Meaning of Life (Kelly Clarkson song)

Last updated
"Meaning of Life"
Promotional single by Kelly Clarkson
from the album Meaning of Life
ReleasedOctober 19, 2017 (2017-10-19)
Recorded2016
Genre
Length3:51
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Jesse Shatkin
Music video
"Meaning of Life" on YouTube

"Meaning of Life" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson and the titular track from her eighth studio album of the same name. It was written by English singer James Morrison with Ilsey Juber and Jesse Shatkin, who handled its production. A soul pop and R&B song about learning the existential "meaning of life", the singer confesses the loneliness she's been feeling in the past but her newfound love is what brings her to life, showing her the light. Originally intended to be recorded for her 2015 studio album Piece by Piece , Clarkson put the song on hold and used it as a guiding track for other collaborators in developing a soulful sound for the succeeding album.

Contents

"Meaning of Life" was issued by Atlantic Records as a promotional single on October 19, 2017, a week before the album's release. An accompanying music video was released on May 14, 2018, in celebration of Mother's Day, and features Clarkson with her own children, which symbolizes her "meaning of life". To promote the album, Clarkson performed the track at the fifteenth series of the British program Strictly Come Dancing .

Composition and recording

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"Meaning of Life"
Originally written for the Piece by Piece album, the titular track 'Meaning of Life" served as a guiding point for other collaborators in creating the soulful sound of the album of the same name. [1]
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"Meaning of Life" was written by James Morrison with Ilsey Juber and Jesse Shatkin, who produced the track. [2] A doo-wop soul pop and R&B song, [3] [4] [5] it sings of learning the "meaning of life", during which the singer confesses the loneliness she's been feeling but her love is what brings her to life, showing her the light. [5] Billboard editor Chris Malone noted that song can be about an estranged lover, with the singer yearns "for how things used to be, and how much better they made her feel". [3] While Los Angeles Times music critic Michael Wood ascribed the song as reflective to Clarkson's family life. [6] The track begins with a stripped-down production and a despondent atmosphere as Clarkson "tends to a broken heart over punchy drums and an ominous bass line", with the singer injecting a more soulful performance as at each colossal chorus. [7]

Morrison and Shatkin originally pitched the song for Clarkson's seventh studio album Piece by Piece in 2014, but Clarkson felt that the lyrical content of the track was unsuitable to the album's theme at the time. [1] She later put a hold the composition and used it as a guiding point in recording the follow-up studio album, which she later named after the song, deeming that material represented from the rest of the tracks centers on the "meaning of life"—which to her means that "life is all about connection". [1] [8] Clarkson stated that the song "started this entire project", and that the vibe, soul, and message it was very critical in showing other writers and producers of the new soulful sound they were aiming to achieve to avoid pop-oriented material similar to her previous albums. [7] As the first song selected for inclusion to the album, she remarked that it signaled a departure from previous records, and that it also acts as a statement about how she felt "right now". [9] explaining that "There's something to loving your personal life and also your work life, and being able to choose who I work with after my American Idol contract finished. It feels like a new chapter." [9]

Release and reception

"Meaning of Life" was released on October 19, 2017, as a promotional single a week before the album's street date, accompanied by a live performance video filmed at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of the Meaning of Life's "Nashville Sessions" promotional campaign. [10] [11] Clarkson has only performed the song in live television once at the fifteenth series of the British program Strictly Come Dancing on November 26, 2017. [12] She had also performed it on the Billboard Women in Music event on November 30, 2017, after which she honored with the "Powerhouse Award". [4]

Harper's Bazaar 's Erica Gonzales opined that the song "packs one soulful punch", and that Clarkson's "soulful, booming vocals take center stage" on it. [13] Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone described the track as "euphoric" and its "Nashville Sessions" performance as a "striking one". [7] In his review of the album for the Los Angeles Times, Wood meanwhile lamented that the song's lines are hardly taking advantage of Clarkson's newfound creative license and "could be sharper". [6] [11]

Music video

A companion music video for the song premiered on May 13, 2018, in celebration of Mother's Day. [14] Filmed by Sarah McColgan, it features Clarkson wandering in a dim-lit mansion. [15] [16] [17] Midway towards the chorus, a golden light begins to cascade to its flower-filled halls which burst with a colorful atmosphere, where she is surrounded by a performing band. [16] [17] [18] The video concludes with Clarkson accompanied by her children, which represent her "meaning of life". [16] [17] [18] Country Living 's Jessica Mattern noted that the video shows how her family with her husband has transformed her life. [16] E! Online's Johnni Macke described it as a "cinematic dream" and wrote that "It's simple in some respects but dramatic in tone, location and wardrobe, which we love". [19]

Personnel

Credits lifted from the album's liner notes. [20]

Chart history

Chart (2017–18)Peak
position
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) [21] 71

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Nied, Mike (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson Uncovers The "Meaning Of Life" On New Buzz Track". Idolator . Hive Media. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ Kitchener, Shaun (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson New Song: Listen to James Morrison-penned title track from Meaning Of Life". Daily Express . Northern & Shell . Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Malone, Chris (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson Searches for 'Meaning of Life' in Triumphant New Song". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Payne, Chris (November 30, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson Performs 'Meaning of Life,' Accepts Powerhouse Award at Billboard Women in Music 2017: 'Lift Up & Support Everyone'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Hunt, Chase (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson releases new song 'Meaning of Life' ahead of album release". AXS . AEG . Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Wood, Michael (October 26, 2017). "Has Kelly Clarkson found the Meaning of Life?". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Blistein, Jon (October 19, 2017). "Hear Kelly Clarkson's Euphoric New Song 'Meaning of Life'". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  8. ↑ Davis, Arianna (October 27, 2017). "This Simple Advice From Kelly Clarkson Will Blow Your Mind". Refinery29 . Archived from the original on 2018-03-24. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Williams, Andrew (December 3, 2017). "American Idol Kelly Clarkson talks about her new song style in album Meaning Of Life". Metro . DMG Media. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  10. ↑ Cantrell, Liz (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson – "Meaning Of Life"". Spin . Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Malone, Chris (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson Searches for 'Meaning of Life' in Triumphant New Song". Variety . PMC. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ Garner, George (December 19, 2017). "Since she's been gone: Why Kelly Clarkson is embracing a "new chapter" of her career". Music Week . Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.(subscription required)
  13. ↑ Gonzales, Erica (October 19, 2017). "Kelly Clarkson's New Song "Meaning of Life" Will Give You Goosebumps". Harper's Bazaar . Hearst. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  14. ↑ Whitmore, Laura B. (May 14, 2018). "Kelly Clarkson Celebrates Mother's Day with New Video for 'Meaning of Life'". Parade . Athlon. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  15. ↑ Gottlieb, Steven (May 15, 2018). "Kelly Clarkson "Meaning Of Life" (Sarah McColgan, dir.)". Video Static. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Mattern, Jessica Leigh (May 16, 2018). "Watch Kelly Clarkson's Youngest Children Make an Adorable Appearance in Her New Music Video". Country Living . Hearst. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (May 14, 2018). "Kelly Clarkson Unveils Epic 'Meaning Of Life' Music Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Melton, Lori (May 15, 2018). "Watch: Kelly Clarkson shares powerful new video for 'Meaning of Life'". AXS. AEG. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  19. ↑ Macke, Johnni (May 14, 2018). "Kelly Clarkson's "Meaning of Life" Video Is Here! Where Does It Rank Among the Singer's Best Music Videos?". E! Online . NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  20. ↑ Meaning of Life (booklet). Kelly Clarkson. Kelly Clarkson under exclusive license to Atlantic Recording Corporation/WEA International Inc. 2017. 563941-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 47. týden 2017 in the date selector. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
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