All I Ever Wanted (album)

Released
 Recorded
 Genre
 Length
 Label
 Producer
* Ryan Tedder
* Howard Benson
* Max Martin
* Dr. Luke
* Dre & Vidal
* Sam Watters

2. "My Life Would Suck Without You"Released: May 15, 2007
3. "I Do Not Hook Up"Released: July 3, 2007
4. "Already Gone"Released: December 11, 2007
5. "All I Ever Wanted"Released: August 5, 2008
6. "Cry"Released: August 11, 2008

***All I Ever Wanted*** is the fourth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on March 7, 2008, by Jive Records. After the controversies that surrounded her previous studio album, *My December* (2006), which was seen as much darker than her other two albums, Clarkson went on to record a more pop-oriented album. In order to do so, she enlisted her previous collaborators Max Martin, Dr. Luke, (whom she worked with on her 2004 second album, *Breakaway*), Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello (whom she worked with on her 2003 debut album *Thankful*), and new collaborators, Ryan Tedder, Howard Benson and Dre & Vidal.

Originally entitled *Masquerade*, its title was changed due to the similarities to those of other albums being released at the same time, such as Pink's *Funhouse* (2008) and Britney Spears' *Circus* (2008). *All I Ever Wanted* was considered lighter and less angry than her previous effort, though it also features pop rock and pop punk-inspired songs, as well as dance and soul. Its cartoon-colored artwork was criticized by reviewers and Clarkson herself for using too much photoshop. *All I Ever Wanted* mainly deals with themes of romantic relationships, dignity, independence and emotional truthfulness.

The album received generally favorable reviews from most music critics, who praised her approach with mainstream music, without losing her identity and personality. Her vocals were also praised, but a few critics called the album "hackneyed" and "overworked". The album was also a success, debuting at number-one on the US *Billboard* 200 chart, becoming her second to do so, and peaking inside the top-ten in more than ten countries. It was certified platinum in Australia and Canada, and gold in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Four singles were released from the album worldwide: "Good Feeling" was the lead single and became Clarkson's second number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and also the biggest leap to number one on the same chart; it also topped the charts of Canada and the United Kingdom. "My Life Would Suck Without You" was the second single and was moderately successful. Its third single, "I Do Not Hook Up", fared well, though it was moderate in some countries, while the fourth, "Already Gone", was more successful but faced controversies due to its similarity to Beyoncé's "Halo"; both produced by Tedder. The album's title track was released as a radio single only in the U.S., while "Cry" was released only in selected territories. To promote the album, Clarkson embarked on the All I Ever Wanted Summer Fair Tour and the All I Ever Wanted Tour, between 2008 and 2009.

## Background and recording

After her successful second studio album, *Breakaway* (2004), which gave her two Grammy Awards as well as other awards, four successful singles and over ten million copies sold, Clarkson felt pressure from her label to duplicate the album's success while recording her third studio album, *My December* (2006). The album was marked by many conflicts with her label, Jive Records, and the head of Sony Music, Clive Davis, who was dissatisfied with the album's darker tone and asked her to scrap the album in favor of making a more commercial one. Clarkson denied to do it and the album's date was pushed back several times. Eventually, *My December* was released amidst the controversies, and while receiving generally favorable reviews from music critics and debuting on the *Billboard* 200 chart with expressive sales, it only produced one successful single, "Never Again", and its promotion was dubbed "confused" due to its controversies.

After promoting the album with the "My December Tour" (2006-2007), and later embarking on a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire, Clarkson, who was with a new manager, felt confident again on the studio and started writing a new album. While working for the album, Clarkson was invited by media executive Stuart Snyder to record the song "Good Feeling", which would be featured in the soundtrack of the 2007 Cartoon Network animated feature film *Dexter's Laboratory: The Movie*. In October 2007, she posted on her blog she had finished the album and was very excited about it. Clarkson also told the same month, she was working with a new collaborator, Ryan Tedder, claiming that the recording sessions with him "went really well". She also explained that Clive Davis introduced them to each other in a label meeting, and later they ended up writing five or six songs. Tedder explained to *Digital Spy* that the songs featured "big choruses" and "heavy drum programming" and were influenced by nineties electro-rockers Garbage. She also worked for the first time with Howard Benson, claiming she was a big fan of him and his production with many artists such as Daughtry, stating that she loved the way he produced and how he captured how she sounds live.

Clarkson also worked with previous producers, such as Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello, whom produced the song "Anytime" on her debut album, *Thankful* (2003), as well as Max Martin and Dr. Luke, the producers behind Clarkson's signature song "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes" on *Breakaway* (2004). Dr. Luke was interviewed by *Entertainment Weekly* and said: "After "Since U Been Gone", we wrote all these songs for Kelly. This one, ["My Life Would Suck Without You"], which I think is the second single — we had the chorus a while ago and added the verse more recently." He further added: "She sings a song in two hours and kills it. You're just like, 'Holy sh–.' She has powerful lungs. She's like the Lance Armstrong of vocal cords." She also worked again with songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who co-wrote several tracks on *Breakaway*, and received two songs co-written by Katy Perry. Perry claimed she worked on her debut album for five years and recorded so many songs for it that both songs didn't make it to the album, then Clarkson heard them, liked them, and recorded them.

## Music

### Production and sound

 — Clarkson about the sound of the album.

*All I Ever Wanted* is considered a pop and pop rock album, with influences of dance, rock and soul music. Sonically different than her previous album, *My December* (2006), the album also features pop punk influences that are reminiscent from her third album. James Montgomery of MTV News noted that the album has "unabashed pop, big crunchy guitar chords and tear-tinged ballads," while Evan Sawdey of *PopMatters* noted that "[t]hough some of the post-breakup bitterness of *My December* still lingers here, *All I Ever Wanted* remains a remarkably upbeat record." Maura of Idolator called it a "pop redemption" [...] "a fun collection of pop tracks", with *Slant Magazine*'s Jonathan Keefe dubbing it "Clarkson's version of *Now That's What I Call Music! 29*." Michael Cragg of *MusicOMH* summarized the album as a "musical partner" to Clarkson's second album, *Breakaway*, "in terms of the sound and the sheer commercial appeal."

The first track, "Good Feeling", was considered more of a teen-oriented pop song, having a mainstream dance/guitar-pop sound, with thumping synths and guitar riffs. The second track, "My Life Would Suck Without You", was considered an explicit sequel to "Since U Been Gone", having a mainstream dance/guitar-pop sound, with thumping synths and guitar riffs. "I Do Not Hook Up" was named a "punchy, spunky pop stormer", while "Long Shot" was dubbed a "string-infused rocker"; both songs were originally demos from Katy Perry. "Don't Let Me Stop You" was called an "arena rocker track" and compared to her single "Behind These Hazel Eyes", due to the use of the same chord progression. Clarkson defined "If I Can't Have You", a dance and synthpop song, as "very like Eurythmics meets The Killers" in a sexy vibe, while "I Want You" was labeled a "pure pop", "girl group" song, with vocal stutters, fluid harps, and a dry kick-drum beat. The album's title track and "Whyyawannabringmedown" are two covers from the band Aranda's debut album; the first was considered a soul-rock-funk song, with its disco bass heavily compared to Spoon's song "I Turn My Camera On", while the latter was named a "bubblegum punk" song.

The power ballad "Save You" was written by Aimée Proal with Ryan Tedder for her now-disbanded group Gone 'Til November, who recorded its demo and Tedder pitched the song to Clarkson's label. It features an experimental bridge that was inspired by Mozart. "If No One Will Listen" is a cover of Keri Noble's song from her debut album *Fearless*, "Cry" was defined by Clarkson as a "waltz" ballad influenced by country music, and "Already Gone" was considered a "kick drum-driven" ballad and it was largely compared to Beyoncé's "Halo"; both produced by Tedder. "Impossible" was called a "piano-riddled rocker", while "Ready" was named a "breezy, carefree pop" song.

### Lyrical content

Lyrically, *All I Ever Wanted* talks generally about romantic relationships— the good, the bad and the dysfunctional —with Clarkson defining it as "pretty personal". Ann Powers of *Los Angeles Times* noted that the album "provides her faithful female fans with a solid group of anthems and introspective moments expressing dignity, independence and emotional truthfulness." “Good Feeling”, "Once a Genius, Always a Genius" and "Go Dexter Go" all have Clarkson speaking through Dexter's perspective when it comes to never wanting people to bring her down. "My Life Would Suck Without You" "describes two people who've committed to each other even though their relationship has some rough edges", while "I Do Not Hook Up" has Clarkson informing "would-be suitors that [she]'s looking for a lasting commitment, not a casual fling." "Cry" talks about betrayal, with the singer writing about a friendship that went wrong, while wondering, "Is it over yet? Can I open my eyes?," meanwhile "Don't Let Me Stop You" has Clarkson "demonstrat[ing] self-respect and emotional resiliency even when things aren't working out." "All I Ever Wanted" deals with "Clarkson's conflicted feelings", while "Already Gone" is about coming to terms with a relationship that was destined for failure. "If I Can't Have You" playfully talks about Clarkson finding what she's looking for, while "Save You" is about a person's lamentation and desire to save someone from a self-destructive behaviour after a loss. "Whyyawannabringmedown" finds Clarkson singing, "I'm not your love monkey, so be takin' back all of the lies you sold," "Long Shot" "acknowledges the risk involved with a new romantic endeavor", and with "Impossible" she admits: "I will stumble and I’ll make my own mistakes, yeah/But I won’t worry ‘bout it anymore." "I Want You" finds the singer "swooning over a hot-tempered, noncommunicative guy," who is "such a mess with an attitude," and "If No One Will Listen" ends with Clarkson "encouraging a struggling friend, [herself or anyone else], to relinquish pent-up fears."

## Title and artwork

On January 4, 2008, *The Wall Street Journal* published an article about the upcoming albums of 2008, and Clarkson's fourth studio album was among them. At the time, Jive general manager Barry Weiss claimed she was "in a period where she wants to take on the pop world again." [...] "She's ready, and she's got all the right support." The newspaper also revealed its working title, *Masquerade*. However, Clarkson changed it to *All I Ever Wanted*, since she felt the title was too similar to other pop albums released following the time of her album, such as Britney Spears' *Circus* (2008) and P!nk's *Funhouse* (2008). Its cartoon-colored, airbrushed cover art was revealed on January 11, 2008. As *Rolling Stone*'s Daniel Kreps described, "the cover depicts a shiny, happy Clarkson, one ready to step out of the shadows of the brooding *My December* and reclaim her pop throne." Kreps opined that the cover resembles another "comeback album"—Spears's *Circus*. The cover faced some controversy due to the heavy usage of Photoshop. Clarkson herself commented, "We decided the cover of the album and just in case you haven't seen it I'll post it! It's very colorful and they have definitely Photoshopped the crap out of me—but I don't care, haha! Whoever she is, she looks great, ha!."

## Singles

The album's first single, "Good Feeling", was featured in the 2007 Cartoon Network animated feature film *Dexter's Laboratory: The Movie*, and was included in its second official trailer and its soundtrack. The album also included two other songs Clarkson recorded along with this on the soundtrack, "Once a Genius, Always a Genius" and "Go Dexter Go". It was released to airplay on March 27, 2007 and three days later was made available for digital download. On April 11, 2007, *Billboard* announced that the single went from number 97 to number one on the *Billboard* Hot 100, making the biggest leap to the top in the chart's history, as well as marking Clarkson's second US number-one single, and her first in seven years. Elsewhere, it was a chart success, also reaching the top of the Canadian and UK charts, and the top ten in over ten countries. Its music video was released on April 11, 2007, and it shows Clarkson exploring the virtual world of a science lab and includes several scenes from the film.

The album's second single, "My Life Would Suck Without You", had its artwork revealed on May 7, 2007, and it shows "Clarkson sporting a wide-eyed [...] look and a heart-shaped lollipop." It was released to airplay on May 15, 2007 and three days later was made available for digital download. The song was a moderate success on the charts, reaching number ten on the *Billboard* Hot 100. Its music video leaked on May 30, 2007, and it shows Clarkson and her boyfriend having a dysfunctional relationship.

"I Do Not Hook Up" was released to Russian radio on July 3, 2007, as the third single off the album. The cover art for the single was released on June 28, 2007. The music video for the song, directed by Bryan Barber, was shot in July 2007 and released on August 6, 2007 on MTV. As described by Clarkson, the video is about "how the girl is a good girl, she doesn't hook up. But inside her head, every time she turns around, she's fantasizing. So she's hooking up in her fantasies, but never in real life." The song was a moderate success on the charts, reaching number nine in Australia, the top twenty in Canada and the US, and the top forty in other six countries.

"Already Gone" was sent to US radio on December 11, 2007 as the album's fourth single. The single's artwork was released on November 7, 2007. The song faced controversy due to its similarity to another Ryan Tedder-produced track, Beyoncé's "Halo", with Clarkson going as far as trying to prevent the single's release, but her label chose to release it anyway. In the United States, the song was more successful than "I Do Not Hook Up", reaching number thirteen on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and spending eight consecutive weeks at number one on the *Billboard* Adult Pop Songs chart. Elsewhere, it reached the top twenty in four countries, and the top forty in another four countries. The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn and released on November 26, 2007. Kahn was dissatisfied with the end result of the video, which shows Clarkson "singing in various luxurious locations while violins play themselves."

The album's title track, "All I Ever Wanted", was released as the fifth and final single in the United States. It was officially sent to US radio on August 5, 2008, and to the US and Canadian iTunes Store for download on August 11, 2008. It only peaked at number ninety-six on the *Billboard* Hot 100 chart, while being more successful on the Adult Pop Songs sub-chart, where it reached number eleven. Meanwhile, "Cry" was released as the fifth single in Germany and Australia and as the sixth single overall. It was released as a digital download in Germany on August 8, 2008 and sent to Australian radio on August 11, 2008. It became the second most added song to radio in Australia the week it was sent for airplay. The song was also covered by Lea Michele in the *Glee* episode "Choke" on May 1, 2012.

## Promotion

To promote the album, Clarkson performed "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up" on *Good Morning America* on the US album's launch date, March 11, 2008. The singer performed the album's second single "My Life Would Suck Without You" on the seventh season of *American Idol* on March 12, 2008. Clarkson also performed "My Life Would Suck Without You" and the album's third single "I Do Not Hook Up" on the 33th season of *Saturday Night Live* on March 15, 2008. The singer also promoted the album on Walmart Soundcheck on March 19, 2008, performing "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "I Do Not Hook Up", as well as her older hits "Since U Been Gone", "Because of You" and "Walk Away". On March 21, 2008, she also appeared on *The Oprah Winfrey Show* to give an interview and perform a medley of "Because of You", "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "My Life Would Suck Without You". Clarkson was also on *So You Think You Can Dance* to perform "I Do Not Hook Up", on the *David Letterman Show*, *The View*, the *American Music Awards of 2008* to perform "Already Gone", as well as on *VH1 Divas* to also perform "Already Gone" and "Bring Me Some Water" with Melissa Etheridge. She also promoted the album with live performances on *The Ellen DeGeneres Show*, *Live with Regis & Kelly* and *The Tonight Show with Jay Leno*. She also gave interviews and appeared on many magazines, such as the *Rolling Stone* issue of May 1, 2008, *Teen Vogue*, *Newsweek*, and on the cover of *Blender* and *Self* magazines. "My Life Would Suck Without You", "Already Gone", "Don't Let Me Stop You" and "If I Can't Have You" were also featured on the TV series *The Hills*.

### Tours

**All I Ever Wanted Summer Fair Mini-Tour**

*Main article: All I Ever Wanted Mini Tour*
A 23 date mini-tour to promote the album, with all dates being at state fairs around the United States.

**All I Ever Wanted Tour**

*Main article: All I Ever Wanted Tour*
A world tour covering North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

## Critical reception

*All I Ever Wanted* received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 70, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Ann Powers of *Los Angeles Times* called it "a masterful rapprochement with the mainstream, full of cheerfully ear-snagging tunes, inventive production, exhilarating vocals and enough inherent Kelly-ness to put aside fears that her label bosses implanted blond electrodes in her brain to make her behave." Kerri Mason of *Billboard* praised the album for " show[ing] a lighter-hearted, but more vocally mature Clarkson than her last outing" and Clarkson for "becoming a masterful interpreter too." Sarah Rodman of *The Boston Globe* observed that the singer is "learning to strike the age-old pop music balance that her hired hands perfected in the past, [...] expressing emotional truth while crafting something that sounds good on the radio." Jon Dolan of *Blender* gave praise to Clarkson for "mak[ing] nice with the pop machine and tak[ing] back the mall while keeping her integrity and personality intact," while J. Freedom du Lac of *The Washington Post* called it "one of those rare pop albums that should resonate with the mainstream while also generating critical heat." Hugh Montgomery of *The Observer* opined that "on its own limited terms, it's a job well done." While calling her first album "the Obligation", her second "the Breakthrough", and her third "the Reaction," Jon Caramanica of *The New York Times* noted that *All I Ever Wanted* "plays out as Ms. Clarkson’s Concession," pointing out that "Ms. Clarkson’s identity is finally firm: spurned, hurt and torn."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic recognized that she "sounds impassioned and invested in these numbers, selling every one of the skyscraper hooks, but better still she sounds relatable, pulling listeners into a song instead of keeping them at a distance," observing that "while it's not perfect, largely due to those dreary Tedder tunes, much of *All I Ever Wanted* does justice to Clarkson's considerable skills." Elle J Small of *BBC Music* declared that the album "won't disappoint hardcore fans but is unlikely to garner new listeners," a sentiment echoed by *Vibe*'s Claire Lobenfeld, who wrote that it "will be a hit with Clarkson die-hards, but is unlikely to influence any Top 40 outsiders." Evan Sawdey of *PopMatters* noticed that "[t]hough *All I Ever Wanted* is not a classic pop album by any means, it’s most assuredly a fun one—flaws and all. It might be a bit quirky at times, but therein lies the charm: no one could’ve filled up such a deliberately commercial album with so much personality aside from Kelly Clarkson, and for that, we should all be a bit thankful." In a more mixed review, Jody Rosen of *Rolling Stone* admitted that "Clarkson's sense of grievance, inflated to gargantuan size by her huge voice, can be wearying over 14 songs, particularly when the music sags." Michaelangelo Matos of *The A.V. Club* called it "a likeable but ultimately hackneyed album that presents her as the über-everygirl", while Michael Cragg of *musicOMH* was more critical, writing that "as an album, the whole thing feels precision tooled, vacuum-packed and strangely lifeless." Jonathan Keefe of *Slant Magazine* analyzed the album in his review, declaring:

### Accolades

The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards. It also entered AllMusic's list of "Favorite Pop Albums of 2009", as well as MTV's "Best Albums Of 2009" at number 12. *All I Ever Wanted* was also selected by *Entertainment Weekly* as the "Best Comeback".

 *Entertainment Weekly* | 10 Best (and 5 Worst) Albums of 2008
 MTV
 *Rolling Stone* | Top Albums of the Decade

## Commercial performance

*All I Ever Wanted* debuted on the *Billboard* 200 at number one with sales of 255,000 copies, becoming the second time Clarkson topped the chart; her debut set, *Thankful*, also began at number one with 297,000 copies sold in its first week in 2003. In its second week, the album remained at the top, with 90,000 copies, whilst in its third week, it fell to number five, selling 52,000 copies. As of September 2017, the album has sold 1,004,000 copies in the United States, becoming her fourth highest-selling album of her career, behind *Thankful* (2003), *Breakaway* (2004) and *Stronger* (2011). In Canada, it debuted at number 2, becoming her highest debut along with her previous album, *My December* (2006), selling 15,000 copies. In Australia, it also debuted at number two, becoming her highest debut along with *Breakaway* (2004). It was later certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for exceeding 70,000 copies. In New Zealand, the album debuted at number six; also her highest since *Breakaway*.

In the United Kingdom, the album sold 40,000 copies and debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart. As of June 2012, *All I Ever Wanted* has sold 197,817 copies in the United Kingdom. The album also debuted inside the top ten of the album charts in Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa and Switzerland. In Spain, the album reached number forty, becoming her highest debut of her career, while tying with *Stronger* years later. Meanwhile, in Sweden, it became her second and last album, so far, to reach the top-twenty, debuting at number fifteen. In contrast, in Finland, the album became her first to miss the top-twenty; though it was her last to chart there.

## Track listing

***All I Ever Wanted* — Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)**
* Tedder
* Biancaniello
* Andre Harris
* Vidal Davis
* Harry Zelnick
* Alexander Chiger
* Davis
* Biancaniello
* Watters
 Total length:

***All I Ever Wanted* — Japanese edition (bonus track)**
* Andy Dodd
* Shanna Crooks
 Total length:

*All I Ever Wanted* — Deluxe edition (bonus DVD)
 Total length:

## Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.

**Performers**

* Dameon Aranda – background vocals
* Kelly Clarkson – lead vocals
* Ryan Tedder – background vocals

**Musicians**

* Dameon Aranda – guitar, bass
* Derek Bason – musician
* Howard Benson – keyboards
* Louis Biancaniello – musician
* Michael Biancaniello – guitar
* Thomas Bukovac – guitar
* Paul Bushnell – bass
* Luke Gottwald – bass, drums, guitar, synths
* John Jarvis – piano
* Alain Johannes – guitar
* Paul Leim – drums
* Max Martin – guitar, synths
* Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards
* Josh Freese – drums
* Brian Ray – guitar
* Aaron Sterling – drums
* Ryan Tedder – musician
* Glenn Worf – bass
* Jonathan Yudkin – strings
* Phil X – guitar
* Harry Zelnick – musician

**Production and design**

* Chris Asburn – assistant
* Narvel Blackstock – manager
* Howard Benson – producer, programming
* Louis Biancaniello – programming, recording
* Kim Bullard – programming
* Jared Newcomb – assistant
* Kelly Clarkson – producer
* Paul Decarli – digital editing
* Craig Durrance- recording
* Jimmy Frysinger – assistant
* Graham Hope- assistant
* Chris Gehringer – mastering
* Serban Ghenea – mixing
* Aniela Gottwald – assistant
* Dr. Luke – programming
* John Hanes – Pro-Tools
* Sam Holland – engineer
* Hatsukazu "Hatch" Inagaki – additional engineer
* Claude Kelly – vocal production
* Koolkojak – assistant
* Max Martin – producer
* Joe Martino – assistant
* Trisha McClanahan – Manager
* Greg Ogan – Additional production
* Daniel Piscina – assistant
* Mike Plotnikoff – recorder
* Dave Rieley – recording
* Tim Roberts – assistant
* Mike Rooney – assistant
* Gary Silver – production coordination
* Tom Syrowski – assistant
* Ryan Tedder – producer, recording
* Sam Watters – vocal production
* Emily Wright – engineer, vocal editing
* Joe Zook – recording
* Meghan Foley – art direction and design
* Karen Levitt – styling
* Campbell McAuley – hair styling
* Erwin Gorostiza – creative director
* Frances Hathaway – make-up
* Mike Ruiz – photography

## Certifications

 United Kingdom (BPI)
 \* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.