"The Trouble with Love Is" | ||||
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Single by Kelly Clarkson | ||||
from the album Thankful | ||||
Released | November 10, 2003 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:42 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Kelly Clarkson U.S./Australia singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Trouble with Love Is" on YouTube |
"The Trouble with Love Is" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, for her debut studio album Thankful (2003). The song was written by Clarkson with its producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken. It was released as the fourth and final single from the album, being first serviced to US contemporary hit radio on November 10, 2003. "The Trouble with Love Is" is an R&B and soul ballad, with elements of gospel music in its chorus. Lyrically, the song finds Clarkson explaining how love can be joyful and sorrowful at the same time. It received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised it for being "soulful" and "romantic", while also praising Clarkson's vocals, comparing them to those of Mariah Carey and Beyoncé.
Commercially, while failing to match "Miss Independent" success on the charts in the United States, the song performed considerably better internationally, reaching number 11 and a gold status in Australia, while also reaching significant positions in other three countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom. The song also served to promote the Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), being featured in its accompanying soundtrack. The music video for the song was directed by Bryan Barber and released on November 7, 2003. It features scenes from the film, while Clarkson performs the track on a rooftop. Clarkson performed the track during her Independent Tour (2004) and Breakaway World Tour (2005).
"The Trouble with Love Is" was written by Kelly Clarkson with its producers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. Sturken was also responsible for drum programming and keyboards, while Rogers provided background vocals with Cindy Mizelle. The song was recorded at four different studios: The Hit Factory, New York City; The Record Plant, Los Angeles; The Enterprise, Burbank, California; and The Loft Recording Studio, Bronxville, New York. Its strings were recorded at a different studio: The Studio, Philadelphia. The song features drums, violins, violas, cellos, keyboards and strings in its instrumentation. [3] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Group, the song is written in the key of F major with a tempo of 60 beats per minute in common time. The song follows a chord progression of F – A7 – B♭ – D♭ - B♭, and Clarkson's vocals span from the low-note of B♭3 to the high note of F5. [4] "The Trouble with Love Is" is an R&B [1] and soul song, [2] with elements of gospel throughout the chorus. [2] Lyrically, it talks about the ups and downs of romance, with Clarkson singing, "Love may be a many splendored thing ... [But] it can tear you up inside/ Make your heart believe a lie." [5]
Following the release of "Low", which maintained her strong-hold on stateside fans, "The Trouble with Love Is" was announced as the album's third and final single, though there were fans who pant for the ballad "Anytime" to be released. [6] It was first serviced to US mainstream radio on November 10, 2003, in the United States, [7] and later released as a double A-side single with "Low" in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2003. [8] It was released in the remaining countries on January 12, 2004. [9] The song was also featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 film Love Actually . [10]
The song received positive reviews from most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked the song as one of the best tracks on the album, [11] while Heather Phares of the same publication praised the track for "manag[ing] to be romantic, sassy, and empowering all at once, with her vocals reflecting their urban ballad surroundings." [10] Chuck Taylor of Billboard wrote a positive review, noting that Clarkson "mines her soulful side and riffs like a sista with the gospel-drenched [track]." [6] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian praised the singer, writing that "[l]ike her fellow Texan Beyoncé, she has a background in the church, and it shows in the phrasing of the torchy song." [12] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the song a "durable soul number reminiscent of Mariah Carey's 'Vision of Love'. [13] A writer of the website Sputnikmusic named it a "swooning, soulful, radiant song, with gospel-esque background vocals in the chorus that stands out amongst most pop music that plagues the music scene today with mediocrity." [2] Mike Wass of Idolator described it as "a bluesy ballad that is an early preview of the diva’s eventual flirtation with roots and blues." [14]
While failing to match "Miss Independent" in the United States, "The Trouble with Love Is" performed considerably better internationally. [14] In Australia, the song debuted at number 12 on February 22, 2004, while the next week it reached a peak of number 11 on the ARIA Charts week of February 29, 2004, remaining at the peak position for a further week. It matched the same peak position of the previous single, "Low", [15] and ultimately, the song was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association for selling over 35,000 copies. In Netherlands, the song peaked higher than her previous single, "Miss Independent", debuting at number 81, on December 27, 2003, and reaching number 26, on January 24, 2004. [16] In Switzerland, the song became Clarkson's lowest charting-single of her career, peaking at number 62. [15] In the United States, "The Trouble with Love Is" did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but made its appearance on three Billboard component charts: the Top 40 Mainstream chart, where it peaked at number 22, the Adult Top 40, reaching number 31, and the Top 40 Tracks, where it reached number 36. [17] On the Canadian Hot 100, the song performed significantly at number 25. [17]
The music video for the song was directed by Bryan Barber and premiered on November 7, 2003, on TRL . [18] The video features Clarkson performing the track on a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles, with people watching Love Actually on a rooftop adjacent to the one Clarkson's on. As noted by MTV News' Corey Moss, "along with the high-altitude shots, Barber also created several vignettes showing kids dealing with troubled relationships, which [were] interspersed with the performance footage. The scenes [took] place in the rooms of the building Kelly is performing on and include[s] a girl fighting for attention from her video-game addict boyfriend and another girl climbing on the fire escape after arguing with her mother." [18]
Clarkson promoted the song with a handful of live performances, including The Ellen Show, [19] Pop Idol, [20] Today [21] Live on Air, AOL Music, Smile and Popworld. Clarkson also performed the track on her Independent Tour (2004), Behind These Hazel Eyes Tour and last on The Breakaway Tour (2005–2006). In 2012, on her Stronger Tour, Clarkson performed the track on a medley with "Walk Away", "How I Feel" and "I Want You". [22]
UK CD single ("Low" / "The Trouble with Love Is") [8]
European CD single [23]
Australian CD single [24]
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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Thankful. [3]
Recording
Personnel
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [34] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | November 10, 2003 | RCA | [7] | |
United Kingdom | November 17, 2003 | CD single | [8] | |
Germany | January 12, 2004 |
| [23] | |
United Kingdom | Digital download | 19 | [35] | |
Europe | [36] | |||
Greece | [37] | |||
France | [9] | |||
Ireland | [38] | |||
Italy | [39] | |||
Sweden | [40] | |||
Australia | February 9, 2004 | CD single |
| [41] |
Kelly Brianne, known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records. Her debut single, "A Moment Like This", topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and became the country's best-selling single of 2002. It was included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), which entered the Billboard 200 at number one, and also yielded the top-10 single "Miss Independent". Trying to reinvent her image, Clarkson parted ways with Idol management and shifted to pop rock for her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). Supported by four US top-ten singles – the title track, "Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", and "Because of You" – Breakaway sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won two Grammy Awards.
Thankful is the debut studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released in the United States by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. "Miss Independent" was its first single, followed by "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is". Initially, the album had been scheduled to be released in November 2002, however, Clarkson's demanding schedule and difficulty finding tracks that suited her taste and image forced the album to be delayed several times. By the time the album was released, over six months had elapsed since "A Moment Like This" had reached number one.
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.
"Miss Independent" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her debut studio album, Thankful (2003). Written by Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Rhett Lawrence, and Matt Morris, with Lawrence serving as producer, it was released as the album's lead single by RCA Records on April 10, 2003, preceding its release by five days. The track was initially intended for Aguilera's fourth album, Stripped (2002), but was left half-finished. Lawrence later continued writing the song with Clarkson, who eventually recorded it.
"Low" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson from her debut album, Thankful (2003). The song was written by Jimmy Harry and produced by Clif Magness. It was released as the album's second official single, on August 3, 2003, while it was also released as a double A-side single with "The Trouble with Love Is" in the United Kingdom. This release reached only number 35, but "Low" was more successful in Australia and Canada, reaching numbers 11 and two, respectively, while also peaking at number 58 in the United States. The song received favorable reviews from music critics who complimented her vocals and the song's lyrics. On March 5, 2013, Billboard ranked the song at number 90 in its list of "Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time".
"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.
"Walk Away" is a song by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson for her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). The song was written and produced by Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida, and Kara DioGuardi, with additional writing from Clarkson. The song focuses on a relationship that is not working out; Clarkson wants a lover who will support her, not disappear when she needs him the most.
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).
"Before Your Love" is a single recorded by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson. On September 17, 2002, RCA released it as a double-A side with "A Moment Like This" as her coronation single after winning the first season of American Idol. A remixed version of the song was later included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003). It went on to become the best-selling single of 2002 in the United States.
"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.
Stronger is the fifth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on October 21, 2011, by RCA Records. The thirteen-song track-list features Clarkson collaborating with various new producers as well as with Howard Benson, whom she collaborated with on her previous album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). Wanting to stray away sonically from her previous albums, Clarkson's main objective was to record her vocal performances as it is heard in her live sets, and used as little auto-tune processing as possible. The album also marked the first release by Clarkson that did not cause a conflict with RCA; her previous records, most notably My December (2007), were released amidst conflict and controversy.
"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."
"Beautiful Disaster" is a song recorded by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson on her debut studio album Thankful (2003). Matthew Wilder produced the track, and wrote it along with Rebekah Jordan. "Beautiful Disaster" reflects a woman's prayer about a man whom she loves despite his iniquities. A live piano version of the song was included as the twelfth track on Clarkson's second studio album Breakaway (2004).
Greatest Hits – Chapter One is the first greatest hits album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 16, 2012, by RCA Records. It contains material from Clarkson's first five studio albums: Thankful (2003), Breakaway (2004), My December (2007), All I Ever Wanted (2009), and Stronger (2011). Its three newly recorded songs, "Catch My Breath", "Don't Rush", and "People Like Us", served as singles; contributions to their production came from Sound Kollectiv, Greg Kurstin, and Dann Huff.
"Clarity" is a song by Russian-German DJ Zedd featuring the vocals of British singer Foxes. It was released on 14 November 2012 as the third single from the former's debut studio album of the same name. The song was written by Anton Zaslavski, Matthew Koma, Porter Robinson and Skylar Grey and produced by Zedd. It was released as iTunes Single of the Week on 2 October 2012, and as an 4-track remix EP on 12 February 2013, by Interscope Records. Zedd released an extended mix of the song exclusively on Beatport on 18 February 2018.
"People Like Us" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson, from her first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits – Chapter One (2012). One of the three songs recorded for the compilation, it was released as its third and final single through RCA Records on April 8, 2013. Written by Meghan Kabir, James Michael, Blair Daly, and produced by Greg Kurstin, "People Like Us" is an uptempo pop song, with its lyrical content primarily dealing with themes of empowerment, acceptance, and assurance for the eccentrics, who were being dedicated to as "people like us".
"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.
"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.
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