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TL;DR:

  • Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” is connected to both Adele’s “Rumour Has It” and Beyoncé’s “Halo.”
  • “Already Gone” became a top 20 hit in the United States.
  • It was one of three top 20 hits from Clarkson’s album successful All I Ever Wanted.
"Already Gone" singer Kelly Clarkson with a microphone
Kelly Clarkson | Steve Granitz / Contributor

Kelly Clarkson‘s “Already Gone” was co-written by a rock star who has written hit songs for numerous other artists. The rock star kind of wished he kept “Already Gone” for his band. He feels he could have rewritten the song to sound more like his band’s music.

The writer of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Already Gone’ wrote for Adele, Beyoncé, and Leona Lewis

Tedder is a member of the pop-rock group OneRepublic, which became known for hit singles like “Apologize,” “Good Life,” and “Stop and Stare.” Tedder has a second career writing tunes for other artists. Adele’s “Rumour Has It,” Beyoncé’s “Halo,” and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” are some of the most famous tunes he wrote for other singers.

During a 2012 interview with NPR, Tedder discussed the formula behind his songwriting. “There is a formula only to an extent,” he said. “I can compare it to like building a house. If you’re talking to an architect, he can look at a blank piece of paper, and once that initial design is there, then formula kicks in.

“You go, OK, well, each room should have something unique and different about it, much in the same way that with a song, every eight bars or so, a new piece of information should be introduced,” he said. “Like if you’re producing, you know, the second verse comes in, you might want to introduce a tambourine or you might want to introduce a live bass.”

Ryan Tedder said he could have made Kelly Clarkson’s song sound like OneRepublic

Subsequently, Tedder was asked if he ever wanted to keep one of the tunes he gave away. “Probably the only song that I would say maybe, and I mean maybe, is ‘Already Gone’ by Kelly Clarkson,” he said.

The songwriter explained why he liked “Already Gone” so much. “That song, to me, is still one of my absolute favorite lyrics and melodies I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “And in retrospect, I probably could have pushed that towards being a OneRepublic-sounding song for sure.”

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Why Kelly Clarkson Worried One of Her Songs Sounded Like a Beyoncé Rip-Off

How ‘Already Gone’ performed on the pop charts in the United States

“Already Gone” became a modest hit for Clarkson. The tune reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Altogether, it stayed on the chart for 31 weeks.

The tune appeared on the album All I Ever Wanted. The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for two weeks, staying on the chart for 47 weeks. All I Ever Wanted produced two other top 20 singles: “My Life Would Suck Without You” and “I Do Not Hook Up.” Notably, “Already Gone” became the biggest ballad from All I Ever Wanted.

“Already Gone” became one of Clarkson’s most famous ballads and it wouldn’t be the same without Tedder.

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