Kelly Clarkson Singing This Garth Brooks No. 1 Hit While Garth Fights Back Tears Is One of the Most Powerful Moments in Music

In 2021, the Kennedy Center Honors celebrated the ongoing career of country music star Garth Brooks. Throughout his career, the country hitmaker sold over 170 million albums, won countless awards, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. If that wasn’t enough, he continues to nurture a loving marriage to Trisha Yearwood. Given his stardom and success, Kelly Clarkson once took the stage at the Kennedy Center to honor him with an unforgettable cover of “The Dance.” 

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Written by Tony Arata, “The Dance” was released as the final track on Brooks’ self-titled album. When hitting the airwaves, the song quickly hit No. 1 on the US Hot Country Songs chart. It wasn’t only the United States that was falling in love with Brooks. The song also peaked at No. 1 on the Canada Country Tracks chart. 

With the 1990s classic considered the singer’s signature song, Clarkson had more than enough pressure on herself when standing center stage. But thanks to her talent and raw emotion, Clarkson didn’t just perform the song – she made it her own. And judging by the reaction in the room, even Brooks couldn’t have asked for a better tribute.

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How Garth Brooks Helped Kelly Clarkson Through A Tough Time

Although Clarkson has covered numerous songs over the decades, “The Dance” held a special place in her heart. Sharing a dark time of her life, the singer recalled struggling with her divorce to Brandon Blackstock. 

Back in December 2020, Clarkson welcomed Brooks to her talk show. Discussing life, love, and careers, she explained, “I couldn’t quite nail down the feeling. I was, like, well, you don’t want to crap on it. Like, you don’t want to say that didn’t count or matter, but you don’t know what to put in it because it didn’t work out how you wanted and so.”

Wanting to see the positive in the situation, Clarkson found the answer from Brooks. “I kid you not, I was listening to my playlist and ‘The Dance’ came on and I was like, ‘No, that’s the thing. That’s it.’”

Able to return the favor with a mesmerizing cover of “The Dance”, Clarkson reminded everyone why artists often joke that once she sings your song, it no longer belongs to you. And for a moment on that stage, even one of Brooks’ most iconic hits felt entirely hers.

(Photo by Gail Schulman/CBS via Getty Images)