Already Gone (Kelly Clarkson song)
Encyclopedia
"Already Gone" is a song performed by American singer–songwriter Kelly Clarkson
from her 2009 album, All I Ever Wanted
. It is co-written by Clarkson and Ryan Tedder
, who also produced it. The song was released as the album's third single in August 2009. Lyrically, "Already Gone" is about the breakup of a relationship; the music consists of an arrangement using a piano, drums, and string instruments.
The production and release of "Already Gone" has been surrounded in controversy. Clarkson claimed that Tedder re-used the musical arrangement on the 2008 Beyoncé Knowles
song "Halo
", and stated that the public would incorrectly assume that she had stolen it; Tedder declared the accusations hurtful and false. After failing to prevent the song from being included on All I Ever Wanted because the tracklisting had already been finalized and the album was already being pressed, Clarkson then voiced her anger towards her record company bosses for subsequently deciding to release it as a single. The accompanying music video
was directed by Joseph Kahn
, who complained that he was not allowed to fully realize his vision, and stated he was unhappy with the final result. It features scenes of Clarkson dressed in a gold gown
and expensive jewelry while lying on a chaise longue in an apartment. Shots of floating objects intersperse a second scene in which Clarkson, wearing a black dress
, sings in a rehearsal room while surrounded by the instruments of an invisible orchestra.
Despite her dissatisfaction with the song's release as a single, Clarkson began promoting it in July 2009, performing it live on the Late Show with David Letterman
and other talk shows. In the fall, she performed the song on VH1 Divas
and at the American Music Awards
. She has included "Already Gone" in the encore
set of her 2009 All I Ever Wanted Tour. The song has received much praise from music critics, and is regarded as one of the highlights of All I Ever Wanted. Critics have praised the song for its expressions of vulnerability, its emotional impact, and its successful use of the ballad form. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100
, and was certified
Platinum in Canada and Gold in Australia
and OneRepublic
lead singer Ryan Tedder
. Tedder describes it as "an emotional, heartbreaking breakup song." Tedder and Clarkson wrote six songs together for inclusion on Clarkson's fourth studio album
All I Ever Wanted
, and "Already Gone" is one of three of those that appear on the tracklist. Clarkson later heard Beyoncé Knowles
' song "Halo
", which Tedder also co-wrote, and noticed distinct similarities between the two songs. She confronted him about using the same arrangement, claiming that people would assume she had stolen it from Knowles.
Clarkson tried to have the song removed from All I Ever Wanted, but it was too late to make any changes; the album was already being pressed and it was not possible to make any changes to the tracklisting.
Tedder responded to the allegations with a statement posted on his MySpace
account, arguing that the two songs are "entirely different" and that the criticism was "hurtful and absurd". He told website Idolator
that he was "absolutely livid", and added, "If I was going around and selling the same track to the biggest artists in the world, how long would my career last? It’s ludicrous. I’m not an idiot. I’m not the kinda guy who’s gonna bust my ass for ten years to try and pull a fast one on Beyoncé or Kelly."
Clarkson fought with her bosses to prevent "Already Gone" from being released as a single, out of respect for Knowles. She wanted "Cry" to be released instead, but conceded that, "in the end, they’re releasing it without my consent. It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over... At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it." Tedder, however, was pleased that the song was released, saying that he likes it more than "Halo". The song was sent to radio airplay on August 11, 2009. In September 2009, Clarkson told MTV
that it was unfortunate the two songs sound exactly the same, but noted that they have different vocal melodies.
Clarkson continued feuding with Tedder in 2010. In December 2009, Tedder said that he was no longer angry over the accusations Clarkson made, but warned, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I don't wanna get some crazy-ass backlash or get my head snapped off for writing a hit song." He later told The Denver Post
that he had gotten over the situation and is working on new material for Clarkson's fifth album. Clarkson, however, told the Daily Star that she is writing and recording new songs with new, low-profile producers. "I don’t like working with people who have worked with everyone. Sometimes I get blackmailed into doing so by my label," she said, "but I prefer collaborating with people who aren't on the grid. I don’t want to sound exactly like other people's records." In May, an unreleased electro-pop song by Clarkson called "Wash, Rinse, Repeat" was leaked on the Internet. The song contains auto tuned lyrics that Idolator say are likely written about Tedder: "I can't take the pressure of new. Give me old, rip it off. / Let's see if it sticks to the wall again. / Does it sound familiar? Does it linger in your ear? / Like something you remember from just last year?" and "Music from the past, from the present, well, just last week / We will change a note and get away with it, wait and see." Tedder said that he thinks the song was written about him, too, but admitted he likes the song. "I think Kelly speaks her mind regardless of anything. She's great with lyrics, and I love that she is her own person. She's no puppet."
ballad
with R&B
and classical music
influences. The music is described by Sarah Liss of CBC News
as having "a pounding heartbeat, twinkly piano and swooping strings", and by James Montgomery of MTV as having "somber piano, crashing drums and hand-claps". Eric R. Danton from The Hartford Courant
explains that the piano and string arrangements "roll mournfully" over the percussion. The sheet music
indicates that the song is set in common time
and has a moderately slow tempo
with a metronome
of 74 beats per minute. It is written in the key
of A major
arranged in the chord progression
of A–E–Fm–D–A–E–Fm–D–Bm–D in the verses, and A–E–Fm–E–D–E in the chorus. The vocal range
spans from B3
to E5
.
The song's narrative
is in first person
, and depicts Clarkson telling her lover that although he has done nothing wrong in their relationship, it was never meant to be and is destined for failure. She tells her partner that he "couldn't have loved [her] better", but to avoid hurting him in the future, he should move on, as she "is already gone". Clarkson sings with what Danton describes as "layered vocals", that, according to Bill Lamb of About.com
, "toe the line between underlying pain and an almost cold, removed sense of resignation ... Each line trails into an unknown, undefined distance."
for "Already Gone" was shot in Toronto
, Canada, on June 20, 2009, at The Carlu, and was directed by Joseph Kahn
, with whom Clarkson had previously worked on the videos for "Never Again
", "Walk Away
" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes
". The video is set primarily in an apartment and a rehearsal room and features Clarkson "lounging on chaises and lolling around while zazzed out in the sort of gowns and jewels we've yet to spot this girl-next-door pop star wearing in real life". Clarkson explains that the video is a departure from her previous videos in that she is "completely glammed out. It's the opposite of my everyday life." The video begins with Clarkson alone in an apartment wearing a gold gown
, sequined elbow gloves, and a large pearl necklace, while lying on a chaise longue. This scene alternates with a second location, where Clarkson wears a black dress
, singing in a rehearsal room, surrounded by invisible members of an orchestra playing their instruments. As the video alternates back and forth between the two locations, the scenes are interspersed with slow-motion shots of falling champagne glasses, floating pearls, and flying violins.
The video was uploaded to Clarkson's official website on July 27. Following its release, Kahn posted statements to his Twitter
account that his vision of the video was not realized, and complained, "I don’t think I won a single battle". A review in Rolling Stone
described the video as "boring stuff", and Leah Collins of Dose
said the video was uncontroversial, "unless there's more meaning to those lingering shots on pearl necklaces than we thought".
. Danton was impressed by the acoustic arrangement when she performed on the first night of her tour in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Keith O'Connor wrote in The Republican that it was one of the night's highlights. Lori Hoffman of Atlantic City Weekly
described Clarkson's performance of the song as an "emotional wallop" and a stand-out moment at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jocelyn Vena from MTV reported that Clarkson's performance of the song was one of the fans' favorite moments, and Rolling Stone noted that during her performance at Hammerstein Ballroom
, New York, the audience sang "Already Gone", and Clarkson "was happy to play cheerful conductor, holding up her mic stand to the crowd." On October 31, in St. Charles, Missouri, Clarkson mashed
"Already Gone" with "Halo".
Clarkson began promoting "Already Gone" on television by debuting it on Late Night with David Letterman
on July 13, in a live performance in which she "belted out" the lyrics to the reworked arrangement. The same arrangement was used when she sang on VH1 Divas
later in the year. Her performance of the song at the 37th Annual American Music Awards
was graded as "B+" in the Los Angeles Times
, which noted that she was "solid" and "sound[ed] terrific". Jeremy Blacklow from Access Hollywood
described it as "pitch-perfect".
said Clarkson "knows that the anguish she likes to sing about is enjoyed by millions of people as grandiose admissions of vulnerability. Yet the music that delivers that message is anything but vulnerable. There's a reason they call them power ballads: a sad song blasted at full volume is a metaphor for finding strength in pain." His point was echoed by Danton of The Hartford Courant, who stated that Clarkson "pours on the heartache", and by Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
, who called the song an "extravagant ballad".
Mike Ragogna added that it "already sounds timeless" in The Huffington Post
. In the Houston Chronicle
, Joey Guerra wrote that Already Gone' ... is a striking change of pace [from the other songs on All I Ever Wanted]. The tempo slows, and Tedder gives Clarkson’s vocals a gauzy quality that synchs perfectly with the mournful lyrics. It’s an emotive, emotional shot of electricity." Billboard
likened Clarkson's "ghostly delivery" to that of Sinéad O'Connor
. Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine
said that "Ryan Tedder's production on 'Already Gone' is identical to Beyoncé's 'Halo' to the point of distraction, but [Already Gone] has a far stronger melody and Clarkson turns in one of her most evocative performances".
Not all reviews were positive, however. Jim Abbott of the Orlando Sentinel
wrote that the lyrics are not unique or enlightening, and Tedder's production on the track was disliked. Jon Caramanica from The New York Times
thought that Tedder "drowns [Clarkson] under murky piano on 'Already Gone'."
Hot 100
and Canadian Hot 100
charts on March 28, 2009, at Number 70. It dropped out of both charts the following week, and re-entered them in August 2009. It peaked at Number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Number 15 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song peaked at Number 3 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
chart, and spent a total of 51 weeks in the chart; it reached Number 5 on Billboards Pop Songs chart, and it spent eight consecutive weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
chart. By June 2010, 1,400,000 copies of the single had sold in the US, and it was certified
Platinum in Canada.
Internationally, "Already Gone" had moderate success. It entered the Australian Singles Chart
at Number 70 on July 13, 2009, peaked at Number 12 on September 13, 2009, and was certified Gold. In New Zealand, it peaked at Number 23 and spent eight weeks on the chart. It charted on the UK Singles Chart
on August 9, 2009, at Number 153 and peaked at Number 66 in September. Elsewhere in Europe, the song charted in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
from her 2009 album, All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted (album)
All I Ever Wanted is the fourth studio album by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, released on March 6, 2009 in Australia and Germany and the United States on March 10. It was her second album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200...
. It is co-written by Clarkson and Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, who also produced it. The song was released as the album's third single in August 2009. Lyrically, "Already Gone" is about the breakup of a relationship; the music consists of an arrangement using a piano, drums, and string instruments.
The production and release of "Already Gone" has been surrounded in controversy. Clarkson claimed that Tedder re-used the musical arrangement on the 2008 Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
song "Halo
Halo (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Halo" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce . Columbia Records released the song as the fourth single of the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009. It was composed by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and...
", and stated that the public would incorrectly assume that she had stolen it; Tedder declared the accusations hurtful and false. After failing to prevent the song from being included on All I Ever Wanted because the tracklisting had already been finalized and the album was already being pressed, Clarkson then voiced her anger towards her record company bosses for subsequently deciding to release it as a single. The accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director.-Early life:Kahn was born in Jersey Village, Texas, a suburb of Houston. He is of Korean ancestry. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Livorno, Italy until his family moved to Texas...
, who complained that he was not allowed to fully realize his vision, and stated he was unhappy with the final result. It features scenes of Clarkson dressed in a gold gown
Gown
A gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt.A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in the 18th...
and expensive jewelry while lying on a chaise longue in an apartment. Shots of floating objects intersperse a second scene in which Clarkson, wearing a black dress
Little black dress
A little black dress is an evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel, intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral...
, sings in a rehearsal room while surrounded by the instruments of an invisible orchestra.
Despite her dissatisfaction with the song's release as a single, Clarkson began promoting it in July 2009, performing it live on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
and other talk shows. In the fall, she performed the song on VH1 Divas
VH1 Divas
In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the...
and at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
. She has included "Already Gone" in the encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
set of her 2009 All I Ever Wanted Tour. The song has received much praise from music critics, and is regarded as one of the highlights of All I Ever Wanted. Critics have praised the song for its expressions of vulnerability, its emotional impact, and its successful use of the ballad form. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and was certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
Platinum in Canada and Gold in Australia
Background and release
"Already Gone" was co-written by Kelly ClarksonKelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
and OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
lead singer Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
. Tedder describes it as "an emotional, heartbreaking breakup song." Tedder and Clarkson wrote six songs together for inclusion on Clarkson's fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted (album)
All I Ever Wanted is the fourth studio album by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, released on March 6, 2009 in Australia and Germany and the United States on March 10. It was her second album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200...
, and "Already Gone" is one of three of those that appear on the tracklist. Clarkson later heard Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
' song "Halo
Halo (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Halo" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her third studio album I Am... Sasha Fierce . Columbia Records released the song as the fourth single of the album, to mainstream radio in the United States on January 20, 2009. It was composed by Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and...
", which Tedder also co-wrote, and noticed distinct similarities between the two songs. She confronted him about using the same arrangement, claiming that people would assume she had stolen it from Knowles.
Clarkson tried to have the song removed from All I Ever Wanted, but it was too late to make any changes; the album was already being pressed and it was not possible to make any changes to the tracklisting.
Tedder responded to the allegations with a statement posted on his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
account, arguing that the two songs are "entirely different" and that the criticism was "hurtful and absurd". He told website Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
that he was "absolutely livid", and added, "If I was going around and selling the same track to the biggest artists in the world, how long would my career last? It’s ludicrous. I’m not an idiot. I’m not the kinda guy who’s gonna bust my ass for ten years to try and pull a fast one on Beyoncé or Kelly."
Clarkson fought with her bosses to prevent "Already Gone" from being released as a single, out of respect for Knowles. She wanted "Cry" to be released instead, but conceded that, "in the end, they’re releasing it without my consent. It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over... At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it." Tedder, however, was pleased that the song was released, saying that he likes it more than "Halo". The song was sent to radio airplay on August 11, 2009. In September 2009, Clarkson told MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that it was unfortunate the two songs sound exactly the same, but noted that they have different vocal melodies.
Clarkson continued feuding with Tedder in 2010. In December 2009, Tedder said that he was no longer angry over the accusations Clarkson made, but warned, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I don't wanna get some crazy-ass backlash or get my head snapped off for writing a hit song." He later told The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
that he had gotten over the situation and is working on new material for Clarkson's fifth album. Clarkson, however, told the Daily Star that she is writing and recording new songs with new, low-profile producers. "I don’t like working with people who have worked with everyone. Sometimes I get blackmailed into doing so by my label," she said, "but I prefer collaborating with people who aren't on the grid. I don’t want to sound exactly like other people's records." In May, an unreleased electro-pop song by Clarkson called "Wash, Rinse, Repeat" was leaked on the Internet. The song contains auto tuned lyrics that Idolator say are likely written about Tedder: "I can't take the pressure of new. Give me old, rip it off. / Let's see if it sticks to the wall again. / Does it sound familiar? Does it linger in your ear? / Like something you remember from just last year?" and "Music from the past, from the present, well, just last week / We will change a note and get away with it, wait and see." Tedder said that he thinks the song was written about him, too, but admitted he likes the song. "I think Kelly speaks her mind regardless of anything. She's great with lyrics, and I love that she is her own person. She's no puppet."
Composition
"Already Gone" is a soft rockSoft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
with R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
influences. The music is described by Sarah Liss of CBC News
CBC News
CBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
as having "a pounding heartbeat, twinkly piano and swooping strings", and by James Montgomery of MTV as having "somber piano, crashing drums and hand-claps". Eric R. Danton from The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is a morning newspaper for most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury...
explains that the piano and string arrangements "roll mournfully" over the percussion. The sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
indicates that the song is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and has a moderately slow tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
with a metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
of 74 beats per minute. It is written in the key
Key signature
In musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
of A major
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
arranged in the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of A–E–Fm–D–A–E–Fm–D–Bm–D in the verses, and A–E–Fm–E–D–E in the chorus. The vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
spans from B3
B (musical note)
B, also known as H, Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège. It lies a chromatic semitone below C and is thus the enharmonic equivalent of C-flat....
to E5
E (musical note)
E or mi is the third note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle E is approximately 329.628 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.-Designation by octave:...
.
The song's narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
is in first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
, and depicts Clarkson telling her lover that although he has done nothing wrong in their relationship, it was never meant to be and is destined for failure. She tells her partner that he "couldn't have loved [her] better", but to avoid hurting him in the future, he should move on, as she "is already gone". Clarkson sings with what Danton describes as "layered vocals", that, according to Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, "toe the line between underlying pain and an almost cold, removed sense of resignation ... Each line trails into an unknown, undefined distance."
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Already Gone" was shot in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada, on June 20, 2009, at The Carlu, and was directed by Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director.-Early life:Kahn was born in Jersey Village, Texas, a suburb of Houston. He is of Korean ancestry. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Livorno, Italy until his family moved to Texas...
, with whom Clarkson had previously worked on the videos for "Never Again
Never Again (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Never Again" is a song written by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Messer, and is the first single from her third studio album, My December ....
", "Walk Away
Walk Away (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Walk Away" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson on her second album, Breakaway, and was the album's fifth and final single.In March 2006, the single was certified gold by RIAA and has sold over 500,000 copies in all formats in the United States...
" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes
Behind These Hazel Eyes
"Behind These Hazel Eyes" is the third single from Breakaway, the second album by pop singer Kelly Clarkson.-Song information:...
". The video is set primarily in an apartment and a rehearsal room and features Clarkson "lounging on chaises and lolling around while zazzed out in the sort of gowns and jewels we've yet to spot this girl-next-door pop star wearing in real life". Clarkson explains that the video is a departure from her previous videos in that she is "completely glammed out. It's the opposite of my everyday life." The video begins with Clarkson alone in an apartment wearing a gold gown
Gown
A gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt.A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in the 18th...
, sequined elbow gloves, and a large pearl necklace, while lying on a chaise longue. This scene alternates with a second location, where Clarkson wears a black dress
Little black dress
A little black dress is an evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often quite short. Fashion historians ascribe the origins of the little black dress to the 1920s designs of Coco Chanel, intended to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral...
, singing in a rehearsal room, surrounded by invisible members of an orchestra playing their instruments. As the video alternates back and forth between the two locations, the scenes are interspersed with slow-motion shots of falling champagne glasses, floating pearls, and flying violins.
The video was uploaded to Clarkson's official website on July 27. Following its release, Kahn posted statements to his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that his vision of the video was not realized, and complained, "I don’t think I won a single battle". A review in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
described the video as "boring stuff", and Leah Collins of Dose
Dose (magazine)
Dose is a daily Canadian news website and former daily print magazine.Dose was a mixture of standalone features and coverage of daily news, sometimes from an irreverent perspective...
said the video was uncontroversial, "unless there's more meaning to those lingering shots on pearl necklaces than we thought".
Live performances
Due to the controversy surrounding the album version's similarity with "Halo", and because Clarkson wanted to perform what she later called a "diva-esque" version of "Already Gone", she composed a new arrangement with her musical director Jason Halbert for performances during her 2009 All I Ever Wanted Tour. She sings it as part of the concert's encoreEncore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
. Danton was impressed by the acoustic arrangement when she performed on the first night of her tour in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Keith O'Connor wrote in The Republican that it was one of the night's highlights. Lori Hoffman of Atlantic City Weekly
Atlantic city weekly
Atlantic City Weekly , The Atlantic City Weekly, is a free newspaper based in Atlantic City since 1974. Atlantic City Weekly is the source for what's happening in South Jersey...
described Clarkson's performance of the song as an "emotional wallop" and a stand-out moment at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jocelyn Vena from MTV reported that Clarkson's performance of the song was one of the fans' favorite moments, and Rolling Stone noted that during her performance at Hammerstein Ballroom
Hammerstein Ballroom
The Hammerstein Ballroom is a two-tiered, 12,000 square feet ballroom located within the Manhattan Center Studios on 311 West 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America. It is known for its elegant appearance and excellent acoustical design...
, New York, the audience sang "Already Gone", and Clarkson "was happy to play cheerful conductor, holding up her mic stand to the crowd." On October 31, in St. Charles, Missouri, Clarkson mashed
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
"Already Gone" with "Halo".
Clarkson began promoting "Already Gone" on television by debuting it on Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
on July 13, in a live performance in which she "belted out" the lyrics to the reworked arrangement. The same arrangement was used when she sang on VH1 Divas
VH1 Divas
In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the...
later in the year. Her performance of the song at the 37th Annual American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2009
The 37th American Music Awards took place on November 22, 2009 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominees were announced on October 13, 2009. For the first time in history, there was no host for the year's ceremony. Instead, various celebrities introduced the performers similar...
was graded as "B+" in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, which noted that she was "solid" and "sound[ed] terrific". Jeremy Blacklow from Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
described it as "pitch-perfect".
Critical reception
"Already Gone" is regarded as one of the musical and lyrical highlights of All I Ever Wanted. Ryan Brockington from The New York Post called the song a "mixture of old school Stevie Nicks and some Julia Roberts romantic comedy theme song, delivered together in true Clarkson fashion." He continues, "she spits emotion and heart into a song that makes me want to curl up in a blanket and long for someone". Lamb called "Already Gone" "a towering song ... [It] will break your heart, and Kelly Clarkson's delivery is nearly perfect here." Ken Tucker from Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said Clarkson "knows that the anguish she likes to sing about is enjoyed by millions of people as grandiose admissions of vulnerability. Yet the music that delivers that message is anything but vulnerable. There's a reason they call them power ballads: a sad song blasted at full volume is a metaphor for finding strength in pain." His point was echoed by Danton of The Hartford Courant, who stated that Clarkson "pours on the heartache", and by Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, who called the song an "extravagant ballad".
Mike Ragogna added that it "already sounds timeless" in The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
. In the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, Joey Guerra wrote that Already Gone' ... is a striking change of pace [from the other songs on All I Ever Wanted]. The tempo slows, and Tedder gives Clarkson’s vocals a gauzy quality that synchs perfectly with the mournful lyrics. It’s an emotive, emotional shot of electricity." Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
likened Clarkson's "ghostly delivery" to that of Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
. Jonathan Keefe from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
said that "Ryan Tedder's production on 'Already Gone' is identical to Beyoncé's 'Halo' to the point of distraction, but [Already Gone] has a far stronger melody and Clarkson turns in one of her most evocative performances".
Not all reviews were positive, however. Jim Abbott of the Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
wrote that the lyrics are not unique or enlightening, and Tedder's production on the track was disliked. Jon Caramanica from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
thought that Tedder "drowns [Clarkson] under murky piano on 'Already Gone'."
Chart performance
In North America, digital sales of "Already Gone" resulted in it entering the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
charts on March 28, 2009, at Number 70. It dropped out of both charts the following week, and re-entered them in August 2009. It peaked at Number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Number 15 on the Canadian Hot 100. The song peaked at Number 3 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart, and spent a total of 51 weeks in the chart; it reached Number 5 on Billboards Pop Songs chart, and it spent eight consecutive weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...
chart. By June 2010, 1,400,000 copies of the single had sold in the US, and it was certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
Platinum in Canada.
Internationally, "Already Gone" had moderate success. It entered the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at Number 70 on July 13, 2009, peaked at Number 12 on September 13, 2009, and was certified Gold. In New Zealand, it peaked at Number 23 and spent eight weeks on the chart. It charted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on August 9, 2009, at Number 153 and peaked at Number 66 in September. Elsewhere in Europe, the song charted in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Charts, certifications and sales
| Chart (2009-10) | Peak position |
Year end chart |
Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
36 | — | — |
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
12 | 86 (2009) | Gold |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
15 | — | — |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
15 | 88 (2010) | Platinum |
| Dutch Single Top 100 | 78 | — | — |
| German Singles Chart | 23 | — | — |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
23 | — | — |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
26 | — | — |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 15 | 96 (2009) | — |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
66 | — | — |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
13 | 95 (2009) 74 (2010) |
— |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 3 | — | |
| US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 | 5 | — |