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"Someone" is a song by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson from her seventh studio album, Piece by Piece (2015). The song was written by Matthew Koma and produced by Greg Kurstin. It is a pulsatic trance track, about a defunct relationship, in which a singer sings of a false apology to a former lover while also wishing him to find someone to love in the future. "Someone" was released by RCA Records as the fifth and final promotional single from Piece by Piece on February 27, 2015. The song received mainly positive views from music critics.

Background and composition

"Someone" is written by Matthew Koma and produced by Greg Kurstin. Koma wrote the song while he was still finishing recording with his debut studio album, Arcadia. Lyrically, it is a trance ballad of ambivalence following a breakup in a relationship, in which the singer derides her lover by singing a false apology for saying "shitty" things to him while also hoping for him to find someone to love in life. New York Daily News chief music critic Jim Farber remarked that the song is a classic non-apology apology ballad, saying that she wishes she didn't have to say such awful things to a foe. Containing a censored profane word, the song made Piece by Piece her first studio album to be censored by the Australian Recording Industry Association.

Release and critical reception

Prior to the release of Piece by Piece, Clarkson shared the lyrics of the chorus of "Someone" on her website. "Someone" was first released by RCA Records on February 23, 2015 as the fifth and final promotional single from Piece by Piece. Upon its release, the track debuted at the top ten of the American iTunes Store for the week ending February 28, 2015. A Frank Pole remix of the song was included on Clarkson's first remix album, Piece by Piece Remixed (2016).

"Someone" received positive reviews by music critics upon its release. The Guardian's Carolline Sullivan praised the song as one of Clarkson's greatest kiss-off ballads, writing that she sings the track with the "utmost purity of tone". Reviewing Piece by Piece for New York Daily News, Farber lauded the song as one of the album's most interesting tracks, saying that it repeats Clarkson's flair for the passive aggressive put-down. Jonathan Riggs of Idolator praised "Someone" as having some of the "best, most striking lyrics in recent memory", remarking that it elegantly traces how breakups bring out our kindest and meanest selves. Colin McGuirre of PopMatters shared a similar response, describing it as serving the best illustration of "that Clarksonian candor we've grown to love." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday also praised the song for being "he closest we get to any of Clarkson's previously brassy attitude, calling it a "gorgeous" and "lush synth ballad that caps the tale of an imploding relationship with the tag line, 'I'm sorry I'm not sorry'." Kyle Downling of Music Times praised the track for having "great lyrics, a lot of heart and a very interesting story."

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the Piece by Piece liner notes and "Someone" metadata.

Recording

• Engineered at Starstruck Studios, Nashville, Tennessee and Echo Studio, Los Angeles, California
• Vocal session recorded at The Attic, Nashville, Tennessee

Personnel

Charts

See also

• Love–hate relationship

References

1. ^ Garber, David (April 10, 2015). "Matthew Koma is Ready for His Solo". Vice. Vice Media, Inc. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
2. Gamboa, Glenn (February 20, 2015). "Matthew Koma brings DJ show to New York City". Newsday. Cablevision. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
3. Gamboa, Glenn (March 2, 2015). "Review: New Releases by Kelly Clarkson, Sannhet and Asleep at the Wheel". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
4. ^ Farber, Jim (March 3, 2015). "Kelly Clarkson's 'Piece By Piece' review: New album is weighed down by overbearing production". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
5. "Kelly Clarkson: Piece By Piece". Parramatta City Library. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
6. "Someone - Kelly Clarkson". KellyClarkson.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
7. Lipshutz, Jason (March 2, 2015). "Kelly Clarkson Q&A: The Pop Superstar on 'Piece By Piece,' Recording While Pregnant & Bringing a Crib on Her Tour Bus". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
8. "Download This: Who's Up and What's New in the iTunes Top 10s". Hits Daily Double. Hits Digital Ventures. February 27, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
9. Wass, Mike (February 29, 2016). "Kelly Clarkson Releases Idol Version Of "Piece By Piece", Announces Remix Album". Idolator. SpinMedia. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
10. Sullivan, Caroline (February 26, 2015). "Review: New Releases by Kelly Clarkson, Sannhet and Asleep at the Wheel". The Guardian. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
11. Riggs, Jonathan (March 3, 2015). "Kelly Clarkson's 'Piece By Piece': Album Review". Idolator. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
12. McGuire, Colin (March 2, 2015). "Kelly Clarkson: Piece By Piece". PopMatters. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
13. Gamboa, Glenn (March 2, 2015). "'Piece by Piece' review: A calmer Kelly Clarkson". Newsday. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
14. Dowling, Kyle (March 25, 2015). "Junk Mail: Kelly Clarkson, 'Piece By Piece' Album Review". Music Times. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
15. Piece By Piece (booklet). Kelly Clarkson. 19 Recordings Limited under exclusive license to RCA Records. 2015. 88875070852.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. "Someone" (metadata). Kelly Clarkson. 19 Recordings Limited under exclusive license to RCA Records. 2015. GBCTA1500003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
17. "2015년 15주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. April 4, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.

• 2010s ballads
• 2015 songs
• Kelly Clarkson songs
• Pop ballads
• Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin
• Songs written by Matthew Koma