My Life Would Suck Without You
Encyclopedia
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song performed by American
pop rock
singer-songwriter
Kelly Clarkson
. It is the first single from her fourth studio album, All I Ever Wanted
. Dr. Luke
and Max Martin
, writers of her hit "Since U Been Gone
", co-produced and co-wrote the song. Claude Kelly
also contributed to the lyrics. It is her second number-one single in the United States
and Canada
after 2002's "A Moment Like This" and her first number-one in the United Kingdom
, making her to date the only American Idol
contestant to have UK number one song.
hired Gottwald and Martin, who produced "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" for Clarkson in 2004, to produce a new song for Clarkson in 2008 after Clarkson's My December
suffered poor commercial performance after refusing to hire them in 2006. Martin also asked Claude Kelly
to co-wrote the track after Clarkson demanded them to change the song's lyrical content for being too explicit.
Originally scheduled to hit airwaves
on January 19, the song debuted on New York
Top 40 station Z100
on January 13, and the single was then transmitted digitally to radio stations at 6:00 pm EST for immediate airplay. It went officially for adds on radio station playlists on January 20, 2009. It was given a digital release on January 16, 2009 at Amazon.com
's MP3 store, with a subsequent release on the US and Canadian iTunes Store
s on January 20, 2009.
The song was also released as a download on January 16 in Australia on iTunes. On January 23, the song was announced as the most added song to radio in Australia. The song was sent to radio stations in the United Kingdom on the week of January 19 and was digitally released there on February 21.
It was covered by the cast of the hit Fox
television series Glee
in the first season episode "Sectionals
". Their version of the song has been released as a single on iTunes
and is the final song on the soundtrack compilation Glee: The Music, Volume 2
.
composed in the key of A major
at 145 beats per minute. The tempo
is set in common time
. Clarkson's vocal range spans from A3 to E5. The instruments used in this song are synthesizers, guitars, a drum machine, and bass. The song begins with mellow guitar plucking and transcends into a melody of synthesizers, guitars, and synthesized drums. The melody then cascades into a chorus of crashing cymbals, bass, synthesizers, and loud guitars.
labelled it "a propulsive blast of rock-tinged pop" and stated that "the countdown to No. 1 begins." About.com
's Bill Lamb named it "pop perfection that could easily end up one of the biggest hits of the year." Rolling Stone
called the song "fantastic — the early favorite for single of the year." and "straight-up pop [that] cascades into an avalanche of synths and a steady beat," mentioning that it "has all the characteristics of a surefire radio hit." TIME also listed "My Life Would Suck Without You" as #1 in their top 10 songs of 2009.
Brian Mansfield from USA Today
stated that there were "disco rhythms and lots of synth-dance-pop layers over the top, but the guitar pattern... keeps it from sounding too artificial"; eventually stating that he was "liking it". The Los Angeles Times
said the song "zooms forward from its guitar-plucky intro toward a cymbal-crashing climax without ever slowing down", commenting that the song would be "huge"; however, it also stated that the song had "empty calories delivered within those compressed, subtly Auto-Tuned vocals [riding] high-fructose beats."
Hot 100 the week of January 29, 2009 and went to #1 in its second week, setting the record for the furthest jump to #1 in history. This makes it the second time Clarkson has set this record, after her debut single "A Moment Like This" went from #52 to #1 in 2002. "My Life Would Suck Without You" is also the only song by an Idol alum to top the Hot 100 chart that is not associated with the show. The song also advanced to #3 on Billboards Mainstream Top 40 chart, giving her her first top ten airplay hit since "Because of You
". The song was dethroned from the top of the Hot 100 chart by Eminem
's "Crack a Bottle
". The song has so far sold over 2,300,000 downloads in the United States.
On the Canadian Hot 100
, the song debuted at #82. The following week, it jumped to the top spot, breaking the record previously set by Rihanna
with "Take a Bow
", which moved from #70 to #1. She held that record for 10 months, until October 2009, when Britney Spears
' "3
" jumped from #86 to #1.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted on the Australian ARIA Charts
at #16 and peaked at #5, and is also Clarkson's first physical number #1 single. The single debuted on the New Zealand RIANZ chart at #25 and peaked at #11.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" became Clarkson's biggest hit in Sweden (peaking at #2), Ireland (#4), and Germany (#6).
In the Netherlands
, "My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted at number 26 and peaked at number 3, becoming her first top 10 hit in the Netherlands since the release of Breakaways last European single "Because of You
".
In the United Kingdom
, the song climbed from #103 on the UK Singles Chart
to #1 on March 1, 2009, becoming Clarkson's first British number-one single, selling 51,114 copies in its first week as a digital release. Despite being Clarkson's highest charting single in the UK, it's stay on the chart is considerably less than some of her other singles. With 17 weeks inside the UK charts it ranks behind her #5 hit "Since U Been Gone" at 37 weeks and her #7 hit "Because of You" at 25 weeks.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" has been certified Platinum in Australia and Canada, Gold in New Zealand, and Silver in the United Kingdom.
It made it to the 2009 Year-End Billboard Chart at #23, becoming the highest peak for a Clarkson single in the Year-End chart since "Behind These Hazel Eyes" (#10) and "Since U Been Gone" (#4) charted in 2005.
and was shot in Los Angeles
in December 2008. It is now available for digital download on iTunes and is featured on the DVD of the Deluxe Edition of All I Ever Wanted
. A preview of the video was shown during a commercial break for American Idol
on its January 28, 2009 episode. The full video then premiered via AT&T's website directly after the broadcast.
The video begins with a small boy and girl playing on a playground
together, teasingly pushing each other around. The young girl is intended to be Clarkson as a child, presumably with her young male best friend. The boy hands her a beaded necklace
, which she puts on admiringly. The shot closes in on the necklace, then pulls back to reveal it's still worn as a bracelet on the wrist of now-adult Clarkson.
Clarkson's boyfriend (played by Houston Rhines) shows up at her apartment door, presumably after an argument. Clarkson teases him with a set of keys, which she then throws down the toilet
.
The two are then shown sitting on a couch, reading magazine
s, when Clarkson grabs her boyfriend's magazine. The two are shown throwing various possessions of one another out of the apartment window, though in a playful manner. Such items include numerous articles of clothing, magazines, a guitar (which Clarkson tries to stop him throwing out), and a fishbowl
(with the fish being taken out and put in a glass
first, after which they look out the window). After throwing these items out the window, the two are seen sitting affectionately on the couch. Clarkson and her boyfriend are shown still fighting and bickering as they did as children, over the TV Guide
and remote control
.
The latter portion of the video shows the two driving in a first generation Ford Bronco
(with the necklace/bracelet hanging from the rear view mirror), eventually getting into an argument. Distracted by the tiff over directions, the Bronco nearly ends up in a head-on collision with an approaching car. After spinning out to avoid the crash, Clarkson simply grabs her boyfriend and pulls him into a kiss, where the video ends.
Interspersed with the storyline are performance shots of Clarkson on a swing set and band shots of Clarkson singing throughout the chorus with bright, football stadium lighting behind her. The lights fluctuate along with the song, becoming bright during certain key moments of musical crescendo and then dimming for others.
The video was nominated for a 2009 MTV
Video Music Award in the category for Best Female Video.
CD Single
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Kelly Clarkson
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,...
. It is the first single from her fourth studio 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...
. Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
and Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, writers of her hit "Since U Been Gone
Since U Been Gone
"Since U Been Gone" is a song written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald for American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was released as the second single from her second album, Breakaway in the US and Australia and was released as the first single in Europe...
", co-produced and co-wrote the song. Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
also contributed to the lyrics. It is her second number-one single in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
after 2002's "A Moment Like This" and her first number-one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, making her to date the only American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant to have UK number one song.
Background and release
Record executive Clive DavisClive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
hired Gottwald and Martin, who produced "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" for Clarkson in 2004, to produce a new song for Clarkson in 2008 after Clarkson's My December
My December
My December is the third studio album by American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007 throughout most of Europe , on June 23, 2007 in Australia, on June 25, 2007 in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Poland, and on June 26, 2007 in North America...
suffered poor commercial performance after refusing to hire them in 2006. Martin also asked Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. He has a prolific discography, well known for writing for artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jay Sean, Adam Lambert, Jessie J and Charice.-Career:He began playing the piano...
to co-wrote the track after Clarkson demanded them to change the song's lyrical content for being too explicit.
Originally scheduled to hit airwaves
Radio waves
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies from 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, and corresponding wavelengths from 1 millimeter to 100 kilometers. Like all other electromagnetic waves,...
on January 19, the song debuted on New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Top 40 station Z100
WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
on January 13, and the single was then transmitted digitally to radio stations at 6:00 pm EST for immediate airplay. It went officially for adds on radio station playlists on January 20, 2009. It was given a digital release on January 16, 2009 at Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
's MP3 store, with a subsequent release on the US and Canadian iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
s on January 20, 2009.
The song was also released as a download on January 16 in Australia on iTunes. On January 23, the song was announced as the most added song to radio in Australia. The song was sent to radio stations in the United Kingdom on the week of January 19 and was digitally released there on February 21.
It was covered by the cast of the hit Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
in the first season episode "Sectionals
Sectionals
"Sectionals" is the 13th episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win...
". Their version of the song has been released as a single on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and is the final song on the soundtrack compilation Glee: The Music, Volume 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is the second soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee, featuring songs from episodes nine to thirteen of the show's first season. It was first released on December 4, 2009 in Australia by Columbia Records...
.
Music and structure
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a moderately fast pop rock songSong
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
composed in the key 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...
at 145 beats per minute. The 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:...
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...
. Clarkson's vocal range spans from A3 to E5. The instruments used in this song are synthesizers, guitars, a drum machine, and bass. The song begins with mellow guitar plucking and transcends into a melody of synthesizers, guitars, and synthesized drums. The melody then cascades into a chorus of crashing cymbals, bass, synthesizers, and loud guitars.
Reception
The song received generally positive reviews. 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...
labelled it "a propulsive blast of rock-tinged pop" and stated that "the countdown to No. 1 begins." 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....
's Bill Lamb named it "pop perfection that could easily end up one of the biggest hits of the year." 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...
called the song "fantastic — the early favorite for single of the year." and "straight-up pop [that] cascades into an avalanche of synths and a steady beat," mentioning that it "has all the characteristics of a surefire radio hit." TIME also listed "My Life Would Suck Without You" as #1 in their top 10 songs of 2009.
Brian Mansfield from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
stated that there were "disco rhythms and lots of synth-dance-pop layers over the top, but the guitar pattern... keeps it from sounding too artificial"; eventually stating that he was "liking it". 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....
said the song "zooms forward from its guitar-plucky intro toward a cymbal-crashing climax without ever slowing down", commenting that the song would be "huge"; however, it also stated that the song had "empty calories delivered within those compressed, subtly Auto-Tuned vocals [riding] high-fructose beats."
Chart performance
"My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted at #97 on 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 the week of January 29, 2009 and went to #1 in its second week, setting the record for the furthest jump to #1 in history. This makes it the second time Clarkson has set this record, after her debut single "A Moment Like This" went from #52 to #1 in 2002. "My Life Would Suck Without You" is also the only song by an Idol alum to top the Hot 100 chart that is not associated with the show. The song also advanced to #3 on Billboards Mainstream Top 40 chart, giving her her first top ten airplay hit since "Because of You
Because of You (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Because of You" is a ballad written by pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson with David Hodges and Ben Moody, and produced by Hodges and Moody, both formerly of Evanescence. It is the fourth single from Clarkson's second album, Breakaway...
". The song was dethroned from the top of the Hot 100 chart by Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "Crack a Bottle
Crack a Bottle
"Crack a Bottle" is a hip hop song by American rappers Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent from Eminem's sixth studio album Relapse. On February 12, 2009, the song broke the first week digital sales record with 418,000 downloads, topping the previous record held by "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring...
". The song has so far sold over 2,300,000 downloads in the United States.
On the 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...
, the song debuted at #82. The following week, it jumped to the top spot, breaking the record previously set by Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
with "Take a Bow
Take a Bow (Rihanna song)
"Take a Bow" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was written and produced by Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen and Shaffer Smith, under their stage names Stargate and Ne-Yo...
", which moved from #70 to #1. She held that record for 10 months, until October 2009, when Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' "3
3 (song)
"3" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, from her second greatest hits compilation The Singles Collection. It was released on September 29, 2009, as the only single of the album by Jive Records. The song was produced by long-time collaborator Max Martin and Shellback, and recorded...
" jumped from #86 to #1.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted on the Australian ARIA Charts
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 #16 and peaked at #5, and is also Clarkson's first physical number #1 single. The single debuted on the New Zealand RIANZ chart at #25 and peaked at #11.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" became Clarkson's biggest hit in Sweden (peaking at #2), Ireland (#4), and Germany (#6).
In the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, "My Life Would Suck Without You" debuted at number 26 and peaked at number 3, becoming her first top 10 hit in the Netherlands since the release of Breakaways last European single "Because of You
Because of You (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Because of You" is a ballad written by pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson with David Hodges and Ben Moody, and produced by Hodges and Moody, both formerly of Evanescence. It is the fourth single from Clarkson's second album, Breakaway...
".
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the song climbed from #103 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 ...
to #1 on March 1, 2009, becoming Clarkson's first British number-one single, selling 51,114 copies in its first week as a digital release. Despite being Clarkson's highest charting single in the UK, it's stay on the chart is considerably less than some of her other singles. With 17 weeks inside the UK charts it ranks behind her #5 hit "Since U Been Gone" at 37 weeks and her #7 hit "Because of You" at 25 weeks.
"My Life Would Suck Without You" has been certified Platinum in Australia and Canada, Gold in New Zealand, and Silver in the United Kingdom.
It made it to the 2009 Year-End Billboard Chart at #23, becoming the highest peak for a Clarkson single in the Year-End chart since "Behind These Hazel Eyes" (#10) and "Since U Been Gone" (#4) charted in 2005.
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Wayne IshamWayne Isham
Wayne Isham is an American music video director who has directed music videos of many popular artists; such as Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Roxette, Mötley Crüe, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Whitesnake, David Cook, Simple Plan, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys,...
and was shot in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in December 2008. It is now available for digital download on iTunes and is featured on the DVD of the Deluxe Edition of 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...
. A preview of the video was shown during a commercial break for American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
on its January 28, 2009 episode. The full video then premiered via AT&T's website directly after the broadcast.
The video begins with a small boy and girl playing on a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
together, teasingly pushing each other around. The young girl is intended to be Clarkson as a child, presumably with her young male best friend. The boy hands her a beaded necklace
Necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine....
, which she puts on admiringly. The shot closes in on the necklace, then pulls back to reveal it's still worn as a bracelet on the wrist of now-adult Clarkson.
Clarkson's boyfriend (played by Houston Rhines) shows up at her apartment door, presumably after an argument. Clarkson teases him with a set of keys, which she then throws down the toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
.
The two are then shown sitting on a couch, reading magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, when Clarkson grabs her boyfriend's magazine. The two are shown throwing various possessions of one another out of the apartment window, though in a playful manner. Such items include numerous articles of clothing, magazines, a guitar (which Clarkson tries to stop him throwing out), and a fishbowl
Fishbowl
A fishbowl is a container for fish. See aquarium.Fishbowl can also refer to:* A car with no window tints as to show its interior* Fishbowl , a debate format* My Fishbowl, an episode of the television show Scrubs...
(with the fish being taken out and put in a glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
first, after which they look out the window). After throwing these items out the window, the two are seen sitting affectionately on the couch. Clarkson and her boyfriend are shown still fighting and bickering as they did as children, over the TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
and remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
.
The latter portion of the video shows the two driving in a first generation Ford Bronco
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco is a sport utility vehicle that was produced from 1966 to 1996, with five distinct generations. Broncos can be divided into two categories: early Broncos and full-size Broncos ....
(with the necklace/bracelet hanging from the rear view mirror), eventually getting into an argument. Distracted by the tiff over directions, the Bronco nearly ends up in a head-on collision with an approaching car. After spinning out to avoid the crash, Clarkson simply grabs her boyfriend and pulls him into a kiss, where the video ends.
Interspersed with the storyline are performance shots of Clarkson on a swing set and band shots of Clarkson singing throughout the chorus with bright, football stadium lighting behind her. The lights fluctuate along with the song, becoming bright during certain key moments of musical crescendo and then dimming for others.
The video was nominated for a 2009 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....
Video Music Award in the category for Best Female Video.
Track listing
Digital Download- "My Life Would Suck Without You" – 3:31
CD Single
- "My Life Would Suck Without You " – 3:31
- "My Life Would Suck Without You (Instrumental Version)" – 3:33
Remixes
- Dr. Luke Remix featuring Former Fat Boy
- Friscia & Lamboy Radio Edit
- Bryan Reyes & Amy Alderman Miami Mix
- Chriss Ortega Radio Mix
- Chriss Ortega Club Mix
- DJ EarwormDJ EarwormJordan Roseman is a San Francisco/London-based mashup artist who has achieved recognition for his technically sophisticated, songwriting oriented music and video mashups...
'My Life Would Suck Without You In My Place' mashup (vs. Coldplay) - U.S. X Factor's inTENsity
Release history
| Country | Release date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | January 13, 2009 | Airplay | RCA Records |
| Europe | January 16, 2009 | Digital download | Sony Music |
| Canada | |||
| United States | RCA Records | ||
| Australia | January 19, 2009 | Sony Music | |
| February 2, 2009 | CD single | ||
| New Zealand | January 19, 2009 | Digital download | |
| Italy | January 30, 2009 | ||
| United Kingdom | February 21, 2009 | RCA Label Group (UK) | |
| March 2, 2009 | CD single | ||
| The Netherlands | February 16, 2009 | Digital download | Sony Music |
| Germany | February 27, 2009 | CD single, digital download |
Charts, certification and procession
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
Year end chart |
Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Platinum | 70,000 | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | Multi-Platinum | 80,000 | ||
| Czech Airplay Chart | 15 | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | ||
| 15 | — | — | ||
| 31 | — | — | ||
| 16 | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | Gold | 7,500 | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | ||
| 55 | — | — | ||
| 46 | Silver | 300,000` | ||
| 23 | — | 2,372,000 | ||
| — |
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
Cover versions
- "My Life Would Suck Without You" was covered in the episode "SectionalsSectionals"Sectionals" is the 13th episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win...
" of the TV series GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
in 2009. - "My Life Would Suck Without You" was covered in the seventh seriesThe X Factor (UK series 7)The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of The X FactorThe X Factor (UK)The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
by the boyband One DirectionOne DirectionOne Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...
in 2010. - "My Life Would Suck Without You" was covered in St. Mary's Halls, Twickenham by singing sensations Aislinn Kavanagh and Ciara Mernagh in 2011.