Our lives would suck without Kelly Clarkson. The powerhouse pop vocalist got her start in the inaugural season of “American Idol” on FOX, which aired during the summer of 2002 and launched a career that spans almost 20 years. She won that competition and has written and recorded multiple songs of her own since then. But which are her very best? Scroll down for our complete rankings of her greatest hits from worst to best. Do you agree with our choice for her number-one song of all time?
In the years since “American Idol” launched, the show has had an inconsistent track record when it comes to delivering music superstars, though artists like Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson proved to be the real deal. Clarkson was actually the first “Idol” alum to win a Grammy, claiming Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“Since U Been Gone”) and Best Pop Album (“Breakaway”) in 2006. She won Best Pop Album again for “Stronger” in 2013. The title track from that album earned her her first Grammy bid for Record of the Year.
She has also ventured back into TV. She returned to her reality-competition roots by joining the cast of NBC’s “The Voice” as a coach in season 14 during the spring of 2018. She won three out of her first four seasons on that show, ushering Brynn Cartelli (season 14), Chevel Shepherd (season 15) and Jake Hoot (season 17) to victory. No one knows how to win a singing competition quite like Clarkson.
And in the fall of 2019 Clarkson debuted her syndicated daytime talk show “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which led into “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in most markets upon its premiere. So she’s becoming the queen of all media, though she is still first and foremost known as a recording artist. Find out which of her songs we loved the most below.
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21. ‘Never Again’ (2007)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “My December”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Messer
Accolades: Certified gold in the U.S. and nominated for multiple Radio Disney Music Awards.
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20. ‘All I Ever Wanted’ (2010)
Image Credit: RCA/19 Album: “All I Ever Wanted”
Songwriters: Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Dameon Aranda
Accolades: This cover of an Aranda song peaked at no. 11 on Billboard’s adult top 40 chart.
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19. ‘Mr. Know It All’ (2011)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “All I Ever Wanted”
Songwriters: Brian Seals, Ester Dean, Brett James, Dante Jones
Accolades: Peaked at no. 1 in multiple countries including Australia and South Korea plus the U.S. adult top 40.
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18. ‘A Moment Like This’ (2002)
Image Credit: RCA/19 Album: “Thankful”
Songwriters: Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid
Accolades: Clarkson’s “American Idol” coronation song hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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17. ‘I Do Not Hook Up’ (2009)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “All I Ever Wanted”
Songwriters: Greg Wells, Katy Perry, Kara DioGuardi
Accolades: The singer’s second single from “All I Ever Wanted” made it into the top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
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16. ‘Don’t Rush’ feat. Vince Gill (2012)
Image Credit: Wade Payne/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Album: “Greatest Hits – Chapter One”
Songwriters: Blu Sanders, Natalie Hemby, Lindsay Chapman
Accolades: Clarkson’s collaboration with Vince Gill was nominated for multiple awards including the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
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15. ‘Walk Away’ (2006)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Breakaway”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson, Kara DioGuardi, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida
Accolades: Hit no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Teen Choice Award.
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14. ‘Miss Independent’ (2003)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Thankful”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson, Rhett Lawrence, Christina Aguilera, Matt Morris
Accolades: This single scored Clarkson her first Grammy nomination plus multiple MTV Video Music Awards bids.
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13. ‘Already Gone’ (2009)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “All I Ever Wanted”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson and Ryan Tedder
Accolades: This ballad peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard adult top 40 chart.
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12. ‘Heat’ (2018)
Image Credit: Atlantic Album: “Meaning of Life”
Songwriters: Andre Davidson, Sean Davidson, Mick Schultz, Jessica Ashley Karpov, Michael Pollack
Accolades: The dance remix by DJ Luke Solomon hit no. 1 on Billboard’s dance club songs chart.
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11. ‘Don’t You Wanna Stay’ feat. Jason Aldean (2010)
Image Credit: Mike Strasinger/Admedia/Sipa/Shutterstock Album: “Stronger” (Deluxe edition)
Songwriters: Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins, Jason Sellers
Accolades: Clarkson’s duet with Jason Aldean won awards from the ACMs and the CMAs and was nominated at the Grammys.
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10. ‘Love So Soft’ (2017)
Image Credit: Atlantic Album: “Meaning of Life”
Songwriters: Maureen “Mozella” McDonald, Jesse Shatkin, Priscilla Renea
Accolades: Certified Platinum in the U.S. and nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance.
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9. ‘Heartbeat Song’ (2015)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Piece by Piece”
Songwriters: Mitch Allan, Kara DioGuardi, Jason Evigan, Audra Mae
Accolades: Grammy-nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance.
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8. ‘Because of You’ (2005)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Breakaway”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson, David Hodges, Ben Moody
Accolades: The music video won Best Female Video at the MTV VMAs while the song remix duet with Reba McEntire was nominated for a Grammy.
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7. ‘Piece by Piece’ (2015)
Image Credit: RCA/19 Album: “Piece by Piece”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson and Greg Kurstin
Accolades: The track reached new heights when Clarkson performed a slowed-down version on “American Idol,” which was eventually released as its own version that hit no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy.
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6. ‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ (2005)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Breakaway”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson, Max Martin, Luke Gottwald
Accolades: Won Choice Summer Song at the Teen Choice Awards and peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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5. ‘The Trouble with Love Is’ (2003)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Thankful”
Songwriters: Kelly Clarkson, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken
Accolades: While not a huge hit in the U.S., it was certified gold in Australia and performed well in many other countries.
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4. ‘Breakaway’ (2004)
Image Credit: RCA/Walt Disney Album: “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: Original Soundtrack,” later “Breakaway”
Songwriters: Avril Lavigne, Bridget Benenate, Matthew Gerrard
Accolades: Peaked at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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3. ‘Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)’ (2012)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Stronger”
Songwriters: Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin
Accolades: Clarkson’s third song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart that earned two Grammy nominations including Record of the Year.
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2. ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ (2009)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “All I Ever Wanted”
Songwriters: Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, Claude Kelly
Accolades: Her second Billboard Hot 100 topper which reaped nominations at the MTV VMAs and Teen Choice Awards.
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1. ‘Since U Been Gone’ (2004)
Image Credit: RCA Album: “Breakaway”
Songwriters: Max Martin and Lukasz Gottwald
Accolades: Peaking at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, this single earned Clarkson a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in addition to awards from the MTV VMAs and Teen Choice Awards.
