Maps of Music

All I Ever Wanted (2009)

Where the lyrics of All I Ever Wanted take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first titled Masquerade, but Clarkson renamed it because other albums with similar titles were released in the same period.

Place unknown

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All I Ever Wanted: fourth studio album by Kelly Clarkson
Released March 6, 2009 by RCA Records
Pop and pop rock album with influences of dance, rock and soul
Lyrical themes: romantic relationships, dignity, independence, emotional truthfulness
Three singles released worldwide, with the title track as the fourth single in the US

Followed My December (2007), which was seen as much darker than her two previous albums
Recorded after the label pressure to repeat the success of Breakaway (2004)
Worked with previous collaborators Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello
Worked with new collaborators Ryan Tedder, Howard Benson and Dre & Vidal
Originally titled Masquerade; the title was changed due to similarities with Pink's Funhouse and Britney Spears's Circus, both released in 2008
Clarkson described the album as pretty personal in its lyrical approach

Cartoon-colored, airbrushed cover artwork
The cover was criticized by reviewers and by Clarkson herself for heavy use of Photoshop

1	My Life Would Suck Without You	3:32
2	I Do Not Hook Up	3:20
3	Cry	3:34
4	Don’t Let Me Stop You	3:20
5	All I Ever Wanted	3:59
6	Already Gone	4:41
7	If I Can’t Have You	3:39
8	Save You	4:03
9	Whyyawannabringmedown	2:42
10	Long Shot	3:36
11	Impossible	3:23
12	Ready	3:05
13	I Want You	3:31
14	If No One Will Listen	4:03
15	Can We Go Back	2:52

Born Kelly Brianne Clarkson on April 24, 1982, in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Burleson, Texas.
Won the first season of American Idol in 2002 and signed with RCA Records.
Debut single "A Moment Like This" became the best-selling single of 2002 in the United States.
Debut album Thankful (2003) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Breakaway (2004) became her most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.
Singles "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You" achieved major chart success; "Because of You" became her biggest single worldwide.
Stronger (2011) won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2013 ceremony.
Wrapped in Red (2013) became the best-selling holiday album of the year.
Signed with Atlantic Records in 2015 and released Meaning of Life (2017), When Christmas Comes Around... (2021), and Chemistry (2023).
Coached The Voice for multiple seasons and hosted The Kelly Clarkson Show from 2019.
Has sold over 82 million records worldwide and received three Grammy Awards.

Most music critics gave the album generally favorable reviews, praising her approach to mainstream music without losing her identity and personality
Her vocals were also praised, though a few critics called the album "hackneyed" and "overworked"
Metacritic score of 70, indicating generally favorable reviews
Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times called it a masterful rapprochement with the mainstream
Michaelangelo Matos of The A.V. Club called it a likeable but ultimately hackneyed album
Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone admitted that Clarkson's sense of grievance can be wearying over 14 songs
Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine said nearly all songs work well enough on the radio, but the production draws too much attention to itself
Michael Cragg of musicOMH was more critical, writing that the album feels precision tooled and strangely lifeless

Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 255,000 copies, her second album to top the chart
Number 2 in Canada and Australia, number 3 in the UK, number 6 in New Zealand
Certified platinum in Australia and Canada, gold in Ireland and the United Kingdom
Nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards
Entertainment Weekly selected it as the Best Comeback

Clarkson co-wrote 'My Life Would Suck Without You' but left her name off the credits to avoid being associated with Dr. Luke.
'I Do Not Hook Up' and 'Long Shot' were originally demos from Katy Perry.
'Already Gone' drew controversy for its similarity to Beyonce's 'Halo', and Clarkson tried to stop its release.
Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine dubbed the album 'Clarkson's version of Now That's What I Call Music! 29.'
Lea Michele covered 'Cry' in the Glee episode 'Choke' on May 1, 2012.