(t5!) Heroes Of The Zeroes Singles: #26: Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (2004)

Who could’ve predicted that this song would be universally beloved at the time? After being crowned the first American Idol, it seemed like Kelly Clarkson was destined to sing lackluster ballads like “A Moment Like This” and teen-pop so-so’s like “Miss Independent”; a career of teenage heroism and Celine Dion knock-offs without ever really crossing over to other audiences. Even the other singles off 2004’s Breakaway were all plodding, and boring, and barely explored any new ground for Clarkson. That’s why “Since U Been Gone” was such an anomaly—even the Prince-like usage of “U” instead of “You” showed more defiance and spunk than Clarkson had in her entire career up to that point.

Everyone liked “Since U Been Gone.” Fine, maybe not every single person in the whole entire world. I’m sure there’s at least one person reading this who scoffed at that last statement and now can’t wait to call me stupid because they thought, and still think, that the song sucks. Of course, I’m sure there were a handful of music lovers who couldn’t stand the song. But I can’t think of another song in the zeroes where I heard so many people to surprisingly come out in support of it, even if those same people were hesitant at first to do so. “Hey, that new Kelly Clarkson is kinda, sorta alright” is dropped in conversations, testing the waters until they find out that enough people were in the same camp as they are before they can comfortably scream along to it at the top of their lungs. “Since U Been Gone” was tremendous enough to single-handedly transform Clarkson’s public perception from reality TV pseudo-celebrity to a pop artist that would not to be fucked with.

I must admit that I didn’t pay attention to this song at first. Every time “Since U Been Gone” came on Top 40 radio, I sneered at the fact that what I was about to hear was the new Kelly Clarkson single, so I changed the station before actually hearing enough to give it a fair shake. But it was the breathtaking finale during the VMA’s that eventually persuaded me.

And the single’s message makes it a quintessential anthem too, which makes it easy for everyone to like. “Since U Been Gone” is not an “I’m an independent woman and I’m awesome” type of song; it’s a “you’re an ignorant dumbass and you suck” type of song. What kept it from being a cheesy “I Will Survive” for the 21st century is that disbelief that Kelly expresses about her state of affairs. She’s not steaming mad, she’s not after anyone’s head, and she’s not seeking retribution. She’s just sort of amused and annoyed at the same time about how much regret she feels about dating this guy who is an idiot for leaving her. “You had your chance, you blew it.” Just saying the lines makes you get over a recent heartbreak, which makes it one of the most fun break-up songs in the history of pop. If I had the sopranos to reach the notes, this would be a karaoke favorite.

The tune was sorta, kinda, awesome too—an unexpectedly no-nonsense jam from a formerly harmless tiny sprite like Kelly Clarkson. The Pitchfork and indie rock folks quickly gave it a thumbs up because (1) the guitar intro reminded them of an Interpol song, and (2) the breakdown section suggests that their listening to The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Maps” (so much so that Ted Leo played around with the two songs’ similarity during a live concert). Whether or not this was accomplished on purpose—I’d have to ask Max Martin and Dr. Luke Gottwald the next time we bump into each other to find out—but both were a delightful treat to the so-called “tastemakers” of the zeroes to give “Since U Been Gone” the sort of edge to convince the anti-mainstream audiences to give the song a chance.

Once they did give it a chance, they were regaled with one of the more masterly put-together pop songs of our era. I always like “Since U Been Gone’s” opening line: “Here’s the thing: we started out friends.” By prefacing the song with “here’s the thing”, it’s like Ms. Clarkson takes the role of a friend sitting you down to tell you about what went down. She gives a little preview of the chorus throughout the verses—“yeah, yeah, since you been gone”—just to make you think that’s all there is to it, before giving you a wholehearted performance. I mean the WHOLE heart. The single uses the quiet-loud dynamics better than any grunge band during their heyday. It’s especially effective after the second verse: when Kelly starts to wallow in self-pity again (“How come I never hear you say/I just wanna be with you?/I guess you never felt that way…”), the chorus interrupts her train of thought and slap her back into reality: “BUT SINCE YOU BEEN GO-OOONNNNEEE!!!!!!!!!/I CAN BREATHE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!”

The reason why “Since U Been Gone” is such an important song for the zeroes is that it proved to people that a tremendous song can come from anywhere, even a reality show winner. Thanks to Kelly Clarkson and this single, American Idol was validated as one of the dominant forces in this decade’s pop music. Before “Since U Been Gone”, all the songs that Idol contestants have put out after appearing on the show were unspectacular attempts whose minimal success was mostly just a byproduct of the show’s immensity. Now, Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, et al. can be viable pop stars outside of the show. Thanks to Kelly Clarkson, 15 minutes of fame can be extended up to 15 years.