Song: Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
Year: 2011
Artist: Kelly Clarkson
Album: Stronger
Language Focus: Comparative Adjectives
Episode Description
International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world on March 8th. Ece and Heather host an annual party with their friends, and this year, they are adding another song to their playlist for the party - Kelly Clarkson’s 2011 hit song, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” This song has a great message, and it also contains a lot of comparative adjectives. Maybe you were strong last year, but this year you are even stronger!
Check out Season 3, Episode 11 wherever you listen to podcasts.
🎶Have fun, and…just keep singing!🎶
Episode Transcript
<intro>
H: Hi! I’m Heather
E: And I’m Ece.
H: Welcome to Season 3, Episode 11 of the podcast, English as a Singing Language.
E: In each episode, we talk about a different song.
H: We choose songs from different styles of music, different time periods, and different countries.
E: In each song, we focus on a language feature like pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary or fluency.
H: After you listen to the episode, we encourage you to sing out loud and focus on the language feature in the song.
E: So, what’s the language feature in the song for this episode, Heather?
H: We’re going to talk about comparative adjectives in this song.
E: Oooooh! That sounds interesting.
H: Grammar is always interesting!
E: And fun to sing, too! I can’t wait to find out what song we’re talking about!
H: Me neither.
E: Let’s get started!
<end intro>
H: <humming Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger”> Hi Ece! Are you getting excited for International Women’s Day?
E: I am! March 8th is right around the corner!
H: Are you ready for the annual party?
E: Almost! I have a few more things to prepare.
H: Oh yeah? Like what? Maybe I can help.
E: Well, I want to invite a larger number of people than last year.
H: That sounds good. It’s always nice to have a big group of friends.
E: And I want to have more delicious food and drinks than last year, too.
H: There was a lot of delicious food last year!
E: I know, but things can always be better, right?
H: I suppose you’re right. Anything else?
E: You know how important the playlist is.
H: I sure do. I remember in 2023, in Season 1, Episode 13, we added the song, “Most Girls,” by Hailee Steinfeld. That was a great song about intonation and pronunciation reductions.
E: And then in 2024, we had even more songs, and we included Rachel Platten’s, “Fight Song,” which focused on the pronunciation of [f] and [v] sounds.
H: So this year, we want to include a song that is even more fun and more powerful.
E: How about the song that you were humming just now? That sounds like a good song.
H: Do you mean Kelly Clarkson’s 2011 hit song, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”?
E: Yes! Kelly Clarkson is a pop singer who became famous when she won American Idol back in 2002 on the first season of the show.
H: Oh! That’s an excellent song, and it’s perfect for International Women’s Day.
E: I think so, too.
H: One of the songwriters, Ali Tomposi, was asked the following question in an interview on the website, “Songwriter.” <quote> “Step outside the song for a moment. How would you describe “Stronger” as a music fan?”
E: And she responded <quote>, “I would describe it as an empowering song. It’s the jam on the radio you can dance to, cry to and sing at the top of your lungs to.”
H: And I bet I can guess from the title of the song what the language focus is.
E: Did you guess comparative adjectives?
H: Yes! The title is a comparative adjective, “Stronger.”
E: Let’s pause for a second to explain that.
H: Right. If we have two things, and we want to compare them, we need to use a comparative adjective.
E: And in English, what we do is add an -er ending to the adjective.
H: Like in the title of the song. “Stronger”
E: I am strong,
H: And I am also strong.
E: But I can lift this heavy box of books, and you can’t.
H: So you are stronger than I am.
E: This song is about how Kelly Clarkson feels stronger after the end of a relationship.
H: So let’s take a look at the lyrics and notice the comparative adjectives.
E: She starts with, “You know the bed feels warmer, sleepin’ here alone.”
H: She’s comparing the bed sleeping by herself, to the way it was before, when she was with her partner.
E: And it’s actually warmer now that she’s alone.
H: Not only that, but she goes on to sing, “You know I dream in color, and do the things I want.”
E: She really seems much happier now that she is alone.
H: She does! In the next line she says, “You think you got the best of me.”
E: If you “get the best of someone,” it means that you get an advantage over them.
H: Or, something can “get the best of you.” If I’m feeling sick, I could say, “I took medicine and got lots of rest, but I think this cold is getting the best of me.”
E: In Kelly Clarkson’s case, her former partner maybe thought he defeated her.
H: Maybe. In the next line, she sings, “Think you’ve had the last laugh.” That’s an interesting expression.
E: It is. If you get the last laugh, it means that you’ve finally won. People were laughing at you or doubting you, but you get to laugh in the end, because you defeated everyone.
H: We could say, “Nobody believed we could create a podcast, but here we are in Season three!” hahaha
E: We could say we got the last laugh.
H: But actually, everyone we know has always been very supportive of our efforts to record a podcast.
E: We’re very lucky! And we’re going to invite all those friends to our annual International Women’s Day party.
H: I can’t wait. In the next lines, she continues to describe what her ex might be thinking, “Bet you think that everything good is gone. Think you left me broken down. Think that I'll come running back.”
E: But that line ends with, “Baby, you don't know me, 'cause you're dead wrong.”
H: Hmmmm… ok. I know what it means to be “wrong,” because I do that a lot, but what does it mean to be “dead wrong.” That sounds serious!
E: Yeah, it just means that you are really, really wrong.
H: So, you wouldn’t use it in everyday conversation, unless you wanted to make a strong point.
E: Yes. I’m thinking we should talk about some of the language in the other verses before we talk about the refrain. What do you think?
H: That sounds like a good idea.
E: Verse two starts out, “You heard that I was starting over with someone new. They told you I was moving on and over you.”
H: There are two interesting phrasal verbs in that line: “start over”
E: And “move on.”
H: Listeners, you know how much we like phrasal verbs.
E: Go back and check out Season 2, Episode 1, Shakira’s, “Try Everything.” It’s a whole song full of phrasal verbs!
H: So, “start over” means go back and start from the very beginning.
E: Like, “I wrote this paper and then I discovered I chose the wrong topic. Now, I have to go back and start over.”
H: Usually, people aren’t happy when they have to start over, but Kelly Clarkson is probably happy to be starting a new relationship.
E: If you “move on,” it means that you leave where you are and continue on to someplace else.
H: Here she’s using it figuratively. She’s not actually going somewhere, she’s just leaving her old relationship and starting a new one.
E: And if you’re “over” something, it means that you don’t care about it anymore.
H: Like, “I’m so over this winter weather. I’m ready for spring!”
E: Heather, I feel like you were saying that back in November!
H: You’re right. I’m usually “over” winter before it even begins!
E: Ok. Now let’s talk about the refrain.
H: The first line is, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Ece, I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before. Where does that line come from?
E: You have heard that phrase before. It is from the German Philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche in his 1888 book, Twilight of the Idols. The original German is, “Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker.”
H: Very cool. And I guess it means that we all have to go through difficult times and challenging situations.
E: If we don’t die in the process, we will come out on the other side stronger and more powerful.
H: Not only is she stronger but then she sings, “stand a little taller.”
E: She feels prouder maybe a bit more confident, so she is standing a little taller.
H: Ece, I noticed that you added -er to proud to make prouder, but you used “more” with confident. Why is that?
E: If a word is one syllable like, tall, strong or light, we usually just add -er to the end to make the comparative adjective.
H: Ah! I see. If the word is longer like difficult, challenging or confident, then we usually add “more” to create the comparative.
E: Exactly. The next line is kind of interesting. “Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone.”
H: Those two words, “lonely” and “alone” are very similar. They both refer to being by yourself with no other people around.
E: The difference is that if you are “alone” it just means that there’s nobody near you.
H: And if you’re “lonely” it means you feel sad because you don’t have people around you. Maybe you’re missing someone that you really like.
E: After that, she expands on the “stronger” idea and sings, “What doesn't kill you makes a fighter, footsteps even lighter.”
H: If your footsteps are light, you feel happy and carefree.
E: So she feels lighter now that she is single.
H: Exactly.
E: There’s one more phrase I think we should highlight.
H: Which one?
E: She sings, “just me, myself, and I.”
H: That is a fun phrase. We use that to emphasize that we are doing something on our own, by ourselves.
E: I can ask you, “Heather, are you bringing anyone to the International Women’s Day party next week?”
H: And I can answer you, “Nope! Just me, myself and I.”
E: That’s ok. There are going to be so many people there!
H: I know. I can’t wait to see everyone!
E: You know what?
H: Are we ready to sing?
E: We are! Listeners, there is a link to Kelly Clarkson’s 2011 hit song, “Stronger” in the episode notes.
H: Don’t forget to sing out loud.
E: Pay attention to the comparative adjectives and the interesting language that she uses.
H + E: What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!
<outro>
E: I can’t wait for our party next week.
H: It’s going to be bigger and even more exciting than last year!
E: I know! I hope we have a great time.
H: We will! Let’s remind our listeners to subscribe to the podcast wherever they listen.
E: And listeners, you can contact us via email at singinglanguages@gmail.com.
H: You can also follow us on Instagram, @singinglanguages.
E: Wherever you are in the world, we wish you a very happy International Women’s Day.
H: We hope you have a group of wonderful women to celebrate with!
E: Until next time, have fun and…
E + H: …just keep singing!
Waterman, D. (October 18, 2021). The story behind the song: Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger,” American Songwriter, https://americansongwriter.com/stronger-kelly-clarkson-behind-the-song/.
Official YouTube Video
Complete Lyrics
[Verse 1]
You know the bed feels warmer
Sleepin' here alone (Sleepin' here alone)
And do the things I want (Do the things I want)
[Pre-Chorus]
You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'll come running back
Baby, you don't know me, 'cause you're dead wrong
[Chorus]
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
[Verse 2]
You heard that I was starting over with someone new
They told you I was moving on and over you
[Pre-Chorus]
You didn't think that I'd come back
I'd come back swinging
You tried to break me, but you see
[Chorus]
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
[Bridge]
Thanks to you, I got a new thing started
Thanks to you, I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinkin' 'bout me
You know in the end, the day you left was just my beginning
In the end
[Chorus]
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone (What doesn't kill you)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I (What doesn't kill you)
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger (Stronger)
Stand a little taller (Taller)
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone (What doesn't kill you)
[Outro]
When I'm alone
Writers
Ali Tamposi, Greg Kurstin, David Gamson & Jörgen Elofsson
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