Kelly Clarkson Flawlessly Performs Amy Winehouse Version Of Classic Carole King Song

Nov 24, 2020 by apost team

On a recent November episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the 38-year-old singer covered the Amy Winehouse version of Carole King’s Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow as part of the show’s well-known Kellyoke segment — and it was awesome.

While Gerry Goffin and Carole King originally wrote the track back in the early 1960s for the group The Shirelles, English superstar Amy Winehouse gave the song her own spin in 2004, covering it for the soundtrack to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Winehouse’s version was later posthumously released on a compilation album entitled Lioness: Hidden Treasures. 

It’s a song with a storied history not only because it’s been covered dozens of times, but also because it was the first song by an all-black woman’s musical group to reach number one on the charts in the United States. And now Kelly Clarkson has become part of the song’s history, too.

Backed by a band in The Kelly Clarkson Show’s studio, the singer-songwriter gave the song her all, proving yet again that she is the master of covers regardless of the genre. As Clarkson belts out some of the song’s most poignant lyrics — Is this a lasting treasure / Or just a moment's pleasure? / Can I believe the magic of your sighs? / Will you still love me tomorrow? — the green and white stage lights flash in sync with the music. And while there isn’t a large live audience in the video, there is real energy in the room thanks to Clarkson’s stunning voice. But Clarkson and Winehouse’s renditions of the classic ‘60s track might not be for everyone.

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In his review of Winehouse’s Lioness: Hidden Treasures, Andrew Ryce of Pitchfork writes, "(Ronson's) melodramatic rendering of Carole King's 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' toes the line between elegant and overblown, but better yet it's a shroud of pomp surrounding one of Winehouse's most delicately powerful vocals.”

He continues, "When she breaks out into her best falsetto on the track's bridge, it's one of the few moments on 'Lioness' that feels truly, heartbreakingly poignant, enough to cut through its stodgy accompaniment."

Even if it is a bit over-the-top, fans of the song will likely cherish both Winehouse and Clarkson’s covers, if only for the sheer amount of energy and power they bring to the R&B single. And for those who find the track a bit “melodramatic” and agree more with Ryce, there’s always The Shirelles 1960 original, which became a number one hit on the radio.

Interestingly, however, the song almost didn’t come to be. If it hadn’t been for a few changes to the original arrangement, then Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow might never have seen daylight. At the time, lead singer Shirley Owens didn’t want to record the track — which was originally just called Tomorrow — because it sounded “too country.” But with a few tweaks, including adding a string arrangement, Owens agreed to record the song. And we’re glad she did.

Since The Shirelles recorded their version, the song has taken on a life of its own as Clarkson’s cover demonstrates. One of the song’s most well-known versions is, of course, Carole King’s 1971 recording. King, who was one of the original co-writers of the song, released the track on her legendary studio album Tapestry. The song notably featured backup vocals from stars Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.

Other notable versions include covers by Ben E. King, Francoise Hardy, The Bee Gees, and Kamasi Washington. Regardless of what your favorite rendition is of the classic track, it seems that Clarkson fans were satisfied with the cover. The comments section of the video is full of praise on YouTube.

“I was a teenager in the 70’s,” Catherine Bateman wrote in the comments. “[I] listened to this song over and over for days on end Tapestry by Carol King. The best teenage [angst] songs ever!!”

“[I] was worried about her doing this cover, but one thing I love about Kellys covers is that she changes them up to suit her voice!” another commenter wrote.

You can find more of Clarkson’s Kellyoke covers in this playlist, which includes tracks like Aretha Franklin’s Don't Play That Song (You Lied), Lykke Li I Follow Rivers, and Sam Smith’s Stay With Me. Another recent and notable cover from the versatile pop star includes her performance at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards in October. There she opened the show with Whitney Houston’s 1990 version of the classic Steve Winwood track Higher Love.

What do you think of Clarkson's rendition of Will You Love Me Tomorrow? How does it compare to the original? Let us know and be sure to pass this cover on to all your music-loving friends and family members.