On this very day in 2002, American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson broke a record on the Billboard charts. Her debut single, “A Moment Like This”, debuted on the charts fairly low at No. 52. But after just a few weeks, the pop song made an enormous leap, straight to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was a record-breaking leap, one that was previously held by none other than the Fab Four. Previously, The Beatles’ 1964 hit “Can’t Buy Me Love” had made a similarly large leap from No. 27 to No. 1.
Videos by American Songwriter
A few years later, the pop band Maroon 5 would break Clarkson’s record. In 2007, their song ‘It Makes Me Wonder” catapulted from No. 64 to No. 1.
“A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson Previewed an Enormously Successful Career
“A Moment Like This”, written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid, was released as Kelly Clarkson’s coronation song after taking home the win on the very first season of American Idol. The song was designed to be the “winning” single no matter who one the singing competition show. As a result, Clarkson and finalists Justin Guarini, Tamyra Gray, and Nikki McKibbin all recorded versions of “A Moment Like This”. When Clarkson won, she delivered an emotional and stunning live version of the song. It was her final performance on the show. The song would later appear on Clarkson’s debut album, Thankful, in 2003.
The single was a massive hit in North America. “A Moment Like This” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart in the US, as well as the Canadian Singles chart. The song also did well in the UK. Today, the song is known as one of the best tunes to come out of American Idol. And I’m inclined to agree on that one.
“A Moment Like This” was a mere preview of the direction Clarkson’s career would take. In the following years, she released consistent Top 20 albums. Most of those albums were in the Top 10 in the US. She has also released a whopping 18 Top 40 singles.
Singer Leona Lewis would release a version of “A Moment Like This” after winning The X Factor in 2006, and she would also bring the song to No. 1. Her version is great, but you just can’t beat that Kelly Clarkson original.
Photo by Kevin Winter/ImageDirect
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.