singing low

Low (Kelly Clarkson song)

"Low" is the third single from pop rock singer, Kelly Clarkson's debut album, Thankful.

The single was written by Jimmy Harry and produced by Clif Magness. The song is notable for being the first single in which Clarkson explores the "pop rock" element that would later define her career in singles like "Breakaway" and "Since U Been Gone", however the intro guitar riff gives the song a minor R&B element. It opens with a guitar chord strum, played backwards. The song also includes musical elements that are similar to the song titled "Losing Grip" by Avril Lavigne. In this song, Clarkson asks listeners if they have ever been low, and goes on to lament a failed relationship. The song was featured on her second album, Breakaway, as a bonus track along with "Miss Independent".

Music video

The music video features Clarkson driving in a car. During the chorus she is shown singing "Low" live.

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United States	August 25, 2003	RCA Records
Australia	October 27, 2003	BMG Australia		82876573322

Chart performance

Although previous singles, "A Moment Like This" and "Miss Independent", had been hits, at this point in her career, Clarkson was still being dismissed by critics who felt that she was still an American Idol product, and that her two hits had been flukes. They predicted that her career would go downhill with the release of "Low" – and they were right, but only for a little while. "Low" was a mediocre hit, peaking at number fifty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100. It also yielded disappointing results on several airplay charts, including the Top 40 Tracks and the Hot 100 Airplay, but did a little better by peaking at number fourteen on the Top 40 Mainstream.

In the United Kingdom, "Low" was released as a double A-side single with "The Trouble with Love Is", where it also performed poorly, peaking at number thirty-five. It did, however, do a little better in Australia, coming in at number eleven and achieving gold status.

"Low" was able to breakthrough on the charts in Canada, where it peaked at number two. After debuting at number fifty-eight, the song slowly began climbing up the Canadian Singles Chart. Eight weeks later, "Low" had made it into the top ten, and eleven weeks following its debut, the song reached the number two position. This came as a surprise to many critics and fans of Clarkson's in other countries around the world.