Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

Writing and production

Originally titled as "What Doesn't Kill You", "Stronger" was written by Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, David Gamson, and Greg Kurstin in September 2010. In an interview with American Songwriter, Tamposi revealed that the song was inspired by the Friedrich Nietzsche adage ("That which does not kill us makes us stronger") that her mother told her as advice. Although Tamposi found the phrase as saccharine, she submitted it as an idea to Elofsson and Gamson during their writing sessions. Elofsson originally intended "Stronger" for Leona Lewis, who turned it down in the process. Tamposi's manager, Tom Maffei, then had one of his producers, Matty Trump, to produce a demo track later to be pitched to RCA A&R executive Jeff Aldrich, who later gave the song to Clarkson. Tamposi revealed that Clarkson had also altered a lyric from the track. Aldrich had then commissioned Greg Kurstin, whom Clarkson wanted to collaborate with, to produce and add additional writing to the final version. Kurstin recalled, "I rethought the music part of it, I guess. It had a different tempo, beat, chords, and I kinda just came up with that guitar riff that goes into the verse, and that was the first thing that I kinda contributed just changed the feel of the song." The song's uplifting theme of empowerment led Clarkson to name her fifth studio album Stronger. saying that it is one of her favorite songs in the album, she said, "Everybody loves the message 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' It's a perfect representation of my life."

Composition

"Stronger" is a pop rock song with a length of three minutes and 41 seconds. According to the sheet music published by Hal Leonard Corporation, it is set in a common time and has a moderately fast tempo of 116 beats per minute. Written in the key of A minor, it follows the chord progression Am–F–C-G/B. Clarkson's vocals span two octaves, from G₃ to G₅. The song begins with a "rumbling guitar" and a "shimmering synth" riff as Clarkson sings the opening line "You know the bed feels warmer / Sleeping here alone." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard noted that the guitar riff in the verses is reminiscent of Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" which narrates an anthem of personal reinvention, and dancing. The bridges contain pulsating beats with synth and electric guitar that display some elements of electronic sound. During chorus, the song explodes into an upbeat dance-pop number, complete with guitars and electronic drums as Clarkson sings "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger / Stand a little taller / Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone." Jonathan Keefe of Slant felt nobody else could sell the song's "ginormous chorus" better than Clarkson. Lyrically, "Stronger" explores the theme of moving on from an inimical relationship. In an interview, Clarkson remarked that the song doesn't refer to a specific person, stating "I didn't have a bad breakup or anything, I just think life is about relationships so I always write all about these different ones going on in my life. And I don't have a filter, so it's pretty verbatim." Jason Scott of Blogcritics felt that out of all tracks in Stronger, Clarkson's vocals are best and trendiest in "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)".

In an interview with MTV News prior to the song's release, Clarkson compared "Stronger" as similar to "Since U Been Gone" (2004). She commented, "We've already rehearsed it, and it's so much fun. It's like this big dance anthem. That'll be the one [that's] kinda like "Since U Been Gone", [with] people jumping up and down to [it], and it's just kind of really inspiring, so I can't wait to perform that one."

Release and reception

After returning from a vacation on Tahiti, Clarkson found out over 50 of her newly recorded demo material were leaked online, including "Stronger". She commented that the leak felt worse than being physically robbed. In an attempt to counter-attack the leakage, RCA finally debuted the song online on October 5, 2011, three weeks ahead of the album's release. An acoustic version of the song appears in Clarkson's second extended play, iTunes Session. "Stronger" was officially released as the album's second single to mainstream radio on January 17, 2012. A dance remixes of the song were made available on February 3, 2012. On February 17, 2012, it was released as a CD single.

Critical response

Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy compared it to "Since U Been Gone," which has "a super radio-friendly hook." Elizabeth Lancaster of MTV Newsroom listed it as one of five key tracks in Stronger, writing "Upbeat yet soulful, the chorus will drag you up and onto the floor to dance the heartache away alongside her." Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly thought that the song's "belty pop/rock wheelhouse" should please fans of the sound. He later added that "Clarkson might have been better off releasing "What Doesn’t Kill You" as the first track from Stronger." Another positive reception came from Glenn Gamboa of Newsday, who praised Clarkson for "infusing her tales of empowerment after a breakup with her unique combo of vulnerability and sass." Jonathan Keefe of Slant thought that the song is "tailor-made for radio play" and that "the chilly electro-pop that Greg Kurstin brings to the verses, suggests a top forty version of Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend" (2010). On March 5, 2013 Billboard ranked the song number 2 in its list of "Top 100 American Idol Hits of All Time".

Chris Willman of Reuters criticized the lyrics, commenting that "Never mind how tired that tune's titular phrase is. For a laugh, look up the YouTube video in which some wag mashed together a medley of 30 different songs that already borrowed "That which does not kill me makes me stronger" as a lyrical hook." Kevin Ritchie from Now Magazine emphasized that the lyrics are "about as clichéd as a mission statement can get, but it also makes for a solid pop song." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song four stars out of five, writing "The message behind her song may already be a well-worn, almost cliched lesson, but as she continues to prove, there's little shame in coming out with the expected."

Commercial performance

In the United States, "Stronger" topped sixteen Billboard charts, marking career highs for Clarkson. Boosted by digital sales following the release of Stronger, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as an album cut at number 64 on the week ending October 30, 2011. It dropped out following week before returning at number 99 on week ending November 20, 2011. Following its release as a single, "Stronger" re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number 58 after Clarkson performed it on Saturday Night Live on the week ending January 21, 2012. On the week ending January 28, 2012, the song climbed to number 21, as well as debuting at number 38 on Adult Pop Songs. The following week, it became her tenth top ten song on the Hot 100 chart as it advanced to number 8 due to the strength of a number 11 to number 3 jump on Hot Digital Songs and vault on Hot 100 Airplay from number 71 to number 44. With "Mr. Know It All" (2011) having peaked at number 10 on the Hot 100, "Stronger"'s ascent to number 8 marked the first time Clarkson has had a string of consecutive top ten hits since 2004–2005, when she had four consecutive top-ten hits from her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). That same week, it debuted at number 30 on Pop Songs and at number 40 on Hot Dance Club Songs. On the week ending February 11, "Stronger" bounded from number 8 to number 2 on the Hot 100 as it topped the Hot Digital Songs chart fueled by 225,000 downloads, becoming her second song to top the Hot Digital Songs after "My Life Would Suck Without You" (2009). The following week, it ascended to the top of the Hot 100, becoming her third number 1 single in the country after "A Moment Like This" and "My Life Would Suck Without You". It held the top spot for another week, before descending to number 4 on the week ending March 3, 2012. That same week, it became her first song to top the Hot Dance Club Songs, making Clarkson only first artist ever to have topped the Hot 100 and each of the Hot Dance Club Songs, Hot Country Songs, Adult Contemporary, and Adult Pop Songs charts. The week after, It returned to number 1 on the Hot 100 for the third time, thus becoming her longest-reigning number 1 single in the United States. On the week ending March 24, 2012, "Stronger" became Clarkson's fourth song to top the Pop Songs chart and her first in six years. It also became her first song to top the Hot 100 Airplay on the week ending April 7, 2012, her fourth song to top the Adult Pop Songs on the week ending March 10, 2012, and her second song to top the Adult Contemporary chart on the week ending June 16, 2012. In its 2012 Year-End issue, Billboard ranked "Stronger" number 7 on the Year-End Hot 100, marking the first time Clarkson has had a Year-End top ten single on the chart in seven years since "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" (2005). Billboard also ranked it as number 1 on Year-End Adult Contemporary, number 2 on the Year-End Adult Pop Songs, number 11 on the Year-End Pop Songs, and number 35 on the Year-End Hot Dance Club Songs charts.

"Stronger" also outpaced its predecessor "Mr. Know It All" in the international charts except in Australia, Germany, Japan, Scotland, and South Korea. It topped the national charts of Poland and Slovakia and became her biggest hit in over 18 other countries, including Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Portugal, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. "Stronger" is also her first single to enter the national charts of Finland, Brazil, Iceland, Lebanon, Mexico, Portugal, and Romania. In Canada, it debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 64 on the week ending November 12, 2011, eventually peaking at number 3. In the United Kingdom, debuted on the Official UK Charts at number 21 on the week ending January 14, 2012, eventually peaking at number 8 for three non-consecutive weeks as her eighth career top ten single. The song performed better in Scotland, where it attained a peak of number 5. In Ireland, the song debuted at 40 on January 19, 2012 and ascended to number four. In Denmark, after debuting at number 11 on the Danish Singles Chart on the week ending January 20, 2012, it attained a top ten position at number 8 after two weeks. In France, the song debuted at number 187 and peaked at number 26, becoming her first song to chart in six years since "Because of You" (2006). In the Netherlands, the song debuted on the Single Top 100 at number 96 on the week ending January 7, 2012, and peaked at number 59. In Austria, it entered the Ö3 Austria Top 40 at number 27 and peaked at number 6. In Belgium, it attained a position on Ultratop 50 in Flanders at number 25, but failed to enter the Ultratop 50 in Wallonia by reaching only the top of the Walloon Ultratip chart. Elsewhere in Europe, it attained a top ten position in Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, and Finland; and a top forty position in Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden. In Australia, it peaked in the Australian Singles Chart at number 18. In New Zealand, it peaked on the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 4.

"Stronger" also marked career-highs in Clarkson's commercial performance. It became her first song to cross the 3 and 4 million marks in digital downloads, becoming her best-selling single in the United States and the United Kingdom. As of March 3, 2013, "Stronger" had sold over 4,533,000 copies in the United States,. In the United Kingdom is sold over 546,000 copies as of April 24, 2016. The song sold over 5 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Award nominations

"Stronger" has been recognized with accolades from the music press. Entertainment Weekly ranked the song as the tenth best single of 2011. In December 2012, Popjustice ranked "Stronger" at number 1 on their "Top 45 Singles of 2012" list, stating that "this song is timeless in its amazingness" and claiming that no one "but Kelly Clarkson who could have pulled off this tune." The song's music video was nominated for Best International Artist Video at the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards. At the 2012 Teen Choice Awards, the song received two nominations, Choice Single by a Female Artist and Choice Break-Up Song. "Stronger" received three Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th ceremony.

Concept and synopsis

On November 21, 2011, Clarkson announced on her website that she wanted to incorporate a global flash mob into the accompanying music video of "Stronger". She posted,

I'm shooting my video for "What Doesn't Kill You" and I'd like everyone to join me in my global flash mob! Check out the routine in the video below. Learn it with me and get your cameras ready to record you and your friends rocking these moves in a unique location that shows where you are in the world. Submit your clip using the form below and maybe you'll see it in my music video!! I can't wait to see your submissions. Remember to be creative, but keep it safe and legal! Thanks for participating!

The music video premiered on VEVO on December 14, 2011. Directed by Shane Drake, the video begins with Clarkson in a video control room, watching select flash mob videos submitted by various participants in different monitors. Throughout the video, scenes of Clarkson performing the song in three different settings (alone in a stage, with her band in a garden square, and in the control room) alternate with various flash mob videos. Towards the end of the video, Clarkson, along with the people in the garden square, forms a flash mob featuring a same choreography.

Reception

Critical reception towards the accompanying music video was positive. Prior to its release, Jenna Halley Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy predicted that the video would depict women who triumphed over broken relationships as a homage to self-sufficiency. However, she praised the different treatment of the video, complimenting the synchronized dancing and thought that Clarkson kept it classy. Leah Collins of The Vancouver Sun interpreted that the video depicts Clarkson developing a sense of strength and endurance as well as an ability to lead a large-scale dance routine after surviving a trauma. Erin Strecker of Entertainment Weekly enjoyed Clarkson's goofy expressions and perceived the video as "Since U Been Gone" round two. Rand Duren of The Dallas Morning News also reiterated that the music video is a reminiscent of "Since U Been Gone" and that it was great seeing more dancing and movement from Clarkson. Contessa Gayles of AOL.com described the song as "powerful" and "uplifting" and she believed that the music video did the song justice. Trent Maynard of 4Music had a positive response towards the video and deemed Clarkson's look as properly fit in the video. He concluded his review writing, "Nobody has a sense of humor quite like the original American Idol. Oh Kelly, you're the best." The same opinion was echoed by Robbie Daw of Idolator who thought the video was fun especially "when Kelly herself joins the giant mob at the very end." He also stated that his personal favorite clip in the video was "the girls who do the moves underwater with fish swimming all around them." The video placed fourth for VH1's Top 20 Videos of the Year for 2012.

Live performances

Clarkson first performed "Stronger" in live concerts, she first performed it in a Sony-sponsored concert held at The Troubador in Los Angeles on October 19, 2011. On November 9, 2011, she performed the song at Z100's annual Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden. She also performed an acoustic version the song on the VH1 Unplugged: Kelly Clarkson special which premiered on VH1 on November 18, 2011. "Stronger" has been performed prominently in her fourth headlining tour, the Stronger Tour.

Clarkson also promoted "Stronger" in live television events, the first live televised performance of the song was on November 23, 2011, during The X Factor (U.S.) results show. On December 18, 2011, she performed the song on VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul television special. On January 7, 2012, she performed it along with "Mr. Know It All" on the 37th season of Saturday Night Live. On June 6, 2012, Clarkson performed it on the British television series This Morning. Clarkson also performed a medley of the "Stronger" with the succeeding single "Dark Side" on various television events, such as at the season finale of the fourteenth season of Dancing with the Stars on May 22, 2012, and at the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 17, 2012.

Usage in media

"Stronger" was also used in various forms of media. It was used in a 2011 Toyota Camry advertisement which stars Clarkson singing the song with her co-stars Chris Berman, Andrew Zimmern, and James Lipton. Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, and Heather Morris performed the song on the season three episode of Glee titled "On My Way", which aired on February 21, 2012. Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal described the trio's performance as "fine, fierce and fabulous." Their version of "Stronger" debuted on the Hot 100 at number 66 on the week ending March 3, 2012 as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)". The song was featured in Suburgatory and was used in advertisements promoting the second season of the USA Network series Fairly Legal. It was also featured in a playable piece in the Harmonix video game Rock Band Blitz, Rock Band 3 and Dance Central 3. On May 6, 2012, a video of some of the patients and hospital staff of Seattle Children's hematology oncology unit dancing to the song were uploaded in YouTube to represent their fight against cancer. The video became a viral hit and has been featured by Time and CBS News. On February 26, 2012, Chemmy Alcott and Sean Rice skated to the song on Dancing on Ice.[116] Maria Menounos and Derek Hough danced to the song in the fourteenth season of Dancing with the Stars.[117]. The instrumental version has been used as background music to the promotion and the opening theme to the 2013 MDA Show of Strength telethon.

Cover versions

"Stronger" has also been performed by contestants of various televised competition programs. On February 21, 2012, It was covered on Glee by Amber Riley , Heather Morris and Naya Rivera for the Regionals episode titled "On My Way". On March 22, 2012, it was first performed by Diandra Flores on the sixth season of the Finnish television series Idols. On April 11, 2012, it was covered by Hollie Cavanagh, Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez in the eleventh season of American Idol. On May 12, 2012, it was performed by Joelle Moses after will.i.am's recommendation on the first series of The Voice UK.

Clarkson also performed the song with Jordan Meredith on the television series Duets, where she is also a mentor. On March 16, 2012, the song was performed by various participants during the season finale of the fifth season of the Danish television series X Factor. On November 8, 2012, the song was performed by Team Adam and Team Blake on the third season of The Voice. On November 28, 2012, the girl-group Fifth Harmony performed the song on the second season of The X Factor. On October 28, 2013, Tessanne Chin covered the song on Season 5 of NBC's singing competition, The Voice for her performance in the Knockout round vs. Ashley DuBose (who performed "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train).

Involvement in Kanye West's copyright lawsuit

In 2010, musician Vincent Peters filed a copyright infringement suit against recording artist Kanye West over the similarities between West's song "Stronger" (2007), Peter's demo song "Stronger" (2006) which he sent to John Monopoly, West's associate. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the case in West's favor, citing both the epigram by Nietzsche from his book Twilight of the Idols (1889) and Clarkson's song "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Stronger liner notes.