"Heartbeat Song" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kelly Clarkson | ||||
from the album Piece by Piece | ||||
Released | January 12, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2014 | |||
Studio | Echo Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | Synth-pop | |||
Length | 3:18 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Greg Kurstin | |||
Kelly Clarkson singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Heartbeat Song" on YouTube |
"Heartbeat Song" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her seventh studio album, Piece by Piece (2015). Written by Mitch Allan, Audra Mae, Kara DioGuardi, and Jason Evigan, the song is an uptempo synth-pop track produced by Greg Kurstin. Lyrically, it sings of meeting a person who restores someone's faith in love. Inspired by 1980s synthpop music, "Heartbeat Song" was released by RCA Records as the album's lead single on January 12, 2015.
"Heartbeat Song" was released to a positive response from music critics, who complimented the song's production and praised Clarkson's decision to return to mainstream pop music. Other critics, however, noted the strong resemblance the song's melody bore to that of Jimmy Eat World's single "The Middle" (2001), which later[ when? ] allowed the band to be credited as additional songwriters. [1] Commercially, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 37 and has peaked at number 21, marking Clarkson's sixteenth top 40 hit on the chart. It also became her fifth song to top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and marked as her highest debut among her twenty career entries on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart. Internationally, it became a top ten hit single in Austria, Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom while also becoming a top 20 hit in the national charts of the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Slovakia and Sweden.
Directed by Marc Klasfeld, its accompanying music video features scenes of various downtrodden people and their process of finding love again. Clarkson premiered "Heartbeat Song" in a live televised performance on The Graham Norton Show in February 2015 and has performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the fourteenth season of American Idol . The song was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. [2]
Shortly after the release of her first Christmas album, Wrapped in Red (2013), Clarkson, despite her pregnancy, began to record material for her seventh studio album, with a target release date in 2014. [4] One of these tracks, "Heartbeat Song", is an uptempo [5] synthpop [6] track produced by Greg Kurstin. [7] Lyrically, the song sings of meeting a person who restores someone's faith in love. [8] Sonically, USA Today 's Brian Mansfeld remarked that the record serves as sonic defibrillator, starting with a jolt of melody, its rhythms shifting a couple times before finally settling into its steady pulse; [9] while Idolator's Bradley Stern described its production as Top 40 radio-friendly and remarked that the track sees Clarkson's pulse raising while falling in love above kicky drums, guitars and hints of synths.
"Heartbeat Song" was written by Mitch Allan, Audra Mae, Kara DioGuardi, and Jason Evigan in a two-day session writing camp. [3] In an interview on Entertainment Tonight , Mae revealed that DioGuardi came up with the main idea and used it as the song's chorus, with everybody else contributing in. [3] After pitching the song to different artists, including Demi Lovato, [10] she later found out during the Christmas season that Clarkson had recorded it and planned to release the song as the album's lead single. [3]
Musically, the song is written in the key of G-flat major with a fast tempo of 149 beats per minute. It follows the chord progression G♭–B♭m7–E♭m–C♭, and Clarkson's vocals span from G♭3 to E♭5. [11]
In January 2015, Clarkson revealed a set of clues for the single, posting the words "Proof of life and Dr. Dre #TheNextEpisode ( sic )". [12] On January 7, 2015, she announced January 12, 2015, as its release date as a digital download by RCA Records, [13] [14] [15] followed by a release to Mainstream Top 40 radio stations in the United States on January 13, 2015. [16] A CD single was also issued by RCA's parent company Sony Music Entertainment on March 6, 2015. [17]
"Heartbeat Song" garnered positive reviews from music critics, with Clarkson's return to mainstream pop music lauded, along with her vocals. [7] [18] Billboard's associate editor Jason Lipshutz gave the song 4/5 stars, writing the song's production and vocals sounded invigorated. [7] Reviewing for Rolling Stone , Jon Dylan gave the song a three-and-a-half star rating, describing it as a "warm, fuzzy snuggle-fest." [19] In his midweek review for Spin , assistant editor Brennan Carley wrote that the song is "a Kurstin production that sparkles with new-found passion" and said Clarkson sings a lyric of the chorus with a bubblegum snap. [18] In his review for music website Popdust.com, Jason Scott gave the song an "A−" grade, saying that song would fit quite nicely to Clarkson's previous studio album All I Ever Wanted (2009). [20] He also added that despite the song's the chorus isn't quite as "tasty" as what she's capable of, it's just as momentous as her previous singles such as "Mr. Know It All" (2011) and "Breakaway" (2004). [20] Reviewing for Time , Nolan Feeney wrote that "Heartbeat Song" as more of a celebration of that than a hungry comeback, reminding listeners of what Clarkson has so reliably provided over the years, with just a few souped-up adjustments. [21] He also praised Kurstin's production and Clarkson's "arena-ready pipes", describing the song as "slick, sugary and incredibly catchy — everything you want in a pop song, really". [21] The song has been nominated for the Choice Music Single: Female Artist category for the 2015 Teen Choice Awards. [22]
Critics also compared "Heartbeat Song" to Jimmy Eat World's single "The Middle" (2001) due to a notable similarity between the melodies of the songs' verses, as well as their choruses. [23] In his review for Idolator, Stern observed both songs' similitude. [24] Hunter Hauk of The Dallas Morning News also remarked of the two songs' similarities, but was ambivalent of "Heartbeat Song"'s lack of innovation as compared to Clarkson's previous lead singles. [25] Digital Spy rated this song with 2 stars out of 5 and concluded by describing it: "ruthless in its pursuit of earworm status, and like it or not it'll find itself lodged in the inner vestibules of your brain. [26]
On the chart week ending January 31, 2015, "Heartbeat Song" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 37 with 70,000 copies of digital downloads, becoming her 16th top 40 hit on the chart. [27] It also marked as her third highest debut among her 25 career entries, following "Never Again", and "Mr. Know It All", which debuted at number 8 and number 18 respectively. [27] On the chart week ending February 21, 2015, it moved to a peak of number 21. [28] The song also debuted on other Billboard charts, including the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, the Billboard Trending 140 and the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, where it entered at number 20, marking a career-high for Clarkson. [27] On July 23, 2015, "Heartbeat Song" was certified Platinum by RIAA for selling a million copies. [29] In Canada, "Heartbeat Song" debuted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 37 on the chart week ending January 31, 2015. [30] In Australia, it entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 51 on the chart week ending January 26, 2015. [31] In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 7 on the Official UK Singles Chart, becoming Clarkson's ninth song to reach the chart's top 10. [32] As of April 24, 2016 is sold over 362,000 copies in the United Kingdom. [33] In addition, "Heartbeat Song" had attained a chart position in the national charts of Austria, Germany, Spain, and Sweden; and has also charted in the airplay charts of Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia. [34]
As of September 2017, the song has sold over 909,000 copies in the US. [35]
At the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, "Heartbeat Song" was nominated for Choice Music Single: Female Artist. For the 58th Annual Grammy Awards the song is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance. [2] In 2016 Audra Mae won ASCAP Pop Music Award for co-writing the song. [36] In May 2016, the song won at the 64th Annual BMI Pop Awards. [37]
On January 26, 2015, RCA released an animated lyric video for "Heartbeat Song", featuring heartbeat graphs of Clarkson and three other radio guests in Nashville using an ECG monitor. [38] [39] Directed by Marc Klasfeld, its accompanying music video premiered on February 5, 2015, on Vevo. [40] It was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee.
The video depicts scenes of various heartbroken people unexpectedly finding a chance to love again. [23] [41] These scenes are inter-cut with footage of Clarkson performing the track in a colorful background. [42] [43] Upon its premiere, the video had received a generally positive response, with mild criticism targeting a scene depicting a couple kissing through the opposite seating sides of a bench. [23] [42] In his coverage for Spin, Carley remarked that there are some surprisingly deep moments tracing the journey from loss to happiness in the video. [43] Reviewing for Yahoo! Music, senior editor Wendy Geller wrote that despite the video's concept may sound hokey, but the idea that life can change from dark to light in an instant (couple with Clarkson's buoyant vocals) is irresistible. [41]
Clarkson premiered "Heartbeat Song" in a live televised performance on the British television programs The Graham Norton Show on February 20, 2015, and Loose Women on March 2, 2015. [44] She also performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2015, Good Morning America on March 3, 2015, iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 29, 2015, and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show , on April 3, 2015. On April 2, 2015, Clarkson performed the song on the fourteenth season of American Idol where she was also the guest mentor for the top 8 as part of the "Evening with Kelly Clarkson" week. Clarkson performed the song in a medley with "Since U Been Gone" and "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" on the season three finale of La Voix in Montreal on April 12, 2015. Additionally, Clarkson performed the song at the Summertime Ball hosted by Capital FM on June 6, 2015. In July 2015, Clarkson performed the song on Macy's 4th of July Spectacular on NBC.
All tracks are written by Kara DioGuardi, Audra Mae, Jason Evigan, Mitch Allan
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Heartbeat Song" | 3:18 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Heartbeat Song" | 3:18 |
2. | "Heartbeat Song" (Lenno Remix) | 3:16 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Heartbeat Song" (Didrick Remix) | 3:15 |
Credits adapted from the "Heartbeat Song" metadata. [48]
Personnel
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [100] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [101] | Gold | 200,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [102] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [103] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [104] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [105] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Catalog number | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | January 12, 2015 | Digital download | Sony Music | GBCTA1400065 | |
United States | RCA | ||||
January 13, 2015 | Mainstream contemporary hit radio | — | |||
United Kingdom | February 22, 2015 | Digital download | GBCTA1400065 | ||
Worldwide | February 24, 2015 | Digital download – The Remixes EP | Sony Music | 886445111613 | |
Europe | March 6, 2015 | CD | 88875079082 | ||
Worldwide | March 11, 2015 | Digital download – Didrick Remix | GBCTA1500034 |
Breakaway is the second studio album by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 30, 2004, by RCA Records. The album is the follow-up to her successful debut album, Thankful (2003). Breakaway sees Clarkson collaborating with various producers and songwriters for the first time, primarily Dr. Luke, Max Martin, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, Ben Moody, and David Hodges; the latter two are former members of American rock band Evanescence. Despite the established commercial success of Thankful, music critics still continued to typecast Clarkson as an American Idol winner and were also critical of her attempts of establishing a commercial appeal on her own. Wanting to stray from those, she was convinced by Davis to work with Dr. Luke and Martin in Stockholm, and with Moody and Hodges in Los Angeles, in pursuit of a pop rock direction. This also led her to part ways with her manager Simon Fuller and hire the management services of Jeff Kwatinetz before the album's release. Breakaway is primarily a pop rock record with elements of rock and soul music, marking a departure from the R&B-oriented sound of Thankful; its lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, love, and escapism.
"Since U Been Gone" is a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). The song, which was written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, was released as the lead single from Breakaway two weeks before the album was released. It is an uptempo pop rock and power pop power ballad that infuses electronic sounds with a mixture of a soft and loud pop rock sound. Martin originally wrote "Since U Been Gone" with Pink in mind, but she turned it down. It was then given to Hilary Duff, but she rejected the song because she could not reach its higher notes. The song was finally given to Clarkson after Clive Davis convinced the writers to give it to her. Clarkson decided to add heavier guitars and harder drums to the song after noticing that the demo had an obvious pop sound. Lyrically, the song is written from a woman's point of view where she expresses her sense of relief with the end of her troubled relationship.
"Behind These Hazel Eyes" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson for her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). It was written by Clarkson with the song's producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke. The song was released on April 12, 2005, as the second single from the album. Clarkson considered "Behind These Hazel Eyes" as one of her favorite songs and she once intended to name Breakaway after the song. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is an uptempo song that incorporates crunchy guitars which are pulsated with driving beats and anthemic choruses; it narrates Clarkson's broken relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
"Breakaway" is a power ballad song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song, written by Matthew Gerrard, Bridget Benenate, and Avril Lavigne, was originally intended for Lavigne's debut studio album, Let Go (2002). After being deemed unsuitable for the album, it was passed to Clarkson to be recorded as a soundtrack for the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). Clarkson, who was finishing her second studio album at that time, recorded "Breakaway" to tide her fans over until the first single from her new album was released. However, the song's success prompted its inclusion on Clarkson's second album, while the record label decided to name the album after the song. "Breakaway" was first released as the first single from The Princess Diaries 2 soundtrack on July 19, 2004. In May 2006, "Breakaway" was reissued as the fifth and final single from the album of the same name.
"A Moment Like This" is the debut single by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid from British house music project Nightcrawlers and produced by Stephen Ferrera and Steve Mac. It was released as a double A-side with "Before Your Love" as her coronation single after winning the first season of American Idol. The song was later included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003). "A Moment Like This" was a huge hit in North America, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Singles Chart.
"Because of You" is a song recorded by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson for her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). It was written by Clarkson along with its producers David Hodges and Ben Moody, both from Evanescence. It was released on August 16, 2005, by RCA Records, as the third single from Breakaway. Clarkson originally wrote "Because of You" when she was 16 years old to cope with the emotional distress caused by her parents' divorce. She wanted the song to be included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), but her record label rejected the song. She then polished the song with Hodges and Moody before successfully convincing her label to include it on Breakaway.
"The Middle" is a song by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released in October 2001 as the second single of their fourth album, Bleed American (2001). It was a number-five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2002 and reached the top 50 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song was a breakthrough hit for Jimmy Eat World, who had self-financed the recording of the Bleed American album after being dropped by Capitol Records in 1999. It is considered the band's signature song.
American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson has released ten studio albums, eight extended plays, one compilation album, one remix album, and 56 singles. In 2002, she won the inaugural season of the television competition American Idol and was immediately signed to a recording deal with 19 Recordings, and RCA Records. She made her chart debut in September 2002 with the double A-side single "Before Your Love"/"A Moment Like This", latter of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually became the year's best-selling single in the United States. Her debut album, Thankful, was released in April 2003 and entered the US Billboard 200 chart at number one. Thankful produced the hit lead single "Miss Independent" and was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Never Again" is a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson for her third studio album, My December (2007). Clarkson co-wrote the song with Jimmy Messer, which was produced by American producer and musician David Kahne. Clarkson stated that the song was written as a counterpart to the songs from her second studio album, Breakaway (2004), and was almost removed because of its harsh lyrical nature. RCA Records serviced the song to mainstream radio in the United States on April 24, 2007, which was Clarkson's 25th birthday. "Never Again" features a stronger rock sound than Clarkson's previous releases, but maintains some pop undertones. It relies on strings, guitar riffs and drums and is centered on angry, abrasive lyrics.
"If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" is a song by American singer R. Kelly, released as the fifth single from his third album, R. (1998). The song is a ballad about a man wishing he could go back in time and repair his relationship with his girlfriend. The song peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a top-10 hit across Europe, peaking at number one in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). The song features songwriting credits from Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, and Claude Kelly and production credits from Martin and Gottwald under his production moniker, Dr. Luke. Clarkson co-wrote the track but refused to include her name in the credits, citing a refusal to be associated with Gottwald. "My Life Would Suck Without You" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on January 13, 2009, in the United States on New York City's Z100 radio station and was made available to download three days later. The song has met with positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song's pop composition, which incorporates rock and dance elements.
"I Do Not Hook Up" is a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson for her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted (2009), released as the second single from the album. It was written by Kara DioGuardi, Greg Wells and Katy Perry. Perry had originally written the song for One of the Boys, but following her removal from Def Jam, she gave the song and "Long Shot" to Clarkson. RCA Records serviced the song to mainstream radio in the United States on April 14, 2009. The song is a dance-rock and power pop song that is structured upon a muscular arrangement with lyrics about empowerment and healthy relationships.
"Already Gone" is a song performed by American pop singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted. It is co-written by Clarkson and Ryan Tedder, who also produced it. The song was released as the album's third single in August 2009. Lyrically, "Already Gone" is about the breakup of a relationship; the music consists of an arrangement using a piano, drums, and string instruments.
"Mr. Know It All" is a song recorded by American pop recording artist Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Brian Kennedy, Ester Dean, Brett James, and Dante Jones, with the production handled by Kennedy, Dean, and Jones. Clarkson described the song as a "vocally raw record" and stated that she and her producers strove to record her voice as it is heard at live performances, using as little auto-tune processing as possible. It was released by RCA Records as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Stronger on September 5, 2011.
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the title song from her fifth studio album, Stronger (2011). Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", the song served as the album's second single on January 17, 2012, through RCA Records. Written by Kelly Clarkson, Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, and David Gamson, with additional writing and production by Greg Kurstin, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is an uptempo song that draws from the genres of dance-pop and electropop. Its lyrical content mainly explores themes of empowerment and recovery following a heartbreak, with the chorus inspired by a Friedrich Nietzsche quotation: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
"Underneath the Tree" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her sixth studio album and first Christmas album, Wrapped in Red (2013). She co-wrote the track with its producer Greg Kurstin. It is a Christmas-themed song that sings of gratitude for companionship during the holidays, in which the loved one is referred to as the only present needed "underneath the tree". Accompanied by various instrumental sounds, the song is given a Wall of Sound treatment, along with sleigh bells and bell chimes to create a holiday atmosphere. "Underneath the Tree" was first released to Adult Contemporary radio stations on November 5, 2013, by RCA Records as the album's lead single.
Piece by Piece is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson. It was released on February 27, 2015, by RCA Records. It was her final album under her recording contract with the label, to which she signed after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002. She then made the switch to Atlantic in 2016. The album saw Clarkson reuniting with frequent collaborators Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin, Jason Halbert, Eric Olson, and Chris DeStefano. She also gathered material from songwriters such as Sia, Matthew Koma, MoZella, Bonnie McKee, David Jost, Semi Precious Weapons lead singer Justin Tranter, and former Cobra Starship member Ryland Blackinton, among others. Inspired by the orchestral production on Wrapped in Red, Clarkson wanted all the songs on Piece by Piece to resonate like its own film soundtrack, taking a cue from the soundtracks of the feature motion pictures Cruel Intentions (1999) and Love Actually (2003) and commissioning orchestral arrangements by Joseph Trapanese.
"Piece by Piece" is a song written by American singer Kelly Clarkson taken from her seventh studio album of the same name. She co-wrote the track with songwriter Jennifer Garduno and with producer Greg Kurstin. A midtempo pop song about restoring someone's faith in love and family relationships, Clarkson promulgated "Piece by Piece" as a sequel to the song "Because of You" (2004) but with a "happy ending". After a discussion with her sister about their family life, she introspectively co-wrote the song in a first-person narrative to her father, whose neglect of his family was used as a juxtaposition to her then-husband Brandon Blackstock's unconditional love for her and their daughter, whom they both promised to never abandon.
"Powerful" is a song recorded by American electronic music project Major Lazer. It's the second official single off their third studio album, Peace Is the Mission (2015), featuring guest vocals from English singer Ellie Goulding and Jamaican singer Tarrus Riley. The song was initially planned to be the lead single from the album but was scrapped in favor of Lean On.
"My Ex's Best Friend" is a song by American musician Machine Gun Kelly featuring fellow American musician Blackbear. It is the third single off of the former's pop-punk fifth studio album Tickets to My Downfall. The song reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the third top-40 hit for both artists.
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