No one knows Kelly Clarkson’s songs better than Kelly Clarkson. So when she was challenged to sing one of her songs on “The Tonight Show” with a major twist, no way could she turn it down.
Scheduled to be a future judge on “The Voice,” Clarkson became a household name in 2002 when she won the first season of “American Idol.” Since then, she has sold millions of albums, won three Grammys and is now a mother to children River Rose and Remington Alexander, as well a stepmother to her husband Brandon Blackstock’s two children.
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And now, Clarkson once again proved she’s worthy of the “American Idol” crown in a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show,” when host Jimmy Fallon handed her a microphone and asked her to sing her hit song “Since U Been Gone”—but do it backwards.
Fallon first threw back to 2002 and sang “A Moment Like This,” which Clarkson sang when she won “American Idol.” Then the host remarked that Clarkson has probably performed her songs a thousand times and knows them backwards and forwards, leading her to jokingly reply, “I’m a professional.” And with that, the challenge was on.
But first, here’s the original version of “Since U Been Gone” so you can compare:
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Clarkson was “absolutely” down for the challenge of singing backwards, although she admits she’s never quite done it before. “I don’t just sit in my room and go, ‘I wonder what this would sound like backwards,’” she said.
The new version of her song, titled “Gone U Been Since,” is not quite as catchy and pretty hard to keep up with, but feel free to sing along. Here’s some new lyrics to help you out:
“Gone been u since/time first the for breathe can I/on moving so I’m/yeah, yeah/you to thanks/want I what, get I now/gone been u since.”
And don’t worry, Clarkson can’t keep up either.
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As you can see, Clarkson nailed the “yeah, yeah” part—since that’s the same backwards and forwards—but had a little trouble with the rest. Winning “American Idol” looks like a breeze compared to this!
Later in the show, Clarkson returned to perform “Whole Lotta Woman,” a song off her new album, “Meaning of Life.” This time, she sang it the correct order and, of course, it sounds amazing.
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You can catch Clarkson, as well as other “American Idol” winner Jennifer Hudson, on NBC’s “The Voice” in February 2018.