In the world of pop music, there are singers and then there are singers. The Fort Worth, Texas-born songwriter/performer Kelly Clarkson most assuredly falls into the latter category. Clarkson, the winner of the first season of American Idol, has a voice that can fill a room instantly. And she does so with more skill in a note of vibrato than most have on an entire album.
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Clarkson, who has released 10 studio albums to date including her latest, the 2023 LP Chemistry, is also a talented talk show host. And on her daytime program The Kelly Clarkson Show, she often treats viewers to a cover-song performance in a segment she’s dubbed “Kellyoke.” Fans of the segment know that Clarkson belts out many great offerings. And some may even bring a tear to the eye.
Here below we wanted to dive into a trio of cover songs that Clarkson has treated her viewers to. Indeed, these are three Kelly Clarkson “Kellyoke” covers that will make any music fan tear up.
“Fix You” (Originally by Coldplay)
Originally from Coldplay’s 2005 album X&Y, this ode to a lover is about what one can do to help when things seem hopeless. And off the tongue of Clarkson, the song turns into an even more emotive offering, one that stirs the soul and gets the tear ducts open. It’s even in the lyrics of the heartfelt tune, as she sings,
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face, and I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face, and I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
“What Was I Made For” (Billie Eilish)
Released in 2023 for the soundtrack for the billion-dollar-plus-grossing film Barbie, this song was already a heartstrings tugger. But when Clarkson adds her breathy passion to the number, it becomes an operatic offering that even the great Billie Eilish must appreciate. The quizzical song about existence and purpose is philosophical and wondrous. On it, Clarkson sings,
I used to float, now I just fall down
I used to know but I’m not sure now
What I was made for
What was I made for?
Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal
Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real
Just something you paid for
What was I made for?
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (Judy Garland)
Perhaps the most famous song from any movie, this track from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz was made popular by the multitalented entertainer Judy Garland. Many have since covered it but few have brought it the same power as Clarkson here. Fluttery and existential, this track is all about wanting to get away to somewhere magical. Sings Clarkson, as if on Broadway, over a plucked acoustic,
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dream of
Once in a lullaby, oh
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true-ooh-ooh
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops that’s where
You’ll find me, oh
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