Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)", sometimes referred to as just "Stronger", and originally known as "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)", is a song by Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, David Gamson, and Greg Kurstin; with Kurstin handling the production. It was sent to mainstream radio on January 17, 2012, by RCA Records as the second single from Clarkson's fifth album, Stronger (2011). The track is an uptempo pop rock song that uses a vibrant beat pulsating with synth and electric guitar. According to Clarkson, the song was inspired by a Friedrich Nietzsche quote, translated to "That which does not kill us makes us stronger", and its lyrics contain the theme of empowerment. The song has been received as an anthem for empowerment and recovery.

Combining the power-pop anthems and radio friendly accessibility of Breakaway with the darker confessional appeal of My December, Stronger plays like the perfect marriage between artistic intent and label demand. It’s an effortless combination–counterbalancing the threat of overindulgence by an artist gone unchecked and the “sell-out” sound of a label with too many hands in the cookie jar–resulting in one of the strongest, most triumphant and wholly satisfying records of the year.

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To craft Stronger, Clarkson and her team enlisted a solid collection of tried-and-true songwriters (Bonnie McKee, Ester Dean, Busbee) and incredible pop producers, including Toby Gad, Oligee and Greg Kurstin–the man responsible for the album’s three most major moments: “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger),” “Dark Side” and “Honestly,” which isn’t just an album highlight, but one of the most haunting songs Clarkson’s ever recorded.

“Could you love somebody like that?/Could you attract someone like that?” Clarkson slowly croons above a chilly, swirling electronic undercurrent, all complimented by a teary-eyed piano-led bridge, chilling howls in the background and some of Clarkson’s most devastating vocal delivery to date. It’s an utterly awe-inspiring number, the album’s greatest departure musically, and a particular highlight on the record.