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The mystery of how 'American Idol' found the legendary Kelly Clarkson on its first try

One of the best singers of all time was just a needle in a haystack.

Photos: Public Domain

Kelly Clarkson has come a long way since her American Idol days.

Kelly Clarkson can literally sing anything. That's simply undisputed fact at this point, as the Pop Princess continues to wow the world on pretty much a weekly basis with her powerful vocals. The woman takes hard songs, makes them harder to sing, and then knocks them out of the park every time. She's more than earned her rank among the world's greatest singers, which is remarkable considering how she initially rose to fame.

Some of us are old enough to remember seeing Kelly Clarkson for the first time 24 years ago, when she was just a 20-year-old aspiring singer and cocktail waitress auditioning for a new TV show in a dress she made herself. American Idol promised to find America's best singer from among the masses, but surely the likelihood of that really happening was slim, right? It's funny now to look back and recall how that first season of American Idol went down. Obviously, people know Kelly Clarkson won, but what people might not know or remember is that she didn't really stand out among the competition at the very beginning.

- YouTube youtu.be

She was a very good singer, don't get me wrong. But she wasn't as polished as she is now and there were other good singers (shout out to Tamyra Gray) and performers with a certain "X factor" (hello, Justin Guarini) in that first season that made the show genuinely competitive. As executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told Billboard, Kelly Clarkson didn't really stand out until the top 10 started competing.

“Justin Guarini and Tamyra Gray—we all said right from the beginning—those two. Tamyra was going to win,” said Lythgoe. “Kelly didn’t come through. The only thing that stood out was her humor. It was only when we got into the top 10 that all of a sudden, [when Kelly sang] people would stand there open-mouthed.”

What did stand out was Clarkson's personality. She was funny, likeable, and down-to-earth with a charming Texas twang in her speech. But her voice began to shine more and more as she sang songs that showcased her powerhouse soprano range. We watched her get better and better every week until the top three when it became clear she was going to win the whole thing. Even when she was suffering from laryngitis and could barely talk, she knocked Celine Dion's "I Surrender" out of the park to make it to the top three.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

It's wild to look back now and realize we were literally watching a star be born. But of course, the show was brand new. No one knew whether winning American Idol would really make someone a star with staying power. As we've seen in the decades since, it's not a guarantee. Not even close.

Yet here we are, still marveling at Kelly Clarkson's voice that somehow still keeps getting better and better. With a discography of some 550 songs in addition to countless live performances and her popular "Kellyoke" covers that put every karaoke enthusiast to shame, she's proven she can sing anything. She's sung some of the most iconic and challenging songs like they were nothing.

Watch her hit—and sometimes exceed—other artists' famous high notes for nine minutes straight (or at least skip to minute 8:35 to see how she out-high-notes Celine Dion in "All By Myself"):

- YouTube www.youtube.com

One thing hasn't changed, despite nearly two and a half decades of fame and some very public personal struggles—Clarkson is still the funny, loveable girl with the slight southern accent who makes people feel right at home in her presence. There's a reason she has her own successful talk show. Somehow, through all these years of stardom, she's remained humble and kind, as evidenced by her fangirly reaction to Celine Dion's praise after she sang (and nailed, of course) Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

How did American Idol find this gem among all the potential singers in the country on its very first try? It's a mystery. But how lucky were they that she signed up for the audition (despite having no idea what she was auditioning for—she told Jimmy Fallon that she didn't even know it was a TV show until the third audition) and gave them a genuine superstar for their first winner. At this point, it's hard to say whether Clarkson should be thanking American Idol for providing her big break or whether they should be thanking her for making the show continuously relevant even when other winners' careers have fizzled.

She really does just keep getting better vocally, and we should all count ourselves lucky that we're here to witness it.

@kellyclarksonshow

Never Let Go 💙 #kellyoke #kellyclarkson #celinedion #titanic #cover

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Usher reveals his most requested song ever in the UK. It has Americans and Brits questioning reality.

"This song is the Beans on Toast version of Usher!"

Ames Friedmanderivative|Wikimedia and Gage Skidmore|Wikimedia

Usher reveals UK's most requested song; Americans never heard it.

Everyone has their favorite song by their favorite artist. Oftentimes, it's a song that's so familiar to other people that it's fun to sing along at karaoke or to shout in unison at a concert because nearly everyone knows the lyrics. International superstar, Usher Raymond, who only uses his first name, has been making hits since he was just 13-years-old, so it's hard to find a song in his discography that you haven't danced to.

Recently Usher sat down with Disney alum, Keke Palmer on her podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer, where she asks the singer burning questions fans want to know. One of the questions was, "What's one song from your discography that you're tired of performing but fans won't let go of?" Palmer immediately jumps in to follow up with, "Is there any song that you feel that way about with all your songs?"

The answer to the question didn't just shock and confuse Palmer, it caused bicontinental confusion when the episode aired: "When I'm in Europe they like me to perform a song called 'Pop Ya Collar,'" the singer shared. Palmer admits to not remembering the song and asks him to give a demonstration on what it sounds like but after reluctantly hitting one or two notes, Usher immediately appears miserable and stops singing.

gif of Usher saying "Yeah, Man" Try It Team Usher GIF by The VoiceGiphy

A British woman, Yasmin Evans shared the clip on TikTok with her confused reaction to hearing the song is only popular in the UK. "What is happening? You're telling me people in the US or other places in the world don't rate 'Pop Ya Collar'? I cannot. I cannot. Hold on," she exclaims before playing a clip of the music video.

Evans is in for an even larger shock. Not only is the song not popular in the United States, most people haven't even heard of it all on this side of the pond. Turns out the song was never released outside of the UK, so Americans haven't had any exposure to it and they were quick to point that out in the comments.

@yasminevans__

I’m SHOOK. I did the research and this is true facts?! Well, I’m here to tell you you’ve been missing out and I now consider myself top 5 Usher fans in the entire world. Anyway, see you April 2nd bestie 🫶🏽 @Usher Raymond

"Sorry to that song…it could be playing on the radio and I wouldn’t know a thing," somebody writes, cleverly referencing one of Keke's greatest moments-turned-meme.

"America here. From Atlanta. Usher fan. Never heard this song before," another says.

"USHER DONT EVEN KNOW THE SONG WE ALL CONFUSED," one person exclaims in all caps.

"I’ve seen usher twice and have been listening to him since a child. I’ve never heard this song before in my life," another American shares.

gif of Usher performingUsher GIF by Recording Academy / GRAMMYsGiphy

Another Brit chimed in with equal confusion as Evans, "This is criminal! How can she not remember Pop Ya Collar?! Such a tune."

Someone else from the UK is also in disbelief, "WHATTTTTTT im outraged. That’s like my fave usher song."

Another user shares that the song went platinum in England and was constantly played on MTV. People on two separate continents were absolutely flabbergasted and feeling a bit bamboozled. Someone suggested that England must be in a different universe because it appeared that Usher didn't even know the song in question. But there's a simple explanation for why this song that seems so uncharacteristic of Usher is popular in the UK and unheard of in the US–musical preference.

Turns out the song was leaked in the United States before it came out and it was extremely unpopular it so it didn't get officially released. But in the UK, the song became the lead single on the 8701 album and fans learned the words to "Pop Ya Collar" while Americans were belting "U Remind Me" lyrics. So, no, there's not alternate universe, nor is there an Usher doppelgänger in the UK. This is all the result of a Napster leak that ultimately revealed Americans were not the right audience for that song.

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Millennials are shook after learning how deep Hanson's 'MMMbop' lyrics actually were

You might want to grab a tissue.

Grapepinky/Wikimedia Commons

Hanson playing at the Melbourne Zoo in 2019

In 1997, the catchy earworm "MMMbop" by the brother trio Hanson spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The band members were 16, 14 and 11 years old at the time, but even younger when they wrote it two years prior, and their hit song felt seemed to be a reflection of the optimism and innocence of their youth.

But the upbeat, do-woppy chorus—which is what most people remember about the song—belies how deep the rest of the song actually was. Many millennials are just now learning about the song's poignant-but-hard-to-make-out lyrics, and hoo boy do they hit hard during the full-on-adult years.

Millennial digital creator Erin Miller shared a video on Instagram that captures how it feels to find out that "MMMbop" is a song about the existential uncertainty of relationships and wondering who's still going to be there for us in our old age.

Yes, really. Watch:

Hanson's "MMMbop" is surprisingly deep.

If you go back and listen to the song, you'll forgive yourself for not recognizing any of these lyrics because it's genuinely hard to hear the words they're actually singing. But when you look up the lyrics, whoa.

People are shook and sharing their feelings in the comments.

"Holy shhhh... It's just Poetry Disguised as a throwaway pop song."

"You forgot my favorite part: 'Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose. You can plant any one of those. Keep living to find out which one grows. It’s a secret, no one knows.' 🤯"

"Damn. Hanson coming in with the existential dread veiled under catchy major chords. It's giving the same vibes as Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind."

"*Runs to listen to the full original track and simultaneously read the lyrics*......... *Realizes this reel is accurate AF 😅🥲🥹🤣😂🤣😭* ...... Because 8 yr old me in 1997 thought this was the jolliest song EVER! 🤸🏽♀️😂"

via GIPHY

"Remove the arrow from my heart immediately. I will not recover from this!"

"Yes! the words are shockingly deep for a song whose refrain is gibberish."

"I’ve been singing this song for 25+ years - and know zero of the words. 😮"

Zac, the band's drummer and youngest of the three Hansons, explained that "MMMbop" itself means a snippet of time and acknowledged that the song is actually really sad.

"The thing about 'MMMBop' is, obviously, it's a made up word," he told MTV. "It means a frame of time, but it also intentionally kind of is lighthearted, I think, in a way that disguises some of the meaning. It's kind of sad. It's kind of sad to hear a young person singing, like, most things in life are gonna pass. Most of the things you're going through won't matter. Most of your friends are gonna leave you or be gone 'cause in an mmmbop, it's all gonna be over."

Yeah…thanks, Zac.

via GIPHY

The Hanson brothers were 14, 12 and 10 when they wrote "MMMbop."

The eldest Hanson, Isaac, shared with The Guardian in 2018 how the brothers came up with the song:

"I was 14, and my brothers Taylor and Zac were 12 and 10 respectively. We listened to a lot of doo-wop, which influenced the chorus of MMMBop. We were trying to write a part for another song and came up with this catchy hook, but it didn’t really fit. Much, much later, I said to the guys: “Remember that hook? It really sticks in your head. We need to find a way to use it.” Then, as we were getting ready for bed, we all sang it together in the bathroom.

A few days later, Taylor was sitting at the keyboard with an intense look on his face. 'I have an idea,' he said. 'We can make this song about life – and all the rejection we’re feeling.' And he played what became the first verse and a half of MMMBop: 'You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last / You go through all the pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast.'

The chorus might be effusive – 'Mmmbop, ba duba dop / Ba du bop, ba duba dop' – but the song is about how in an instant you will be old and grey, so you have to make decisions you feel good about before it is too late."

Pretty darn astute for kids who couldn't even drive yet. Sheesh.

The original tempo of "MMMbop" was more reflective of its meaning.

So why does the song have such an upbeat feel when it's about something so serious and profound? Isaac Hanson explained that the original version of the song was "slower and more brooding" but that version wasn't landing with record companies until one saw potential in it as a hit pop song and sped it up. Thus the version we all bop along to was born, and the rest is history.

Hanson is still making music and still performing their breakout hit more than 25 years later. If you're still processing the lyrics of "MMMbop" and need a little help, here's the trio sharing more about how they got their start and how the song became what it is:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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Bono shared a beautiful animatic honoring his 40-year marriage

A poetic tribute to his wife and "soulmate," Ali.

Photo by ESPRIT U2.COM is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Bono and Ali Hewson have been married since 1982.

For any couple to successfully make it through four decades of marriage is impressive, but for someone famous, it's downright historic. According to the U.K.-based organization Marriage Foundation, as of 2012, celebrities had twice the divorce rate as the average U.K. citizen. Though divorce rates have fallen and new marriages are now predicted to last longer than they were in the past, 40 years of marriage at this point is certainly worth celebrating.

That's one reason Bono's 40-year marriage to his wife, Ali, is giving people feelings.

Another reason is that the U2 frontman has shared a beautiful animatic honoring his and Ali's wedding day for their 40th wedding anniversary.

Bono narrates the four-minute video as moving sketches illustrate the story. He starts by describing the final morning he lived in his parents' house before he married Ali on August 31, 1982, painting a picture of his strained relationship with his father before sharing the feelings he had on his wedding day.

The text comes from Bono's upcoming memoir, "Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story," and if the video is any indication, the book will be a poetic telling of a fascinating life in the spotlight. Bono has spent most of his 62 years—and all of his marriage to Ali—as a rock star, with U2's first album, "Boy," being released in 1980 and their first No. 1 album, "War" being released in 1983.

But every global superstar is just a human being in a marital relationship, subject to the same gifts and challenges of intimacy as anyone else. If anything, fame makes relationships harder, but Bono and Ali appear to have made it work through four decades of world tours, flashing cameras and diehard fandom.

This animatic offers a small glimpse of what lies at the heart of their success as a couple.

Ali truly has been there since the beginning. The couple were high school sweethearts who started dating in 1976, the same year U2 formed.

Ali has served as the inspiration for many U2 songs, perhaps most notably "The Sweetest Thing." Originally written in 1988 as an apology for being in the studio on her birthday, the song was remade in 2000 and became a hit. Bono dedicated all of the proceeds from the single to Ali's favorite charity, Chernobyl Children’s Project International. She is featured at the beginning of the music video for the song, with the rest of the video looking through her eyes.

Congratulations on 40 years of marriage, Bono and Ali. May we all be so fortunate to find that kind of love.

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