Kelly Clarkson Knocks on Heaven’s Door for ‘Kellyoke’ Duet With Heart’s Ann Wilson
Kelly Clarkson opened Monday’s (May 16) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show with a surprise: a “Kellyoke” duet with none other than Ann Wilson.
For the special musical number, the host turned back time to perform “Almost Paradise,” the Heart singer’s 1984 single for the Footloose soundtrack. Taking the part originally sung by Mike Reno of Loverboy, Clarkson belted out, “I thought that dreams belonged to other men/ ‘Cause each time I got close, they’d fall apart again,” to which the 71-year-old Wilson effortlessly responded, “I feared my heart would beat in secrecy/ I faced the nights alone/ Oh, how could I have known/ That all my life I only needed you?” before the American Idol champ jumped in on harmony.
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Due to the success of the film, the soft-rock classic rocketed up the charts in the mid-’80s along with Kenny Loggins‘ “Footloose” and Deniece Williams‘ “Let’s Hear It For the Boy” — eventually peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending 13 weeks in the top 40. The movie’s love theme also hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart.
During the show, Clarkson sat down with the rock icon for a wide-ranging interview about which Heart classic she’s outgrown (1975’s “Magic Man,” much to Kelly’s chagrin), the sexism that inspired “Barracuda,” her thoughts on the way women are treated in the music industry (“There still is a lot more room for improvement”) and more. Later, she also performed an encore, transfixing the audience with “Love of My Life” from her new solo album Fierce Bliss.
Watch Clarkson and Wilson’s Footloose duet as well as more from the Heart rocker’s visit to The Kelly Clarkson Show below.