Kelly Clarkson says she was 'lied to' about 'Since U Been Gone' songwriting: 'I looked like a fool'
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Nearly two decades after its release, "Since U Been Gone" remains one of Kelly Clarkson's most ubiquitous hits. The pop star and talk show host knows it so well she can it sing it backwards. But, after all these years, the singer is still fighting off the "bad vibe" she associates with the track.
In a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Clarkson responded to claims from media mogul and former RCA Records head Clive Davis that she didn't want to release the single.
"Let's give some backstory," Clarkson said. "I was lied to."
Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Kelly Clarkson
"They told me, 'Hey, there's these producers that want to work with you and there's this song,'" Clarkson said, adding that when she was first presented with the song, it wasn't quite finished. "It had dummy lyrics," she explained. "They didn't really have lyrics yet. They were like, 'Oh, we just want you to work with them.' And I was told to write to the song."
But the singer-songwriter says that she later realized "Since U Been Gone" producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke didn't expect her to pen her own lyrics.
"They flew me to Sweden," Clarkson continued. "I get there and these two people, Luke and Max, were not told I was writing to it and already had it written. And I looked like a fool, because I walked in and the label had told me something completely different. That's a red flag. Why lie to me like that? Why not just get me to go there and then they'll have the song? I don't like the lying. So that's why I have a bad vibe with that song, because of the origin story."
So how does Kelly cope with the song's baggage when it comes time to sing the fan-favorite onstage?
"I'm such a great compartmentalizer," Clarkson laughed. "I can put that aside and I sing the hell out of it."
Clarkson has a famously complicated relationship with Davis, whose 2013 memoir The Soundtrack of My Life tells a handful of stories about her that she's since disputed — including anecdotes about her weeping during a meeting and not wanting to release future smash hits "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes."
In an open letter to her fans, Clarkson claimed those stories were "not true at all." She added, "His stories and songs are mixed up."
Davis responded with a Twitter statement saying, "I stand by the chapter as written in my book."
You can watch the full Watch What Happens Live clip above.
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