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Kelly Clarkson's Katy Perry Cover of "Wide Awake" Is an Emotional Heartbreaker

Clarkson's version will have you reaching for the tissues.

By Christopher Rudolph
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Kelly Clarkson is living her teenage dream by singing a cover of Katy Perry's "Wide Awake."

How to Watch

Check your local listings for The Kelly Clarkson Show.

The 2012 single released off of the sacred text album Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, the song is about waking up and realizing a dream is over, no matter how difficult that reality might be. Perry said the track was partly inspired by her divorce from Russell Brand, which the music video also alludes to.

What inspired Katy Perry's song "Wide Awake"

While Perry's original is an emotional bop of a ballad, Clarkson's cover is an even more heartbreaking stripped-down affair. For the "Kellyoke" performance, The Kelly Clarkson Show Host belts out the song, as she is dressed in black, backed only by her musical director Jason Halbert on piano.

"How did I read the stars so wrong / And now it's clear to me that everything you see / ain't always what it seems / Yeah, I was dreaming for so long," she sings.

"This song in particular is a dose of reality. It's kind of like coming down from a high," Perry told MTV News in a 2012 interview. "You've been on cloud nine for so long, and it can't always be so sweet and sometimes you need to realize that, and you have to pick yourself up and move forward and face the facts of life and know that this is just a lesson you learn and you're stronger because of it."

We think Clarkson knows a thing or two about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

RELATED: You'll Have Kelly Clarkson's Latest Joyful Teddy Swims Cover on Repeat

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