Kelly Clarkson Travels Back to the ’80s to Cover A Flock of Seagulls’ New Wave Classic: Watch

Hannah Dailey
·2 min read
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Kelly Clarkson busted out the hairspray, blue and purple eye shadow, and shoulder pads for her 1980s-themed Kellyoke performance Tuesday (April 19). Performing with her band Y’all — who all looked totally tubular — she delivered a true-to-form cover of A Flock of Seagulls’ new wave classic hit “I Ran (So Far Away)” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Taking the stage in what is, safe to say, one of her best Kellyoke looks yet, Clarkson sported a voluminous, sideswept hairstyle and multi-patterned blazer. One of her bandmates — who teased his hair into a retro V shape — rocked out on a keytar behind her as she plowed through the song’s wistful lyrics.

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“I never thought I’d meet a girl like you,” she mused. “With auburn hair and tawny eyes / The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through/ And I ran, I ran so far away.”

Though the American Song Contest host and her band always look like they’re having fun, something about the new wave quirkiness or the stereotypically ’80s outfits made for an especially energetic performance this time. Even people in the YouTube comments noticed, with one writing: “Do y’all see how much fun her band is having behind her? Lol I love it here.”

“I Ran” is a staple of the new wave genre, and remains A Flock of Seagull’s best-charting single to date. The synth-filled song spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at No. 9 on the chart. Meanwhile the band’s self-titled debut record from which the song hails spent 50 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 10.

Watch Kelly Clarkson surf the new wave with her new cover of “I Ran (So Far Away)” below:

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