🚨 Kelly Clarkson releases "favorite kind of high"—a contender for song of the summer 2023
Co-written by Carly Rae Jepsen, the third single from Chemistry is a certified bop!
Hey fellow Clarkstan! 👋 Welcome to NOTHING BUT CLARKSON — a newsletter all about Kelly Clarkson. Thankfully, after last week’s news around The Kelly Clarkson Show, this week is mostly about music as our queen releases what could be 2023’s song of the summer. 🕺
(DON’T) SKIP THIS PART
Some random thoughts from me.
On Friday, May 19, Kelly released “favorite kind of high” from her highly-anticipated LP Chemistry.
While the first two singles, “mine” and “me,” are about heartbreak, “favorite kind of high” is about that initial feeling of falling in love. Kelly has said in the past that she wanted to include songs like this one in the album to cover the fuller range of emotions you feel as you go through a relationship.
Clarkstans were quick to notice that, along with producer Jesse Shatkin, pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen (known most famously for her mega-hit “Call Me Maybe”) has a writing credit on the song. Both Kelly and Carly are gay icons, so gay Twitter had a bit of a mini-meltdown with this information.
I’ve said before that angry Kelly is my favorite music genre, but I do love “favorite kind of high.” First of all: that chorus. It’s catchy AF. You can definitely feel Jepsen’s influence on the production here, but Kelly makes it her own with her signature vocals.
“I dare you not to dance to that when it comes out.”
And let’s not forget the bridge. 😮 It’s literally just two lines, but Kelly makes the most out of it, belting high notes as she sings, “I wanna feeeeeel high. I gotta feeeeel you tonight.”
It’s bouncy. It’s feel-good. And to quote Kelly herself, it’s sexy.
Oh, and it sounds amazing live. Kelly released a recording of her performance of the song from her Birthday at the Belasco concert, and somehow Kelly manages to outdo her recorded vocals live. Very few vocalists—alive or dead—can do that!
We get “favorite kind of high” at the perfect time to build buzz and momentum for Chemistry’s release. First of all, it’s almost Pride month, and you can bet your ass the queer community will embrace this song.
And as I already mentioned, “favorite kind of high” is a nice contrast to the first two songs. It will get the attention of music fans who liked “Heartbeat Song”—a song I don’t looooove but is surprisingly popular on Spotify. It’s a nice reminder to the general public that if Kelly wants to do pop, she can slay it.
Add to that the fact that we’re getting a remix with David Guetta next week, and what you have is potentially the making of a song-of-the-summer contender. I know it’s been a while since Kelly has had a big pop hit, but I wouldn’t underestimate her power. She just needs the right song , a bit of virality, and off to the races we go.
As Kelly says, “I dare you not to dance to that when it comes out.”
P.S. In case you’re like me and you’re not very good at remembering lyrics, I’ve included them below!
WHAT’S NEW, CLARKSON?
Notable mentions and news about our queen.
Lots of positive coverage for “favorite kind of high,” including articles from People, Billboard, Entertainment Tonight, TODAY, ThatGrapeJuice, and even Rolling Stone. (P.S. Rolling Stone is trash, so I’m not linking to them. 😇) The97’s Vincent Anthony praises the song’s “infectiously fervid vocal,” while RETROPOP notes the song’s “slick electric guitars” and “pulsing electronics.”
Some awesome reaction videos are also already on YouTube, including ones from Joe’s Music Vault and Topher Reacts.
Also on Friday, Kelly hopped on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok live to talk to fans directly. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend any of them, but The KC Vault on YouTube has a recording of Kelly’s appearance on Twitter Spaces. KellyClarkS00N on Twitter also summarized some important tidbits, including why Kelly isn’t performing a single on The Voice (she wants to show support for the writers striking right now), whether we can expect some Belasco-like tours in the future (the answer is maybe), and how Carly Rae Jepsen and Nick Jonas got writing credits in Chemistry.
Jeremy and Pam, hosts of Miss Indepodcast, talk about different artists that have covered Kelly. LISTEN HERE.
WHAT I’M LIKING
An awesome post from social media, but without the $1000 cheque. 😉
Kelly already confirmed we won’t be getting music videos for any Chemistry singles, so super fan Joe Patrick took it upon himself to create one for “favorite kind of high” using a clip from “From Justin to Kelly.” 🤣 CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
ONE LAST THING…
Just a friendly reminder to stream “favorite kind of high” using this link from Atlantic Records! Also, official lyrics below.
Lyrics: “Favorite Kind of High” by Kelly Clarkson
[Verse 1]
Take me home tonight, kiss me how you like
I've been waitin' for you (Ooh)
I know you ain't shy, well, neither am I
What you waitin' for? Yeah (Ooh)
[Pre-Chorus]
There's no escapin' your ghost of love
There ain't a drink that's strong enough
So I close my eyes, kiss you how I like
I've been waitin' for you
[Chorus]
You're my favorite kind of high
Rushin' through me like a fire
And I need you to know
I say I won't, but I do
When it comes to lovin' you
I don't have no control
You're my favorite kind of high
[Verse 2]
When you're in the room, all I feel is you
Now you're lookin' at me (Ooh)
Will you make a move? Do you want me to?
What the hell is happеnin'? (Ooh)
[Pre-Chorus]
Until you're lyin' in my arms of love
I won't waste minе on "good enough"
So I close my eyes, kiss you how I like
I've been waitin' for you
[Chorus]
You're my favorite kind of high
Rushin' through me like a fire
And I need you to know
I say I won't, but I do
When it comes to lovin' you
I don't have no control
You're my favorite kind of high
[Post-Chorus]
(High, high, high)
You're my favorite kind of high
(High, high, high)
[Bridge]
I wanna feel high
I gotta feel you tonight, oh
[Chorus]
You're my favorite kind of high
Rushin' through me like a fire
And I need you to know (I need you to know)
I say I won't, but I do
When it comes to lovin' you
I don't have no control (I'm out of control)
You're my favorite kind of high