking out for me."
On the bluesy acoustic twang of "Chivas," the rollicking hidden bonus track, Clarkson channels the late Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" on a cheeky kiss-off drinking song with lines like "You're not worth it, babe/All the trouble you bring...I'm so sick of you, babe/I can't stand the sight of your face... You should keep your eyes on your new girlfriend." It's a sense of humor she demonstrates throughout the album.
"At the end of the day, life is too short," says Kelly. "You can't take things too seriously. I wanted to end the album on a light note. There are obviously moments you think you'll never get over, but you do. We need that kind of sarcasm."
My December marks a major turning point for Kelly Clarkson, a third album that defies expectations and introduces an artist coming into her own and growing into her powerfully, distinctive vocals.
"It's the end of something and the beginning of a new era, a fresh start," she says. "My December album is like a movie about me, it's my story.
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