Kelly Clarkson Covers Taylor Swift's Clean
Kelly Clarkson Puts Her Own Emotional Spin on Taylor Swift's "Clean"
Kelly Clarkson let the rain come pouring down. A few weeks after Taylor Swift slipped "Clean" into her Eras Tour setlist in Arlington, Texas on 1 April, Clarkson covered the pop ballad in her own style for "Kellyoke." Along with her band, Y'all, Clarkson let her vocals shine and delivered every lyric with emotion. "Gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean," she sang on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," staring directly into the camera.
Swift has included a few surprise songs for every performance in her ongoing Eras Tour. She chose "Clean" for the Arlington performance in honour of singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams, who specifically requested the "1989" song over text. (Abrams is also one of Swift's opening acts this tour.) "I didn't know she was gonna do that, obviously," Abrams said in response to Swift's dedication. "So you can imagine my shock."
Swift rarely confirms the exact meaning behind her songs, but "Clean" is widely believed to be about her former relationship with Harry Styles. "Someone I used to date — it hit me that I'd been in the same city as him for two weeks and I hadn't thought about it," she previously explained to Elle back in 2015. "When it did hit me, it was like, 'Oh, I hope he's doing well.' And nothing else."
This realisation is what ended up bringing "Clean" to fruition, and Clarkson perfectly captured the healing nature of the song in her own rendition. Watch the full version above to see how she put a unique twist on one of Swift's most beloved tracks.
