Kelly Clarkson Puts Empowering Twist on 'Piece by Piece' Lyrics Post-Divorce

August 23, 2024

Jill O'Rourke

Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit

| August 7, 2023

Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment

Reading Time: 2 minutes

During a recent show on her Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson performed her song “Piece by Piece.” The track was written as a tribute to Clarkson’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, but the singer put an empowering twist on the lyrics this time around.

Kelly Clarkson Changes ‘Piece by Piece’ Lyrics

Before performing the song on Saturday, Us Weekly reports that Clarkson called the original song “super hopeful,” as it told the story of how Blackstock was different from her estranged father. However, she and Blackstock have since divorced.

Clarkson told the crowd that “sometimes hopeful turns into hopeless.” She then launched into a performance that turned the track into an anthem of self-love. As she sang on the chorus, “But piece by piece, I collected me up / Off the ground where you abandoned things / Piece by piece, I filled the holes / That you burned in me at six years old.”

In the original lyrics, Clarkson sang, “He never walks away / He never asks for money / He takes care of me / He loves me.” This time, she sang, “I just walk away, when they ask for money / I take care of me, ’cause I love me.”

In the new version of the song Clarkson sang of herself, “Piece by piece, I restored my faith / That a heart can still beat, even when it breaks.”

loading="lazy"

Clarkson Sings That She’ll Never Leave Her Kids

Toward the end of the performance, Clarkson sang, “Piece by piece, I fell far from the tree / I will never leave them like you left me / And they will never have to wonder their worth / Because unlike you, I’m gonna put them first.”

The singer shares two children with Blackstock — daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander. In her new version of the song, she sang that she’ll “never walk away” or “break their hearts.” Rather, she sang that she’ll “take care of things when you leave scars.”

This isn’t the first time Clarkson has changed song lyrics in an apparent dig at Blackstock. Earlier this year, she performed a cover of “ABCDEFU” by Gayle on her talk show, singing, “Forget you and your dad and the fact that you got half / And my broken heart, turn that sh*t into art.”

Back in 2021, Clarkson also adjusted the lyrics to “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish in a possible reference to her divorce. Instead of “You make me hate this city,” Clarkson sang, “I get it, you hate this city.”

Let us know what you feel about this article

Meet Outstanding ‘AGT’ Dance Crew Chibi Unity

ncG1vNJzZmiskaGyr8DRnpqaqF6YvK57yp6jpbFdmLmivsqspqdloKrBtHnEpqeor5Wntq%2BzjK2uoqukYryvec%2BinJydXZfGbrzInpqeZZyuv6qv0manqKukYrGqws6rmp5n