ONTD Original - The Best of 'Kellyoke' Part 2: Kelly Sings the 70's
Hey out there to all you Kelaholics! (Problematic fan name? Probably.) We're back with another time traveling trip with the amazingly talented Kelly Clarkson. This time, we're roaring through the rockin' 1970's with some classic covers from Kelly! Let's go.
"If I Were Your Woman" - Gladys Knight & the Pips (1970)
Kicking it off with none other than the amazing Gladys Knight, "If I Were Your Woman" spent one week at No. 1 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart, and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. I also remember doing my own 'Kellyoke' version every day when I worked at Lucky Brand Jeans. A classic! What would you do if Kelly was your woman?
"Ain't No Sunshine" - Bill Withers (1971)
Becoming a breakthrough hit for Withers, he was inspired to write the song after watching the 1962 movie 'Days of Wine and Roses'. He had intended to write more lyrics instead of repeating the phrase "I know" 26 times, but left it in at the advice of his other musician friends. Well, "I know" for a fact this cover from Kelly is one of her best!
"You're So Vain" - Carly Simon (1972)
Simon's greatest hit, the song is a critical profile of a self-absorbed lover. The song apparently refers to three different men, one of them being actor Warren Beatty. The track was a No. 1 hit in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you. Don't you? Nope! It's about Kelly!
"Burning Love" - Elvis Presley (1972)
Lord almighty! Kelly's got my temperature rising with this cover. A song originally released by Arthur Alexander, "Burning Love" become Elvis' biggest hit single in the US since "Suspicious Minds" in 1969, and his last Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts. It was also one of the last real rock songs he released in the last years of his life, his other hits being mostly ballads.
"Dream On" - Aerosmith (1973)
Wow! Who knew Kelly could scream in such a beautifully perfect way? One of the first "power ballads" to ever exist, the song was Aerosmith's first major hit, and became a classic rock radio staple. Stephen Tyler originally wrote the song when he was just 14 years old, and it didn't become a Top 10 hit until 1976. Talk about following your dreams!
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" - Willy Nelson (1975)
Do y'all think Kelly is a stoner, or is she just like that? Either way, country really fits her perfectly don't you think? Willy had enjoyed widespread success primarily as a songwriter with such songs as "Crazy" from Patsy Cline. "Blue Eyes" became Nelson's first No. 1 hit as a singer. But it was also about a preacher on the run from killing his wife, so um, yeah. Yee-haw, I guess!
“Barracuda” - Heart (1977)
Ann Wilson revealed in interviews that the song was about Heart's anger towards Mushroom Records, who as a publicity stunt released a made-up story of an incestuous affair involving her sister Nancy. The song focuses on Ann's rage towards a male radio promoter who came up to her after a concert asking how her "lover" was. Men are trash! Good thing Kelly isn’t!
"Blue Bayou" - Linda Ronstadt (1977)
Originally written and recorded by Roy Orbison (RIP), who had an international hit with his version in 1963. It later became Linda Ronstadt's signature song, which scored her a Top 5 hit. She was then nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Can you believe Kelly only has three Grammys?? A travesty of the modern age!
"The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Apparently, "The Chain" is cited as "one of the most evocative expressions of the internal fracture among various band members". I think that means the band fought a lot. The song has become a staple of their live shows, typically the opening song. It is the only song from the album with writing credits from all five members. You know who deserves more credit in this industry? You guessed it! KC.
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" - Olivia Newton-John (1978)
Y'all heard about this little movie called 'Grease'? And have you heard the theory that everyone is dead which is why they drove up into heaven at the end? Check it out! Halfway through shooting the film, Olivia's contractually-entitled vocal solo (queen!) had yet to be written, so her personal producer submitted the track in the nick of time. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Well, I for one am hopelessly devoted to Kelly Clarkson for all of these amazing covers from the 1970's! What do you think, ONTD? Did she nail it, or fail it? Stay tuned for next week when we travel through (my personal favorite era) the 1980's! You don't want to miss it. Bye!
Others in the series:
The Best of 'Kellyoke' Part 1: Kelly Sings the 60's
Source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
"If I Were Your Woman" - Gladys Knight & the Pips (1970)
Click to viewKicking it off with none other than the amazing Gladys Knight, "If I Were Your Woman" spent one week at No. 1 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart, and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. I also remember doing my own 'Kellyoke' version every day when I worked at Lucky Brand Jeans. A classic! What would you do if Kelly was your woman?
"Ain't No Sunshine" - Bill Withers (1971)
Becoming a breakthrough hit for Withers, he was inspired to write the song after watching the 1962 movie 'Days of Wine and Roses'. He had intended to write more lyrics instead of repeating the phrase "I know" 26 times, but left it in at the advice of his other musician friends. Well, "I know" for a fact this cover from Kelly is one of her best!
"You're So Vain" - Carly Simon (1972)
Simon's greatest hit, the song is a critical profile of a self-absorbed lover. The song apparently refers to three different men, one of them being actor Warren Beatty. The track was a No. 1 hit in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you. Don't you? Nope! It's about Kelly!
"Burning Love" - Elvis Presley (1972)
Lord almighty! Kelly's got my temperature rising with this cover. A song originally released by Arthur Alexander, "Burning Love" become Elvis' biggest hit single in the US since "Suspicious Minds" in 1969, and his last Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts. It was also one of the last real rock songs he released in the last years of his life, his other hits being mostly ballads.
"Dream On" - Aerosmith (1973)
Wow! Who knew Kelly could scream in such a beautifully perfect way? One of the first "power ballads" to ever exist, the song was Aerosmith's first major hit, and became a classic rock radio staple. Stephen Tyler originally wrote the song when he was just 14 years old, and it didn't become a Top 10 hit until 1976. Talk about following your dreams!
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" - Willy Nelson (1975)
Do y'all think Kelly is a stoner, or is she just like that? Either way, country really fits her perfectly don't you think? Willy had enjoyed widespread success primarily as a songwriter with such songs as "Crazy" from Patsy Cline. "Blue Eyes" became Nelson's first No. 1 hit as a singer. But it was also about a preacher on the run from killing his wife, so um, yeah. Yee-haw, I guess!
“Barracuda” - Heart (1977)
Ann Wilson revealed in interviews that the song was about Heart's anger towards Mushroom Records, who as a publicity stunt released a made-up story of an incestuous affair involving her sister Nancy. The song focuses on Ann's rage towards a male radio promoter who came up to her after a concert asking how her "lover" was. Men are trash! Good thing Kelly isn’t!
"Blue Bayou" - Linda Ronstadt (1977)
Originally written and recorded by Roy Orbison (RIP), who had an international hit with his version in 1963. It later became Linda Ronstadt's signature song, which scored her a Top 5 hit. She was then nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Can you believe Kelly only has three Grammys?? A travesty of the modern age!
"The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Apparently, "The Chain" is cited as "one of the most evocative expressions of the internal fracture among various band members". I think that means the band fought a lot. The song has become a staple of their live shows, typically the opening song. It is the only song from the album with writing credits from all five members. You know who deserves more credit in this industry? You guessed it! KC.
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" - Olivia Newton-John (1978)
Y'all heard about this little movie called 'Grease'? And have you heard the theory that everyone is dead which is why they drove up into heaven at the end? Check it out! Halfway through shooting the film, Olivia's contractually-entitled vocal solo (queen!) had yet to be written, so her personal producer submitted the track in the nick of time. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Well, I for one am hopelessly devoted to Kelly Clarkson for all of these amazing covers from the 1970's! What do you think, ONTD? Did she nail it, or fail it? Stay tuned for next week when we travel through (my personal favorite era) the 1980's! You don't want to miss it. Bye!
Others in the series:
The Best of 'Kellyoke' Part 1: Kelly Sings the 60's
Source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20