Already Gone vs. Halo - Did Kelly overreact?

[SoldierofLove]

Kelly dragging Ryan Tedder over Already Gone sounding like Halo:

 

Quote

"Ryan and I met each other at the record label, before he was working with anyone else," Clarkson begins, gritting her teeth.

 

"He's from Oklahoma, I'm from Texas; we got along really well and had some of the same influences. We wrote about six songs together, four or five of them made the album. It was all fine and dandy. I'd never heard of a song called Halo. Her album came out when my album was already being printed. No-one's gonna be sittin' at home, thinking 'Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyonce and Kelly the same track to write to.' No, they're just gonna be saying Iripped someone off. I called Ryan and said, 'I don't understand. Why would you do that?'"

 

The palpably frustrated Clarkson claims she "fought and fought" to try and prevent her label from releasing Already Gone as her third single, out of respect for Beyonce.

 

"In the end, they're releasing it without my consent," she sighs. "It sucks, but it's one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It's kind of a shitty situation, but.… You know, you learn."

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.826468

Ryan's response:

 

Quote

"'Already Gone' is one of the best song I've written or produced since [Leona Lewis'] 'Bleeding Love' and stands tall on its own merits apart from 'Halo,' " Tedder wrote, adding, "I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyoncé into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful & absurd."

 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/clarkson-beyonce-song-similarity-dust-up-draws-tedder-reaction-116911/

I was just listening to Already Gone for the first time in a long time, and while I do hear the similarities, it's a great song. I think Kelly was too harsh. 

[Cardcaptor Sakura]

There's definitely similarity. 

I like Already Gone better tho. 

[CherryBay]

Jealousy over one being successful and the other wasn't 

[Bethenny Frankel]

Already Gone is better though so Kelly won in the end

[yonsé]

12 minutes ago, Bethenny Frankel said:

Already Gone is better though so Kelly won in the end

exactly 

 

i HATE halo

Edited 3 hours ago by yonsé

[Doctor Dick]

I prefer Already Gone as I think Halo is overplayed but they do sound similar and Ryan clearly rehashed one to make the other. 

[Bussea]

Already Gone was always the better song to me. I never cared too much for Halo

[ronelmaano13]

"The palpably frustrated Clarkson claims she "fought and fought" to try and prevent her label from releasing Already Gone as her third single, out of respect for Beyonce."

 

I love the fact that she never came for Beyonce. And yes, Already Gone and Halo sounds similar. If you don't hear it, it's a you problem.

[Ger]

Not really, I understand her pov, deep down it has more to do with the lack of control over her album campaign. Moreover, the songs sounds super alike. AG the better btw.

[Princess Aurora]

The way she dragged Ryan 

[Titanbaddie]

The better song won in the end. 

[kellebrity98]

it's giving U+Ur Hand and 4ever situation 

Edited 2 hours ago by kellebrity98

[blown away]

The production definitely has similarities, I understand why she wasn't happy about it.

[Assassin]

The first time I am listening to Already Gone and the intro music of both songs are nearly identical. Ryan Tedder really did copy/paste.

[BraveNewSeth]

Kelly is one of those artists I feel really bad for. The lack of control she had over her first few albums (and the sabotage that My December received) must've been insanely frustrating. I'm glad she found her lane with talk show hosting, she seems so incredibly happy nowadays. 

[JoeAg]

I love both artists so much, but Already Gone has always, ALWAYS, been the better song. better melody, better lyrics, far better and more timeless production, and the whole arrangement of the song with that post-chorus repeated at the end is just *chef's kiss* from a songwriter perspective!

 

love Kelly, and I think she absolutely overreacted, but at the same time! the Beyhive has had a reputation of sometimes being a bit dramatic (especially in the late 2010s, so actually way after this whole thing) so I understand that it was a fair concern on Kelly's part. but yes, tl;dr she overreacted a bit!

 

also btw check out my cover of this song I shadily made last year right after my ex boyfriend and I broke up 

[Bloo]

I like both songs, but I much prefer Already Gone to Halo.

 

However, to answer the OP's question, Kelly did not overreact. We have ears. The songs clearly have recycled production between them. The order of which song was made first does not really matter. Ryan recycled musical stylings in a way that was impossible to ignore. It's a shame, really, because nothing about the songs sound similar aside from the production at the start of both songs. The melodies, narratives, and lyrical structure of both songs sound so different that you would not think they're related if you heard them a cappella. Ryan being unable to own up to this flub on his part is slimy, in my opinion.

 

Kudos to Kelly for never going after Beyoncé over this whole thing, though. She aimed her mire at the right target and never dredged out this drama much further (aside from a fun joke on tour and a leaked demo where she shades the hell out of Ryan).  

[ChooseyLover]

No, she didn't overreact. And yes, Already Gone is the better song by miles.  Halo is not that good but Beyoncé's vocal performance was immaculate and the GP ate it up.

[JustHoran]

Already Gone is way better and aged better IMO!

[ICLDXU4HS]

I find it very strange so many say they prefer AG.

 

I don't personally care that much about Halo, but I think it's obvious why it was a hit and the GP uses it to this day. Halo would have been a hit for Kelly too, while AG would be equally forgotten if recorded by Beyoncé. 

[Johnny Jacobs]

They're similar. Not the same track. He gave her a great song. She should stfu and stop being dramatic. 

[Johnny Jacobs]

2 hours ago, SoldierofLove said:

try and prevent her label from releasing Already Gone as her third single, out of respect for Beyonce.

They are all so scared of her it's insane.  what is happening