Don’t mess with Clarkson. That’s been clear since the Texas gal first appeared on the inaugural season of American Idol and sassed Simon Cowell. Since then, the singer has delivered hit after hit, all with a mix of confidence and vulnerability that has powered her audience through break-ups, bad days and other disappointments. In honor of the singer’s recent divorce and two season renewal of her self-titled daytime series, we ranked Kelly Clarkson’s 15 most inspirational songs.
Kelly Clarkson’s Best Songs, Ranked
15. “I Do Not Hook Up”
This song was released in 2009, but in the age of Tinder, it’s as relevant an anthem as ever. (It’s also far superior to All I Ever Wanted’s smash single “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Come at me.) “I can’t cook, no, but I can clean up the mess she left,” is a classic Clarkson line, cheeky and unapologetic.
14. “You Can’t Win”
Clarkson has endeared herself to fans by openly resisting the pop star mold. (It’s jarring to see how skinny she is in earlier videos, before she essentially told her body critics to eff off.) This attitude-laden track from 2011’s Stronger finds her unleashing her frustrations with the public eye—“If you speak, you’ll only piss ’em off/If you don’t, you’re just another robot”—before shrugging and embracing the ambivalence of fame.
13. “Second Wind”
A bonus track on 2015’s Piece By Piece, “Second Wind” was co-written by a then-unknown Maren Morris (who later recorded it, too). But the opening line—“Why do we build up all these idols just to watch them fall?"—is especially well-suited to Clarkson, and it’s a fun shower-sing on those days you’re feeling beaten down.
12. Dark Side
“Nobody is picture-perfect, but we’re worth it,” croons Clarkson in this vulnerable ballad from Stronger. It’s a pretty reflection on the full spectrum of what it means to be in love—and embraced scars and all.
11. “Underneath the Tree”
What would an inspiring song list be without a Christmas tune? Clarkson’s 2013 holiday album, Wrapped in Red, features a handful of songs she wrote, but this one became a hit that’s now nearly as ubiquitous as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” That accomplishment is inspiring in and of itself, but the song is also sweet and bubbly, like the cocktail you sip while you’re dressing for a holiday party.
10. It’s Quiet Uptown
Lin-Manuel Miranda knows how to pair the right singer with the right song. For his Hamilton Mixtape, he asked Clarkson to record this grief-stricken ballad, sung in the musical after the death of Alexander Hamilton’s son. Clarkson’s formidable voice sometimes overshadows her skills as an interpreter, but they’re in full view here.
9. “Breakaway”
The famously candid Clarkson has said this is one of her least favorite songs, recorded at a time when she was very much under her first label’s thumb. (Fun fact: It was co-written by Avril Lavigne and originally intended for her own debut album.) Still, it was a huge hit and the story of a young girl spreading her wings and learning to fly is evergreen.
8. “Since U Been Gone”
The song that skyrocketed Clarkson to pop superstardom (and the subject of a classic montage in Pitch Perfect) is arguably the best in her canon of killer breakup anthems. (There’s one I like more, as you’ll see, but I’m way outnumbered by very famous music critics.)
7. “Cry”
OK, so the lyrics of this song aren’t the most uplifting, but who doesn’t love a good, cathartic cry? Plus, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better showcase of Clarkson’s otherworldly voice. (How many singers could throw to the chorus at the end of the second verse the way she does?!) Crank this up when you’re sad, belt it out and I bet you’ll feel better.
6. “Because of You”
This heartbreaking song was the first time Clarkson opened a window into her personal life, spilling her guts about her parents’ divorce. (“I was so young/You should have known better than to lean on me.”) Two years later, she recorded a version of the song and video with her now-ex stepmother-in-law—and queen of the broken-home ballad—Reba McEntire. It remains an Idol/Voice favorite for good reason.
5. “Walk Away”
This 2004 hit from her second album is one Clarkson still loves to sing live. And who can blame her? It’s a fiery kiss-off to an indecisive suitor, with a genius bridge. I’m keeping the line “Get your hand off of my trigger” in my back pocket, by the way. (p.s. Did anyone else totally forget she used to have a nose piercing?)
4. “Sober”
Clarkson’s third album, My December, is criminally underrated. It’s Kelly at her angriest and most raw, and it established her songwriting chops. (Seriously, if you are ever in a MOOD and just need to stew, cue up this tantrum of an album. You’re welcome.) “Sober” remains close to Clarkson’s heart more than a decade later, she says, and it’s a gorgeous portrait of inner strength: “I could crash and burn but maybe/At the end of this road I might catch a glimpse of me.”
3. “Whole Lotta Woman”
If I had a teenage daughter, I’d make her listen to this volcanic ode to female empowerment every morning at breakfast. Clarkson always seemed to have a confidence that belied her youth, but as a thirtysomething “boss with daughters,” she’s a force. Oh yeah, and it’s Kelly’s favorite song, too.
2. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
The epigraph to Hillary Clinton’s 2017 memoir, What Happened, reads, “‘That which does not kill us makes us stronger.’—Friedrich Nietzsche (and Kelly Clarkson).” In fact, “Stronger” is the biggest hit of Clarkson’s career to date, and she says she never fails to appreciate hearing from fans (and former first ladies) about how it has helped them through tough times.
1. “Piece By Piece”
Oh boy, y’all. Where to start. The first time I heard this song, the title track of her 2015 album, I could not believe how bracingly honest (and specific!) it was about her issues with her deadbeat dad. Clarkson herself has described it as a bookend to “Because of You”—with a happier ending, thanks to her now-ex husband, Brandon Blackstock: “Piece by piece he restored my faith/That a man could be kind and a father could stay.” But even more moving, it reveals her mission as a mother: “She will never have to wonder her worth/Because unlike you I’m gonna put her first.” Whew. But then … Out on the road for her Piece By Piece tour, Clarkson started doing a stripped-down version of the tune. Then one night, after having a hard time getting through the song without crying, she explained away her emotions by blurting out, “I wasn’t going to announce this … but I’m totally pregnant!” (Do you see how this song somehow represents everything we love about Kelly?!) Later she appeared on American Idol, visibly pregnant, and delivered a performance of the song that had Keith Urban openly weeping. Brave, nakedly emotional and ultimately triumphant, “Piece By Piece” represents the very best of our tough-but-tender Kelly Clarkson. Next, Kelly Clarkson Opens Up to Parade, Says, ‘I Feel Like I Can Handle Anything’
