Clarkson, Beyonce Song Similarity Dust-Up Draws Tedder Reaction

OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder is speaking out about Kelly Clarkson's claims that her new single "Already Gone" is built on the same backing track as Beyoncé's "Halo." Tedder released a statement acknowledging that he penned both tracks, but arguing they are "entirely different songs conceptually, melodically and lyrically,"MJ's Big Blog reports. As Rock Daily wrote yesterday, Clarkson lobbied against releasing All I Ever Wanted's "Already Gone" as a single because of the similarities between "Gone" and "Halo"; she wanted to avoid releasing the single out of respect to Beyoncé. (Despite her protests, "Already Gone" was released and Clarkson starred in the song's video.)

"'Already Gone' is one of the best song I've written or produced since [Leona Lewis'] 'Bleeding Love' and stands tall on its own merits apart from 'Halo,' " Tedder wrote, adding, "I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyoncé into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful & absurd." It's a strong statement but not an outright denial that both songs feature the same backing track — it reads like Tedder would never intentionally mislead artists into recording over the same backing track — so maybe it was an accident? Listen and compare for yourself after the jump.

Clarkson criticized Tedder concerning the backing tracks, telling the CBC, "No one's gonna be sittin' at home, thinking, 'Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyoncé and Kelly the same track to write to.' No, they're just gonna be saying I ripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, 'I don't understand. Why would you do that?'" Tedder's response? "I think when people hear 'Already Gone' they will hear what I hear — one of the greatest female vocalists on earth giving her most haunting and heart-breaking performance on a song she helped write," he said in his statement.

Tedder also posted on his MySpace page yesterday regarding the misunderstanding, but the post was deleted before he put out today's official statement. In that MySpace post, which MJ's Big Blog saved from extinction, Tedder seems almost taken by surprise by Clarkson's accusations, even though Clarkson herself said she contacted Tedder after the whole "Halo/"Already Gone" revelation. "I challenge people to listen and form their own opinions," Tedder says in concluding his official statement.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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