Kelly Clarkson's Lyrics Represent Feelings and Persuade Perseverance

I have enjoyed listening to Kelly Clarkson ever since she won American Idol in 2002. Not only are her songs catchy and have elements of girl power, but I also relate to many of her lyrics. After learning about how music works as communication, I can see the relationship between myself and Clarkson's lyrics.  Sellnow (2017) identifies that music not only has it's meaning, but also has a rhetorical aspect to it. Additionally, music has emotional content that simply represents feelings, but does not cause those feelings (Sellnow, 2017). 

Thinking about Sellnow's perspective makes me think of two particular songs from Clarkson: Because of You and Piece by Piece. Both of these songs contain lyrics wherein she is singing about her father who left her when she was 6 years old, but then gives some hope for the future. 

Here is an excerpt from Because of You (Clarkson, Hodges, & Moody, 2004): 

I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself 'cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way, to never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side, so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake a smile, a laugh
Every day of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

With the lyrics and the music, it creates a congruent interaction because the music and lyrics reinforce one another. While Clarkson is singing about the pain she felt as a child due to her parents' relationship, the music matches the tone of the words she is singing. While this song represents feelings experienced by Clarkson, many listeners with childhood trauma from unstable homes may not have feelings caused by the song, but it could be representative of listeners' feelings. Additionally, this song does have a persuasive element where the song ends with the two adults reconciling and comforting a young child, rather than what the lyrics had previously portrayed. I think that is a rhetorical element of the song showing despite hardships, there is hope to overcome. 

Another of Clarkson's songs, Piece by Piece, was written as if she's singing to her dad about her then husband (they've since divorced) who was showing her what a good father should be. Some of the lyrics are as a follows (Kurstin &Clarkson, 2015):

And all of your words fall flat
I made something of myself and now you wanna come back
But your love, it isn't free, it has to be earned
Back then I didn't have anything you needed, so I was worthless

But piece by piece, he collected me up
Off the ground, where you abandoned things, yeah
Piece by piece he filled the holes that you burned in me
At six years old and you know
He never walks away
He never asks for money
He takes care of me
'Cause he loves me
Piece by piece, he restored my faith
That a man can be kind and a father could stay

Piece by piece
Piece by piece
Piece by piece

Piece by piece
Piece by piece
Piece by piece

Piece by piece, I fell far from the tree
I will never leave her like you left me
And she will never have to wonder her worth
Because unlike you, I'm gonna put her first and you know
He'll never walk away
He'll never break her heart
He'll take care of things, he'll love her
Piece by piece, he restored my faith
That a man can be kind and the father should be great

Again, this is a song with a congruent interaction between the lyrics and music. Additionally, it does have some paralinguistic cues because as she sings about her father that abandoned her, the music is more melancholy, but the chorus, where she is singing about her current happier life, the music is more upbeat. The persuasive part of this is again showing there is hope and that just because things mat not have been good in your childhood, there is hope in a new life you create for yourself. Furthermore, after her divorce, Clarkson sang updated/renewed lyrics to reflect how she is the one taking care of herself instead of her husband being the one to put her back together. 

While both these songs may contain emotional content that represents feelings and not necessarily content that causes the feelings (Sellnow, 2017), I think many of us identify with these songs because of our own childhood traumas and how we are trying to overcome and build the life we want now. Personally, as someone who is somewhat estranged from my family of origin and still working to heal from various abuses from childhood, I feel Clarkson's songs mentioned her are somewhat representative of feelings that I have experienced in my own life which makes these songs not only relatable, but also giving some bit of solidarity in the persuasive elements of perseverance and hope.

Do you think that songs from singers' lives are more popular because individuals relate to them because songs represent their feelings? Or does it have more to do with a catchy tune? 

Clarkson, K., Hodges, D., and Moody, B. (2004). Because of You [Song]. On Breakaway. Chrysalis 

One Music Publishing Group Ireland, Emi Blackwood Music Inc., Murlyn Songs Ab, Reservoir 416, Smelly Songs, Bmg Chrysalis Scandinavia Ab, Smellslikemetal, Smellslikemetal Publishing, 12 06 Publishing, Bmg Rights Management (scandinavia) Ab, Hifi Music Ip Issuer L.p.

Kurstin, G. & Clarkson, K. (2015). Piece by Piece [Song]. On Piece by Piece. Kobalt 

Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.

Sellnow, D. D. (2017). The rhetorical power of popular culture: Considering mediated texts. SAGE 

Publications.