Thankful (Kelly Clarkson album) explained

Thankful
Type:studio
Artist:Kelly Clarkson
Cover:Thankful Album.PNG
Border:yes
Recorded:2002–2003
Length:45:31
Next Title:Breakaway
Next Year:2004

Thankful is the debut studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released in the United States by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. "Miss Independent" was its first single, followed by "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is". Initially, the album had been scheduled to be released in November 2002, however, Clarkson's demanding schedule and difficulty finding tracks that suited her taste and image forced the album to be delayed several times.[1] By the time the album was released, over six months had elapsed since "A Moment Like This" had reached number one.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 297,000 copies. "Miss Independent" went on to be a top ten hit in the United States. Thankful has sold 2,800,000 copies in the United States, receiving a 2× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[2] In Canada, Thankful was certified platinum for 100,000 copies shipped by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).[3]

Background

Two songs originally on the album, "Trace of Gold" and "Today for Me", written by Stephanie Saraco, were replaced just before the album release by "Anytime" and "A Moment Like This". Early released versions of the CD still show the original tracks on players that read the data from the CD itself (such as Windows Media Player). The two songs have yet to be heard by the general public. Copies of Thankful sold during its first year of release contained a computer program that could be loaded, and used with the internet for artist updates and music videos. The program ceased to function when her official RCA website was launched. Thankful included four cover tracks, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" originally by Aretha Franklin, "Some Kind of Miracle" originally sung by Puff Johnson, "Anytime" by Mary Griffin and "Just Missed the Train" by Trine Rein. "Just Missed the Train" was previously covered by Danielle Brisebois and Carly Smithson (then Carly Hennessy), who worked on much of her album with Brisebois.

Critical reception

Critical response for Thankful was generally positive. On Metacritic, a website that compiles various reviews, the album received a score of 62, indicating generally favorable reviews.[4] Entertainment Weekly noted that "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades".[5] Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, praising Clarkson's talent and vocal abilities, while criticizing the album for feeling manufactured. They note that "[her] high notes are sweet and pillowy, her growl is bone-shaking and sexy, and her midrange is amazingly confident for a pop posy whose career is tied for eternity to the whims of her American Idol overlords".[6]

On the other hand, Q gave the album a very negative review, stating that the album "has her trilling like Mariah Carey on fluffy R&B tunes."[4]

Commercial performance

Release of the album was preceded by the single "Miss Independent", which became a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit and a number one top 40 smash. In thanks to the success of the single, as well as buzz from her American Idol win (Clarkson also appeared several times on the show's second season to promote Thankful), the album sold well in the United States. It managed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with 297,000 copies sold. The album sold over 1 million copies in six weeks.[7] According to Nielsen SoundScan, Thankful has sold 2,800,000 copies to date in the US.[2] Further single releases "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is" did not replicate the success of the first single. "Just Missed the Train" and "You Thought Wrong" had been planned for possible single releases, but after the underperformance of "Low" and "The Trouble with Love Is", they were canceled.[8]

Personnel

Musicians

Strings (Tracks 1 & 5)

Strings and French horn on "Before Your Love"

Production

Technical

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2003–2006)!scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 33
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[10] 5
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[11] 83
Irish Albums (IRMA)[12] 46
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] 19
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 12
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] 44
UK Albums (OCC)41
US Billboard 200[16] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2003)!scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[17] 31
Worldwide Albums (IFPI)[18] 41

Certifications

Release history

Release history and formats for Thankful! Region! Date! Label! Format
Canada[19] April 15, 2003Sony BMGCD
United States
EuropeJuly 7, 2003Sony BMG
Japan[20] July 23, 2003
AustraliaSeptember 15, 2003
BrazilDecember 18, 2006

Notes and References

  1. News: For The Record: Quick News On Kelly Clarkson And Justin Guarini, Eve, D12, Ben Lee, Sheryl Crow & More. https://web.archive.org/web/20030826011823/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459155/20021213/clarkson_kelly.jhtml. dead. August 26, 2003. December 13, 2002. 2008-02-24.
  2. Ask Billboard: Kelly Clarkson's Career Sales & 'Wild Thoughts' About Rihanna. .
  3. http://www.cria.ca/gold/0104_g.php Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - January 2004
  4. Web site: Critic Rviews for Thankful. Metacritic. 2008-02-24.
  5. Thankful Review. Goldblatt. Henry. Entertainment Weekly. April 25, 2003. 2008-02-24. 2014-09-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20140908120143/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,444557,00.html. live.
  6. Thankful. Berger. Arion. Rolling Stone. April 22, 2003. 2012-11-18.
  7. News: Clarkson slipping into a sales slump. USA Today. 2007-08-10. 2008-02-24 . Edna . Gundersen.
  8. Web site: Kelly Clarkson Hits The Roof For New Clip, Plans DVD. https://web.archive.org/web/20040919102208/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480236/20031106/clarkson_kelly.jhtml . dead . September 19, 2004 . MTV. 2003-11-06. 2008-02-24.
  9. Web site: KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL. Hung Medien . 2012-03-10.
  10. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kelly clarkson|chart=all}} Thankful - Kelly Clarkson - Canadian Albums chart ]. . . 2012-03-10.
  11. Web site: KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL. Hung Medien . 2012-03-10.
  12. Web site: KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL (ALBUM) - irish-charts.com . Hung Medien . 2012-03-10.
  13. Web site: サンクフル. ORICON. ja. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230123034135/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/321822/products/512487/1/. January 23, 2023. January 23, 2023.
  14. Web site: KELLY CLARKSON - THANKFUL. Hung Medien . 2012-03-10.
  15. Web site: Archive Chart- Kelly Clarkson - Thankful . . 2012-03-10.
  16. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kelly clarkson|chart=all}} Thankful - Kelly Clarkson - Billboard 200 ]. Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . 2012-03-10.
  17. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003. Billboard. September 5, 2020.
  18. Web site: Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2003 . . February 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081117003117/http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/top50-2003.pdf . November 17, 2008.
  19. Web site: Kelly Clarkson - Thankful (CD, Album) at Discogs. Discogs. April 15, 2003. September 3, 2016.
  20. Web site: Kelly Clarkson - Thankful (CD, Album) at Discogs. Discogs. July 23, 2003. September 3, 2016.

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