Kelly Clarkson's New Single "My Life Would Suck Without You" Hits Radio January 19th

12/22/08, 3:45 pm EST

Kelly Clarkson will reportedly return January 19th when "My Life Would Suck Without You," the first single from her upcoming fourth album, hits radio. Rolling Stonegot an early listen to a few tunes from the still-untitled disc (expected out March 17th) and can report they are, in two words, totally awesome. Reports that Clarkson was making a country record were incorrect - the new album is stocked with primo pop hits reminiscent of Breakaway.

Clarkson left fans a video message (above) where she announces a Website change (she's ditching kellyclarksonweb.com for kellyofficial.com). She also established a voice mailbox where fans can call in for updates on all things Kelly. Clarkson previously posted in late October that she had finished recording her new album, the former American Idol winner's first since 2007's My December.
Daniel Kreps

^its a rumored promo cover

Kelly Clarkson's new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," will hit U.S. radio outlets Jan. 19. The track will introduce her fourth, as-yet-untitled studio album, due March 17 from RCA.

Although a track list has yet to be announced, Clarkson has worked with producer/songwriter Dr. Luke and OneRepublic leader Ryan Tedder on new material.

According to Mikal, radio stations in the US are going to play the single tomorrow. Heres hoping

This sleeve - for Kelly Clarkson's comeback single, 'My Life Would Suck Without You' - has been raising eyebrows over the last few days. 'My Life...' is the lead single from new album, but what does the sleeve mean, and what does it help us to deduce about the song itself? The last album 'My December' was all moody and teenage and emo and nobody bought it, so does this 'My Life Would Suck Without You' imagery suggest a complete u-turn?

Here are the options.

0. Non-Bluff
It is a pop sleeve for a pop-titled single because it's a 'pop' song. The sleeve is sort of subversive because it's tacky and over the top which means that Kelly is perhaps sending a message to her fans about how she feels re this new (ie old) direction.

1. Bluff
It's NOT a pop song and is in fact even more of a substandard Evanescence fiasco than 'My December'.

2. Double Bluff
They want you to think they're trying to trick you into thinking it's an ironic sleeve and that it's a rock single when in fact it is pop.

3. Double Double Bluff
They know you're going to expect that it's a pop single pretending to be a rock single playing on the iconography of a pop single, and it is in fact a rock single.

4. Double Double Double Bluff
The fact that it's a rock single pretending to be a pop single dressed as a rock single in the guise of a pop single is too obvious - it is, in fact, a pop single.

5. Frank Bough.
It is probably not Frank Bough.

Anyway it'll probably leak in some sort of low-quality US radio rip type format pretty soon, so there's not long to wait until the dramatic truth is unveiled. In the meantime here are some details on the album - apparently it includes a couple of Katy Perry songs, including 'Long Shot'.


Look love, all we want is another 'Since U Been Gone'. Sort it out.

As our Twitter followers already know, we went to Sony HQ earlier today. Our mission was to have a little listen to the new Kelly Clarkson single, 'My Life Would Suck Without You'.

What's it like? Well, you cannot escape the fact that the intro is so similar to 'Since U Been Gone' you will probably think you are indeed listening to 'Since U Been Gone'. Lyrically the song does actually lend itself to thoughts of being a sort of 'Since U Been Gone Part Two' and one could, at a push, see it picking up that song's story four years on with Kelly realising that despite the earlier song's defiant howl of independence she does, in fact, want her ex back. 'My Life Would Suck Without You' is about the fella returning tail between legs ("guess this means you take back what you said before, like how much you wanted anyone but me") and a relationship starting up again and being quite jolly in spite of all the previous nonsense.

The chorus goes "we belong together now, forever united here somehow, you got a piece of me and honestly my life would suck without you". Except it's not just "my life would suck without you", it's "my life (MY LIFE!) would suck (WOULD SUCK!) without you". "I know that I've got issues but you're pretty messed up too" is another good line; we also like the middle eight bit with "being with you is so dysfunctional, I really shouldn't miss you, but I can't let you go".

It is structured like this:

1. Long intro with 'Since U Been Gone' guitary noise.

2. Vocal joins guitary nose with drumbeat.

3. Song explodes into chorus.

4. Song pulls back into second verse.

5. Chorus

6. Middle eight: everything drops out, 'Since U Been Gone' guitar noise starts up underneath vocal, drumbeats and Since U Been Gone guitar noise lead into big whooshing noise into...

7. Chorus which leads to hilarious 80s rolling synth drumfill thing (we don't know what it is but you'll know what we mean when you hear it) which leads to...

8. Final chorus, sudden end, guitar noise, 'fin'.

There is no bridge. NO BRIDGE! Production is halfway between 'Since U Been Gone' and Pink's 'So What', with some drum machines chucked in. The song is three minutes and thirty two seconds long - only two seconds away from the Optimum Pop Duration - and comes in at about 145bpm. This BPM means that nightclub rotation will inspire more in the way of hands in the air/pointing/shouting than proper dancing. The song is better than anything Kelly did before 'Since U Been Gone' and it's also better than anything she's done since 'Since U Been Gone', so it should keep people happy. It is a pop song.