Earlier this week, the Music Mix expressed the opinion that Kelly Clarkson might have been over-reacting just a teensy bit when she alleged that co-writer/producer Ryan Tedder had ripped off his own work on Beyonce’s “Halo” for her new single “Already Gone.” Now Tedder has issued a statement in response to Clarkson’s remarks, and guess what: He thinks she’s off-base, too.
Tedder’s statement reads in full (all spelling and punctuation left unchanged): “‘Already Gone’ is one of the best songs I’ve written or produced since ‘Bleeding Love’ and stands tall on it’s own merits apart from ‘Halo.’ They are two entirely different songs conceptually, melodically, & lyrically and I would never try to dupe an artist such as Kelly Clarkson or Beyonce into recording over the same musical track, the idea is both hurtful & absurd. I think when people hear ‘Already Gone’ they will hear what I hear — one of the greatest female vocalists on earth giving her most haunting and heart-breaking performance on a song she helped write. I challenge people to listen and form their own opinions.”
Head back to our earlier post to listen to “Halo” and “Already Gone” back-to-back and form those opinions, then let us know: Whose side are you on here? Does Tedder have a point?
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Tedder is pure BS; he’s just trying to save his own hide. Although the only similarity I notice is the intro, both songs are good but I prefer Already Gone.
When I bought Kelly’s CD and heard Already Gone for the first time, I actually started humming Halo before she began her lyrics. So, yeah, Tedder – either your creative juices weren’t flowing properly, you don’t give a crap, or you were too focused on other stuff to notice that you wrote the same backing music for two people.
Leigh-Anne, I have to agree with you on that. I had Beyonce’s CD first and then heard Kelly’s CD right when it came out and I did the exact same thing….I started singing ‘Halo’ when ‘Already Gone’ started in the intro. I have perfect pitch and I can usually spot stuff like that instantly! It’s definitely not the same track, but definitly it has some of the same sounds and beats!
Ryan Tedder should apologize for being greedy and recycling Kelly’s song to make extra bucks off beyonce!
Yeah, and “No One” by Alicia Keys and “Where Is The Love” by the Black Eyed Peas sound exactly the same, too (at least their chord progression is). No one seemed to care then, I’m guessing not many will care now.
They do sound similar and i understand why Kelly said what she did. Fans from both women, radio dj’s, news reporters, and other people in music can hear it, why can’t he? He is right about Kelly’s vocals though, They’re ama-za-zing!!! lol
I do think that Halo and Jordan Spark’s Batttlefield’s choruses sound the same to me
While I do see similarities between the songs, I don’t think there was anything malicious here. It would be quite ballsy for Tedder to give the same track to music heavyweights like Beyonce and Clarkson. He has a certain style, and since he worked with both artists around the same time, these two songs mirror each other more than some of his other work. If it’s true, however, that he worked with Clarkson first and then moved to Beyonce, I do feel sorry for Clarkson. Since the public has been saturated with “Halo” for the last six months, maybe “Already Gone” will have a shorter radio life than it should; because of “Halo,” the public will be tired of hearing “Already Gone” quickly. This would be a shame, since I personally like “Already Gone” more than “Halo.” PS–Tedder may be able to write music, but he can’t craft a sentence. His spelling/grammar is pretty bad.
Though I agree that there are a few grammatical issues, nothing in his sentence is spelled incorrectly. I suggest you consult a dictionary.
Yeah. And “Battlefield” doesnt rip off “Love is a Battlefield” Wonder when that lawsuits comin…
They do sound alike, yet for some reason I really like Already Gone and didn’t care at all for Halo, but that’s probably because I think Kelly is a far better vocalist.
Tedder has done some good stuff in the past with Leona Lewis, OneRepublic and Chris Cornell, but this was just a Freudian slip let it go, and jus walk away from it Ryan
But it’s not. A lot of his production sounds similar. Halo garnered a lot of comparisons to Bleeding love. It’s that percussion he uses. He reuses the same percussion in his music, Leona lewis’ Happy has the same drum line as Already Gone. It’s silly. He needs to be more creative.
they’re both hopeless pieces of cliched mush. that guy can’t write.
To be honest there’s always songs sounding the same recently… That being said, every time I heard this song on the dismissal on SYTYCD I would start humming Halo too. That just sucks that Kelly didn’t know about it until it was too late but both songs are great.
I still wish Kelly would learn to be a little more gracious when she broaches issues like this, though. It just makes it look like she’s always complaining about her label.
Those calling Kelly a karaoke singer or having manufactured voice have obviously never heard her sing live – come on, she won a live singing contest! She is incredible live, and outsings her album versions on a regular basis. So don’t lump Kelly in with the hack pop stars. Secondly, the point needs to be emphasized that Kelly wrote at least 60% of Already Gone, according to the song-writing credits/royalties split. If you hear differences between the songs, they probably came from Kelly’s contribution (lyrics, concept, melody). If you hear similarities they came from Tedder’s contribution (back beat, back track). So Kelly has a right to be pissed that Tedder’s portion of the song was ripped off and given to Beyonce for Halo. But I’m happy it has been released because it is a gorgeous song due to Kelly’s vocals and her songwriting.
Kelly won that live singing contest nearky 10 years ago! Have you heard her sing live lately?? She can’t hit any of those notes anymore, except when she’s in the studio. It’s a shame, but the girl sang her voice out…
i haven’t heard either song and i doubt i ever will because ALL pop music is pretty much the same! It all sounds the same and current artists are constantly stealing(or borrowing) from other artist. If beyonce or kelly clarkson had written their OWN songs this wouldn’t have been a problem but since everyone needs a writer this is the crap that you get!
Pop singers worried about their individuality should probably write their own songs.
These are both good tracks and different enough, but I can see why Kelly’s irked.
Kelly’s comments were a response to criticism that the two songs were so much alike. Now she’s getting the heat she knew was coming the first time she heard Halo. This girl can’t win. Shame on you EW.
“Dave Rawkblog
Pop singers worried about their individuality should probably write their own songs”
She did just that with her album “My December” and was crucified by her label. She just can’t win. I love you Kelly!!
Kelly Clarkson is a glorified karaoke singer.
If she’s worried about sounding original, she should write her own music.
not ever writer is a good singer, and vice versa. Plus its not the writing of the words thats in question, its the music. the tracks are completely different only the drums of the backing track is the same.
I can see the similarity between the two songs and understand what Kelly is talking about.
Nice try Ryan. They are essentially the same song. Listening to them at the exact same time confirms this, unless your tone deaf. Personally, I prefer the arrangement of Already Gone over Halo. The question really becomes which song was written and recorded first?
I love Kelly Clarkson. I always have, ever since “Natural Woman” on American Idol. But home girl needs to stop. talking. I own all four albums and will continue to buy them, but seriously dude, STOP TALKING. Love the song, I don’t really care that the production is Ryan Tedder’s. Melodically and vocally one of her most breathtaking, complaining about it just taints a beautiful moment.
I can definitely hear the similarities between the two songs, however, when I first heard “Halo” I thought it was “No Air” by Jordin Sparks. Pop music is all sounding the same these days.
Maybe it’s hard for the writer to hear, but they sound like the same song to me.
Good try Ryan but anyone with ears can tell their the same. He is an *** for giving them both the same track and the people at Kelly’s record label are even bigger ***es for making it into a single when she didn’t want it to be.
Anytime her record label gets involved they **** things up….Just let the girl do her thing already! Shes good at what she does!
Lyrically Kelly wins, Already Gone is beautifully written…I like the way it sounded when she was on Letterman.
THERE IS A LOT OF SIMILARITY BETWEEN 4 SONGS THAT RYAN TEDDER PRODUCED…
HALO – BEYONCE
ALREADY GONE – KELLY CLARKSON
BATTLEFIELD – JORDIN SPARKS
AND HIS OWN
GRAVITY – RYAN TEDDER
LET’S JUST FACE IT, THE GUY JUST ISNT VERY ORIGINAL !!!
Wait, that’s the song on SYTYCD? Wow I always thought it was the Halo song. That’s crazy.
whatever…if you can’t tell the difference between the songs then you are a f**in idiot! Yeah the music is similar…but the voices and lyrics are much different. Already Gone is slowed down and Halo is a little bit faster and the chorus is repetitive. They are both good songs and this issue is ridiculous. Seeing as the majority of songs these days are samples of older songs from older generations. People are making money of from other people’s work and the youth is buying into it not realizing that there isn’t much originality. Now…because two songs with similar background music were released in the same year people are making a huge fuss. Such morons in this country!
Well, actually both songs have been on SYTYCD this season. Evan and Randi danced to Halo, but the the female outser song (played every Thrusday) is Already Gone.
Beyonce is overrated – take away her looks, dancing, and artificial electronic tinkering and you have a subpar singer – An under the radar singer (possibly the best around) is Renee olstead – hear her Summertime or Skylark – that is the sound of true talent period.
Absolutely agree Beyonce and Kelly are products of a corporation – Renee Olstead has actual talent – watch Kelly and Beyonce will be forgotten when the next corporate doll comes who barely sing happy birthday comes along but looks great dancing and has aspirations of an acting career
Cannot disagree more. On her album, there is obviously a great deal of production that goes into every song. Ever seen Beyone live? That should make you stop your ridiculous ranting. Her voice is flawless, powerful, and true talent – period.
For the person criticizing Beyonce’s voice, please buy a cheap ticket to attend one of her concerts. I am almost 100% sure that your opinion of her talents will change. Her recordings don’t do her justice. The girl is one of the greatest performers of all time.
I’ve seen her live. Not impressed.
I have to agree….beyonce has something special, i wasnt a fan of beyonce but i took my little sister to the concert and although her music isnt really my type. she is really a great performer, her voice always catches your attention in a good way, i very much enjoyed myself and i will be going to her next one. u know u have to be a heartless asshole if u think that kelly or beyonce is not good performers (KP).lol
People are turning this into such a big deal. I have like and respected Ryan Tedder every since I hear his song from his his own band OneRepublic and when I found out the he wrote Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love.” The man is extremely talented and it is evident through the fact that so any artist want to work with him. Many artists and producers use the same beats and sounds when they produce different artists..hello Timberland!! He has the same beats and sounds and sometimes backdrops in a lot of the songs he does. People need to take a chill pill..he did not rip off any artist, if they are concerned about sounding like anyone else them write your own songs!! I like kelly Clarksons CD and actually the only reason I bought it is because I found out that Ryan Tedder produced and wrote like 4 songs on it. My favorite is “Tip of my Tongue,” produced by Ryan Tedder, it has some beats that he used in his own band. This can be a single in my opinion.
i think the correct word would be co-writer. Kelly wrote several songs with Ryan Tedder on the album, but he did not write them himself.
Mark Kelly is no karaoke singer, guess you won’t deny how amazingly talented she is and guess you missed her Letterman appearance the other day. And she does write her own music, she has ever since her first album Thankful and she started writing songs since she was thirteen, how did you never hear that she wrote “Because of You” at age 16 because that mentioned I don’t know how many times when BOY was released. Shows that the girl has a gift at songwriting just like singing. Also she wrote or co-wrote all 13 tracks and the hidden track on her third record My December, which she wrote about 60 songs for My December but had to pick 13 of them. Kelly also wrote “Already Gone” with Tedder and before he worked with any other artist and she wrote 60% of that song and so since Tedder gave “Halo” the same track as “Already Gone” Kelly should get some writing credits on Halo. Since he did this behind her back and her finding out when her album was print and she couldn’t do anything about it so if I was her I would be pissed to. Now both songs are great, and both Beyonce and KC are great vocalists, but “Already Gone” is the better song, it has more meaning to it and more people can relate to.
Both bad singers