During a 2019 episode of her talk show, Kelly Clarkson sang one of the biggest country hits of the 2000s — and totally made it her own: “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood.
For her version, Clarkson sang with pure sass in a raspy tone, giving off the perfect, “Don’t mess with me!” vibe. For the outro, she shook things up by hitting a super high note before nailing a final riff.
About “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
One of Underwood’s biggest hits to date, “Before He Cheats” was released in 2005 off Underwood’s debut album Some Hearts. It reached the number-eight position on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart. As of 2012, the song has sold over 3.5 million copies (via The Hollywood Reporter). It also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The lyrics tell the story of a woman who vandalizes her unfaithful partner’s car as an act of revenge. “That’s the fun thing about music. You do get to play a character. You do get to sing about things or write things or make music videos or whatever about things that you wouldn’t actually do in your life. But it is fun to get into character and act like you would,” Underwood told Howard Stern in 2023.
Kelly Clarkson on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Episode 20111; Carrie Underwood attends the 2023 CMT Music Awards at Moody Center on April 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT
