You Can't Win

Album: Stronger (2011)
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Songfacts®:

  • Clarkson penned the song when she was touring her previous album, All I Ever Wanted. She explained the song's meaning to SameSame: "I wrote the song about having a really hard time with not even just people I was working with but just media, and the portrayal of All I Ever Wanted, fans and friends and family… everybody was like, you can't win. If you're the girl next door it's like 'boring', or if you're wild and crazy it's like 'oh you need to go to rehab'. Or people will be like 'Oh, you're gay, right?', and I'm like 'well, no', but then it's like 'if you're straight, why aren't you married?', so it's like I can't win either way! It's that whole thing of I'm never gonna please you, so I'm going to stop trying."
  • Clarkson wrote the song in Germany whilst her make up artist was trying to get her ready for one of her gigs. She recalled to SameSame.com.au: "I wrote it during hair and make-up, and so she was trying to do stuff and I was like 'I need to go to the bathroom and record this in Garageband or I'm gonna forget the melody!' so I had to go and do it; I always do that to her and she gets pissed off, but I can't help it! You get inspired when you get inspired!"

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