Clarkson's "Already Gone" Video Debuts, Despite Kelly's Protests

The new video for Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone," the third single off her All I Ever Wanted, debuted this weekend. Unlike the comedic videos for the previous upbeat singles "I Do Not Hook Up" and "My Life Would Suck Without You," "Already Gone" finds Clarkson in full-on ballad mode, with the former American Idol champ singing in various luxurious locations while violins play themselves. The video itself is boring stuff; the single's back-story, however, is anything but.

Ironically enough, Clarkson stars in a video she hoped was never even made in the first place. As Idolator pointed out this morning, "Already Gone" sounds extremely similar to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce single "Halo." However, this isn't a case for plagiarism between two divas, as OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder is credited for writing both songs. (MJ's Big Blog reports both "Halo" and "Already Gone" use the exact same backing track.) Clarkson was so upset about the likeness between the two tracks, she recently tinkered with "Already Gone" when performing it live, and was completely against her label selecting it as a third single.

"I'd never heard of a song called 'Halo.' 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?'" Clarkson recently told the CBC. "In the end, they're releasing it without my consent. It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over." Clarkson added that she did not want to release the single out of respect to Beyonce. Despite her protests, there Clarkson is, starring in the "Already Gone" video. Fans will likely get to hear the retooled "Already Gone" later this year when Clarkson embarks on her U.S. tour.

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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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